Spanish Caldo Gallego Recipes

CALDO GALLEGO

Steps:

• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add the ham hock, onions, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until slits of ham hock have begun to open and vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, to taste, and paprika and cook for 1 minute longer. Add 9 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Drain the white beans and add them to the pot. Return to a simmer and continue to cook at a simmer until beans are just beginning to get tender, about 1 hour longer. Remove the ham hock and, when cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the hock and shred into bite size pieces. (Discard skin and bones.) Return the meat to the pot along with the remaining salt (or to taste), potatoes, turnip greens, and chorizo and continue to cook until beans have broken down slightly, potatoes and greens are very tender, about 1 hour longer. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot.
• Note: you may have to add a bit more water if the soup gets too thick during the lengthy cooking time.

CALDO GALLEGO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot oil until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Stir chorizo and ham into onion mixture and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix potatoes and turnips into chorizo mixture; pour in chicken stock. Bring stock to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover stockpot, and simmer until potatoes and turnips are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium and stir cannellini beans and turnip greens into soup; cook until greens are desired tenderness, at least 3 minutes.

CALDO GALLEGO

Steps:

• In a 4 quart Dutch oven combine beans and 4 cups of the water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover, and let stand for an hour. (Or soak the beans in the water overnight in a covered pan). Drain beans and rinse.
• In the same Dutch oven combine rinsed beans and remaining 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the sausage and salt pork or bacon till brown. Drain off the fat.
• Add the sausage, salt pork or bacon, turnips, red onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to the beans. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Add the turnip greens or spinach and cabbage. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10 minutes or more, until tender.

SPANISH CALDO GALLEGO

Steps:

• In a 8 qt stockpot, simmer the first 10 ingredients, covered, for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
• Remove chicken from the pot.
• Debone the chicken, chop the meat and reserve.
• Add to the pot: potatoes, cabbage, kale and turnips.
• Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes longer.
• Return the boned chicken to the pot and add the salt and pepper.
• Simmer a few more minutes until all is hot, and serve.
• The soup keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.