Recipe Caldo Gallego

Planethoff

Senior Member
Joined
27 Nov 2018
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6:06 PM
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41
Location
Florida
One of my favorites. This super rich hearty soup is the best stick to your ribs meal on a cold winter day. We don't have many of those down here in Florida, but I had a Ham bone from a holiday meal and to me, this is WAY better than split pea soup.

Caldo Gallego
Caldo Gallego I.jpg


Caldo Gallego II.jpg

Ham Bone with good portion of ham left on it
(Optional: 1 roasted rack of St Louis Ribs)
2 Sticks of Spanish Chorizo casing removed and cut into strips (Not Mexican)
1 lb Dried Great Northern Beans (rinsed but not soaked)
2 lbs gold potatoes peeled and cubed
3 carrots whole
3 celery stalks whole
1 large or 2 medium sweet onion diced
5-10 cloves garlic minced (up to your garlic preference)
2 tblspn Black Peppercorns
2-3 Bay Leaves

Several Bunches Greens torn into small pieces (Collards, Turnip greens, escarole, kale, broccoli rabe, (can use spinach but, eh)) and sometimes cabbage is used

Start large stockpot with 1.5 gallons water. Add ham bone and ribs (if using), carrots, celery, onion, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves in sachet de espices (*note: you can just add fresh cracked pepper and fish out bay leaves if you don’t have cheesecloth, but whole peppercorns release a better oil to the stock) Bring to boil and turn down to simmer for 2-3 hours.

Remove Carrot, Celery, ham bone, ribs, bay leaf and peppercorns. Pull meat from bones and set aside. Return bones to pot.

Turn heat up and bring to boil. Add beans and chorizo and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 2 hours or until beans are beginning to get tender. Add potatoes. (if using turnip greens, cubed turnip can also be added) Cook another hour. Pick through and chop meat discarding any fat or other undesirable bits. Return to pot. Add greens and cook another 20 minutes.

Serve with crusty baguette. Enjoy!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I wondered what you were doing with whole carrots and celery, then I realize you were making a stock. I love that...this is something I always try to do, and the results are always better when I do. I remember one time when my father-in-law made a split pea soup with a ham bone, and it was phenomenal.

I also like the idea of using rib bones for flavor if you don't have a ham bone. Whenever I eat at a place that serves ribs, I save the bones for my dogs. Maybe they won't mind if I use them to flavor a stew before they get them?
 
@The Late Night Gourmet Since ham stock is not really a thing most people have on hand, I start the recipe by making it. I will even cook the stock longer than the 2-3 hours I stated, but I wanted to limit overall time of recipe and the 2-3 hours produces a nice result. However, the ribs are not a substitute for the ham. The ham is essential to the flavor of the soup. The ribs can be added for those that want more meat in the soup depending on how much ham was left on the bone. The tips and end of a rack of St. Louis ribs that is normally trimmed off works well for this purpose, but a whole rack can be used as well.
I will also kinda go against your using rib bones left over from a restaurant meal. People usually don't want bones/meat in their soup that someone has been previously gnawing on. Also, be careful in giving them to your dogs. Roasted bones splinter easily and can harm your pup.
 
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