Garbanzo Bean Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Garbanzo Beans, dried
  • 1 tbs Salt, to soak beans
  • 2 large Potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1 large Onion, chopped
  • ½ large Green Pepper, chopped
  • 4-5 cloves of Garlic, minced
  • 2 Spanish Chorizo, sliced thick
  • 1 Ham bone
  • 1 lb Ham, pre-cooked and cubed
  • 8 cups Water
  • 2 tbs Olive Oil
  • 6-8 strands of Saffron
  • ⅛ tsp Paprika
  • ⅛ tsp Oregano
  • ⅛ tsp Basil
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
Spanish garbanzo Soup

Directions

Soak the beans
  1. Rinse garbanzo beans.
  2. Soak overnight with 1 tbs salt in enough water to cover beans.
  3. Drain the salted water from the beans.
Next day – Start cooking beans with ham bone
  1. Place beans in 4-quart soup pot; add 8 cups of water and the ham bone.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 1½ hours, skimming foam from the top.
  3. At the 1½ hour mark, remove the bone and if there is any meat on it, cut it off and set aside.
  4. Then, get a potato masher and gently push down on all the beans to aid in softening.
Mise en place – during the 1½ hours of cooking beans with ham bone
  1. Chop onion and green pepper.
  2. Mince garlic.
  3. Slice chorizo.
  4. Cube ham, peel & quarter potatoes.
  5. Portion olive oil, oregano, saffron, paprika, basil, bay leaves.
Put it all together
  1. In a skillet, pre-heat 2 tbs of olive oil over medium high heat (making sure not to burn oil).
  2. Add onion, green pepper, salt and pepper, saute lightly for about 4 – 6 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add cubed ham (plus any off the bone), potatoes and garlic, cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. Add ham/onion/potato mixture to beans along with paprika, saffron, oregano, basil and bay leaves. Stir well.
  5. Add salt to taste and cook on low for about another 1½ hours.
  6. Add chorizo about 30 minutes before removing from heat.
  7. When beans and potatoes are tender, remove from heat.
  8. Serve hot in deep soup bowls with buttered Cuban bread on the side for dipping.

Notes

Garbanzo Bean Soup is a hearty and nutritious soup that can be enjoyed by itself or as part of a larger meal. Cook it low and slow!

Credits

This special recipe was found on http://allkindsofrecipes.com/