Favas with Blood Sausage and Bacon

This dish is traditionally made with the blood sausage called botifarra negra—it is unavailable in the U.S., but morcilla may be substituted. This recipe comes from Colman Andrews's Catalan Cuisine (Harvard Common Press, 1999).

1 cup olive oil
8 oz. thick-cut bacon, 1 slice left whole and remaining
   slices diced3 scallions, trimmed and minced
2 morcilla sausages, 1 cut into 1⁄2"-thick slices and 1
   left whole
1 1⁄4 lbs. shelled fresh young favas (about 4 cups) from
   about 5 1⁄2 lbs. unshelled favas
1 tsp. Pernod
1 bay leaf
Leaves of 1 sprig fresh mint, minced
Pinch sugar
Salt

1. Put oil, diced bacon, and scallions into a heavy medium pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is lightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Add sliced sausages and favas, stir well, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add slice of bacon, whole sausage, Pernod, bay leaf, mint, sugar, and salt to taste.

2. Add enough cold water (about 1 cup) to pot to just cover beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until favas are tender and have absorbed water, 15–20 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cut slice of bacon and whole sausage into 4 pieces each before serving.