Caldo Gallego (Galician bean, meat and big leaf soup)

MEATS

• 2 fresh cooking chorizos
• 2cm slab of smoked bacon or Spanish pancetta (unsliced)
• 1/2 smoked ham knuckle or good sized smoked gammon
• Beef/pork bone
• ~100 gms of whole chunk of serrano ham

VEGETABLES

• 2 fresh cooking chorizos
• 2cm slab of smoked bacon or Spanish pancetta (unsliced)
• 1/2 smoked ham knuckle or good sized smoked gammon
• Beef/pork bone
• ~100 gms of whole chunk of serrano ham
• 4 potatoes, peeled and chunked up about 2cm
• 500grms of dried large white beans – Spanish Granjes, (Lima/butter beans). Any *large* white beans can be used as decent substitute)
• 3 small turnips (optional) Peeled and quartered
• Leafy green veg (see notes above)
• 1 whole peeled carrot (chopped) (Optional)

Preparation

• STEP 1
  Soak white beans overnight. Next day, drain and refill with cold water to cover by 4cms.
• STEP 2
  In a large pot add a little EVOO, med heat up, and add pancetta slab and bone. Cook until bone and slab look like they are rendering juices and starting to brown a bit.
• STEP 3
  Add bay leaves, ham knuckle, and fill with water to cover the smoked knuckle. Bring to boil and leave on rolling boil/simmer for about 75mins or less (check ham knuckle to make sure it stays submerged, add more water if needed).
• STEP 4
  In the meantime bring to boil the white beans and cook on moderate heat for just 15mins. Drain and set aside (This is to give the beans a helping start as they won’t cook quickly later when added to the salty/meaty broth that will become from above).
• STEP 5
  Back at the big pot (after about 75mins), remove all the meats and bone and set aside.
• STEP 6
  Add the white beans to the big broth pot, bring to the boil and simmer at a medium-high flame. How long to cook? This is the most important step! The beans must be cooked to nearing al-dente. Any further they will turn to mush, too early and they will remain bullets. Judge well because the final step will be to add the vegetables/potatoes and chorizos at the right time because there are 30 more minutes left of cooking. So keep checking!
• STEP 7
  Whilst the beans are simmering grab a frying pan, add some EVOO and start frying the onion/leek slices, add the ñora peppers and after 10mins add the chopped garlic, turn down heat and continue cooking on low heat until onion/leeks are nearing to brown, but not there yet. Turn off heat, allow to cool then stir in the paprika. Remove ñora peppers, pull off stems. In a blender add the ñoras and a cup of the broth from large pot (cooled) and whizz up into a thick sauce. Add this back into the frying pan and stir to mix.
• STEP 8
  When the removed meats have cooled slice off any excess meat, chop up into bite sized pieces and leave aside for the mo.
• STEP 9
  When the beans are nearing al-dente, add the chopped carrots, the fried onion or leek/garlic/ñora/paprika sauce from the frying pan, and the whole chorizos to the big pot. Cook on moderate heat. After 10 mins add potato chunks. Add the turnips (if using) 5 mins later then after another 5 mins add chopped greens and the chopped meats and continue to cook until potatoes, and turnips (if musing) are cooked, but not falling apart.
• STEP 10
  Check the beans, are they now cooked? If so turn heat to a bare minimum uncovered and hook out the chorizos. When cool enough to handle chop into chunks and add back into the pot for a few mins.
• STEP 11
  Ladle into individual bowls and serve with country bread