@msolga,
my first thought would be some variant of Caldo Gallego
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1818,156188-236196,00.html
Quote:CALDO GALLEGO
1 1/2 - 2 c. dried navy beans, soaked
1 lg. ham hock
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lg. onions, chopped
3-4 potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped turnip greens
Salt & pepper to taste
In a large soup kettle, cook beans, ham hock and garlic for 3 hours. When beans are tender, add remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender. Serve hot. Serves 6 to 8.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/caldo-gallego-recipe/index.html
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.
this version looks the most like what I've tried
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/10/caldo-gallego-spanish-vegetable-chorizo-soup-recipe.html
Ingredients
yield: 4 to 6
1/4 pound thickly sliced pancetta or slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 14-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, casings removed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 pound turnip greens (or other dark leafy green, such as kale or spinach), stemmed and coarsely chopped
Procedures
1
In a large soup pot, cook the pancetta or bacon over medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered.
2
In the meantime, peel and dice the potato, turnip, and onion. Add them to the pot along with enough water to cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes until almost soft but not falling apart.
3
Add the beans, chorizo, and greens and continue simmering until the greens are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread.
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kinda hard to go wrong with this type of recipe
the alternative (for me) would be to sautee the greens with lemon and garlic and serve them with simple boiled potatoes with an EVOO/garlic drizzle, and a mini casserole of the beans cooked with the bacon bone/onions/carrots
