Caldo Gallego Estilo Cubano - Galician Soup Cuban Style

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 cup dry bean (cannelli beans or great northern beans, pre-soaked overnight in just enough water to cover, to tende)
• 2 quarts beef stock or 2 quarts chicken broth or 2 quarts water
• 2 chorizo sausages, casing removed & sliced on an angle (sausage available at latin grocery stores)
• 1/2 lb extra lean cured ham, chopped (thick-cut 1/2-inch from deli counter)
• 3 pieces lamb fat (optional) or 3 slices thick slab bacon
• ham hock (optional)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon pure spanish olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped turnip
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup chopped collard greens (stems removed and cleaned well)
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• sazon con azafran seasoning, to taste
• sazon completo seasoning, to taste

Recipe

• 1 place all ingredients; the beans with their soaking liquid, the chorizo, ham, lamb fat or bacon, ham hock (if using), onion, garlic, green peppers, tomato sauce, olive oil, in a 6-quart pot, cover with broth and water.
• 2 cover the pot and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. add seasonings and simmer for about 1-1/2-2 more hours, until the beans are almost tender.
• 3 skim the froth and scum that comes to the top.
• 4 season to taste.
• 5 add the potatoes, turnips and collard greens, and simmer 15 minutes longer, until all vegetables are soft.
• 6 season with salt, pepper, and sazon completo & sazon con azafran to taste.
• 7 serve in deep soup bowls with a side of fluffy rice (a necessity for cubans), with sliced avocados, and tomatoes, with a vinaigrette dressing, a warm loaf of cuban (pan de flauta) bread or french baguette or even with a focaccia.
• 8 buen provecho!