Spanish Bean Soup
Florida-style Spanish bean soup: dried garbanzo beans simmered with a ham bone and a beef bone, then salt pork, onion, potatoes, saffron and paprika, finished with Spanish chorizo. About an hour on the stove, plus an overnight soak. Serves 4.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 pound dried garbanzo beans also called chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon salt for soaking the beans, plus more to taste
- 2 quarts water
- 1 ham bone or a smoked ham hock
- 1 beef bone
- 1/4 pound salt pork cut in thin strips
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 potatoes peeled and cut in quarters
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 Spanish chorizo sausage sliced in thin rounds
Instructions
- Wash the garbanzo beans and throw out any with visible imperfections. Put them in a bowl, cover with water, stir in the 1 tablespoon of salt and soak overnight. Drain off the salted water.
- Put the beans in a 4-quart soup pot and add the 2 quarts of water, the ham bone and the beef bone. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes, skimming the foam from the top.
- While the beans cook, fry the salt pork slowly in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté it lightly.
- Add the salt pork and onion to the beans along with the potatoes, paprika and saffron. Add salt to taste and cook until the potatoes are tender and the beans are tender but not overcooked. If your chorizo is raw, brown the slices in the skillet until they reach 160°F while the pot simmers, then set them aside.
- Lift out the bones, pull off any meat and stir it back into the pot. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the sliced chorizo and serve hot in deep soup bowls.
Notes
Soak the beans overnight before you start. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, or freeze 3 to 4 months. Reheat soup covered until it comes to a rolling boil; all leftovers must reach at least 165°F. Don't reheat it in a slow cooker.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 672kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 25.7gFat: 39gSodium: 1301mgFiber: 9.7gSugar: 8.2g