There is nothing more satisfying on a cold winter day than a nice bowl of hearty soup. One of my favorite soups is Caldo Gallego which is a dish from my grandparents’ native Galicia in Spain. Caldo Gallego is a mix of chorizo, ham, beans and greens in a tasty broth. Paired with a nice crusty loaf of bread and some wine and it’s a perfect winter meal. I hope you’ll try out my version which has some additions to the traditional recipe, mostly because I just love carrots! Also, I find turnips too strong in flavor and because of this and to cut carbs, I omit them. They are in the traditional recipe.
Ingredients
- 32 oz Chicken Bone Broth
1 Ham Hock
1 lb. Ham steak cut into large chunks
2 chorizo sausages cut into slices
2 large carrots in large chunks
1 large onion chopped
3 medium potatoes in large chunks
1 lb bag white navy beans (or 2 16 oz cans cannellini beans rinsed)
4 cups chopped turnip greens/collard greens/Kale
2 bay leaves
Directions
- Saute the onion in olive oil until soft.
Add sliced chorizo and chopped ham and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Add ham hock, bone broth and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low boil. Cooking at too high a boil will make the broth even cloudier. FYI you can start this with just water or chicken/vegetable broth. I’ve started using bone broth as it contains more protein.
Simmer for 45 minutes. If you’re using hard unsoaked navy beans, add them now and cook for another 45 minutes before adding the carrots. If you’re using soaked beans, add them when you add the carrots. Cook for 15 minutes and check the beans. If they are almost soft, add the potatoes. If not, cook for another 15 minutes or so, checking the beans to see if they are soft. Once soft, add the potatoes.
Remove the ham hock and take the meat off the bone. Add the meat back to the pot. Once the potatoes are almost fork tender, add the canned beans and also the chopped greens. Cook until greens are just soft.
Serve with warm bread, butter and wine!
Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip!
Sunday was one of those lazy days and neither hubby nor I wanted to cook. Plus, I had done some food shopping and there were some things we had to use so they would stay fresh. Hubby recalled a recipe he had seen on TV and did a little improvisation. You can as well and end up with a healthy, hearty and economical meal!