Photo: Caldo Gallego Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Spanish olive oil
- 1 smoked ham hock, skin scored
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
- 1 1/2 cups dried white beans, such as navy, rinsed and soaked in cold water overnight
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and large-diced
- 1 pound turnip tops, rinsed well and coarsely chopped (substitute spring or savoy cabbage if you cannot find turnip greens)
- 1/2 pound Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced crosswise
Directions
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.
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By mf361704
Philadelphia, PA
on October 11, 2011
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This recipe is completely wrong. The other reviewers are correct. There are no peppers in caldo gallego. The greens should be collards or kale.
Also, it's incredibly offensive that this is listed as a Mexican dish. This soup originates in Galicia, the northwest region of SPAIN. It's a completely different continent.
By maritta_yo_13041116
Toronto, 43
on August 01, 2010
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Hi Emril,
I don't know if I should be happy that you are featuring this very important Galician staple or if I should cry. While I can appreciate your take on Caldo Gallego, and that you have copywritten your version of it... this really is not Caldo Gallego and I would ask that you modify the title of this recepie, please. It is misleading.
The basics of this recipie really go very far back. As dar back as the Celtiberians.
A few things are wrong here:
1- Turnip Tops? I am guessing that you mean rapini. While it is possible to make Caldo with rapini... the typical version is with kale. Kale grown and available year round in Galicia.
2- Unto - Caldo Gallego calls for unto. It is a galician tradition (taken from out celtic origins to salt the pork belly in a round form and then smoke it. Once ready, you actually can do 1 of 2 things
a cut a piece and fry it to take out the flavour
b add a piece directly to the caldo
This gives the caldo it's unique flavour. Actually, most of the gallegos I know would tell you "no unto, no caldo".
3- Peppers?
I am sorry, but this is not true Caldo Gallego.
By annatfer1
Miami, FL
on December 06, 2009
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My mother and all of my decendants are from the region of Galicia, Spain , where this dish originated, and this is how she and her mother always prepared it. It is delicious and extremely nutritious, so enjoy: This dish cannot be accomplished without its main ingredrient - collard greens. So, use one turnip and add plenty of chopped collard greens with the potatoes. Do not use green pepper and make sure to use plenty of garlic and navy beans only. You must also always add Spanish chorizo. The single most overlooked ingredient necessary in this dish is called "unto," which is dried aged pork belly, and can be found only in Spanish/Latin groceries stores or on-line.
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