Pinto Bean and Clam Tapa with Saffron Broth

Dice the yellow onion finely. Grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater, discarding the skin. Crush 4 garlic cloves with the flat of your knife and peel them.

Warm 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned.

Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the grated tomato. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook the sofregit for 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens to a deep amber and the oil separates from the tomato. This is your flavor foundation.

Rinse the pinto beans and pick through them to remove any stones. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-centimeter chunks.

Stir the pinto beans and potato chunks into the sofregit. Pour in 200 milliliters of white wine and let it bubble for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol.

Add 600 milliliters of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming any foam from the surface. Cover partially and cook for 20-25 minutes until the beans are tender but not falling apart and the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.

While the beans simmer, bloom the saffron: crumble ½ teaspoon of saffron threads into a small bowl and add 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let steep for 5 minutes until the water turns a deep amber-gold.

Stir the bloomed saffron water into the bean pot. Season with an additional ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Taste the broth—it should be deeply savory and fragrant with saffron.

Nestle the scrubbed clams into the top of the bean stew, pressing them gently into the broth so they are half-submerged. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until all the clams have opened. Shake the pot once halfway through. Discard any clams that remain closed after cooking.

While the clams cook, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Watch carefully so they do not burn. Transfer to a mortar.

Add the 2 peeled garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of parsley to the mortar with the toasted almonds. Pound with the pestle in a circular motion, pressing and grinding, until you have a rough, coarse paste. Some texture is desirable—this is the Catalan way.

Remove the pot from heat. Stir the rough picada into the stew gently, taking care not to break the potatoes or crush the clams. The broth will thicken slightly and become glossy.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of good olive oil over the surface. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top. Scatter a handful of fresh parsley leaves over the stew. Let the dish rest for 2 minutes off the heat before serving.