Asturian-American Migration Forum

GRANDMA SENA'S GARBANZOS (CHICK PEA SOUP)


1 pound garbanzos
1 piece ham or ham hock
2 beef shanks
3 bay leaves
4 onions
6 chorizos
5 medium potatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon saffron
parsley


Soak the garbanzos in warm water overnight, in a large pan. Add beef shanks and bring to a boil. After 20 minutes of boiling, remove the foam. Boil until the beef is almost tender, about 45 minutes. Add whole onions, chorizos, parsley, and ham. Cook 1 hour. Add saffron and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are done. Remove solid ingredients and keep warm in the oven. Bring the liquid to a boil and add thin egg noddles. Serve the soup first, then the meat and veggies.

Bob, your abuela's recipe sounds terrific..I will try it!!

It is certainly similar to the one I described. I like the idea of separating the solids using the broth as a soup with "fideos"...we would usuallly serve fideos (thin noodles) with a chicken-based broth, traditionally on Christmas Eve, but throughout the year as well.

Your variation sounds similar to "Cocido Madrileno".

This sounds a lot like the soup my grandmother made. We just called it "noodle soup". Because she couldn't get chorizo where she lived she used pepperoni.

The compango and veggies are wonderful (I always add unsalted butter to the potatos and garbanzos), but the soup has long been everyone's favorite part of the recipe.

Hi, Bob,

When you say, "remove all the solid ingredients", does that include removing the garbanzos as well? This would leave just the broth alone for the noodles. I plan on making your recipe tomorrow. It sounds great for our Midwest wet, winter weather we're having this time of year.

Yes, leave just the broth. I usually separate the garbanzos, potatoes and onions iin one dish, and the beef shank, jamon and chorizos in another. another. If you cook the fideos directly in the broth, I think you get a somewhat richer taste to the soup, but at the cost of its thickening up if kept overnight. You can always add a little water to reheat it, if needed. My wife, on the other hand, prefers to cook the noodles separately and then add them to each bowl of soup.

I do strongly recommend that you get garbanzos from Spain (see our La Tienda link). They have thinner skins and a creamier texture than the varieties that are usually sold in the EEUU. Well worth the little bit of extra money, in my opinion.

Thank You Bob. I actually saw garbanzos on La Tienda on sale yesterday. I will probably order some the next time I order Sidra. I already have a new bag (sadly not from La Tienda) for my batch tomorrow.

I appreciate your help,

Eric.

Bob,
I made your recipe. It was awesome! I added some salt and pepper and a little mild pimento'n and used a little less saffron. I have to conserve my stock for paella and fabada.

Thanks again,

Eric.

I buy saffron by the ounce from Vanilla Saffron Imports in San Francisco. An ounce of saffron will last along time, even with heavy and frequent use, and the smell when the tin is opened is incomparable. The owner is Juan Mames.

http://www.saffron.com/

Every 19th October since beginning of last century in every single restaurant of Uvieu we find the following menu

Chick pea, cod and spinach
Asturian tripes and
rice pudding

Every years more than 20.000 ovetenses enjoy the mene that celebrates the (pacific) disarmament of some Carlist troops in Uvieu during the First Carlist War.
The most popular theory says that the Carlist (followers of Prince Carlos) were ready to attack Uvieu (liberals and followers of Isabel II), the defenders didn't offer resistance and instead prepared a big ranch of chick peas, cod and spinachs, plus large portions of trip and wine. The carlist, after enjoying such an unusual, heavy and rich meal decided to have a after meal moment when the liberals disarm them......., e

CHICK PEA, COD AND SPINACH
INGREDIENTS
600 grams de garbanzos
400 grams de salt cod
1/2 kilo de espinacas
1 onion
1 bread slice
pimenton
bay leave
garlic
Parsley
oil
Salt
boiled eggs (optional)


Salt cod must be soaked for 24 hours in plenty of cold (water must be changed at least 3 times) chick peas must be soaked overnight
We cover the chick peas with luke warm water, salt, half a bay leave, some olive oil, very slowly we boil them. NB, there must be always water covering the chick peas if need it, please pour some more luke warm
In a sauce pan with oil we fry a medium bread slice, once fried we remove and reserve it. In the same oil we fry a clove of garlic until golden, once fried we remove it from the oil and reserve it as well. In the remaining oil we fry a bit of thinly sliced onion, when it is fried we add pimenton to this and the whole mix is added to the chick peas. Once they are boiled we add the cod (without fish bones) and in small pieces.
We remove the stems from the spinaches, wash them with cold water and scald them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, immediately we put them under cold water and in a colander, so the spinach can drain quickly. We cut and add them to the chick peas
In a mortar we add the fried bread and garlic, parsley and the yolk of a boiled egg, we add some broth from the peas. We crush it all and add it over thechick peas, we check the salt content and we leave it simmering slowly for another 20 mts.
Just before serving we add the white of the boiled egg sliced