Caldo Gallego
Caldo gallego is the everyday soup of Galicia in Spain's rainy northwest, a pot of white beans, potato, and greens that once got its richness from a knob of cured pork fat and a length of chorizo. Take those out and the dish still holds, because smoked paprika delivers the same smoke and depth that the meat did, and the potato, half-crushed into the broth, supplies the body. The traditional green is grelos, the peppery tops of turnips; collards braise down to the same silkiness and cost little. Half the beans go in whole and half get mashed, so the caldo is at once brothy and thick. It is cheap, filling, and made almost entirely from the pantry.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cannellini beans, cooked, no-salt-added
- 3/4 lb Potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 6 oz Collard greens, stemmed and chopped
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 whole Bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion and garlic in a pot with 0.25 cup (60 ml) water over medium heat until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. This is the flavor base that replaces the pork fat a traditional caldo starts from, so let it go slow and sweet.
- Stir in the smoked paprika off the heat for a few seconds, then add the potato, bay leaf, and 4 cups (950 ml) water. Smoked paprika, standing in for the cured unto and chorizo, is what gives the broth its russet color and its smoky, savory backbone with no meat and no salt.
- Simmer until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes, then crush a few pieces against the side of the pot. Galician cooks let the potato half-dissolve on purpose, which thickens the caldo into something between a soup and a stew.
- Add the collard greens and half the beans, and simmer until the greens are silky and tender, about 10 minutes. Grelos, the sharp turnip tops of Galicia, are the classic green; sturdy collards are the closest easy stand-in and hold up to the long simmer the same way.
- Mash the remaining beans lightly and stir them in to warm through, then discard the bay leaf and grind in the black pepper. The mashed beans give the broth body and a second layer of protein. Taste, and add hot water if it is thicker than you like.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 220 calories, 11 g protein, 9 g fiber, 110 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
