Chickpea Soup (Sopa de Garbanzos)

Method12 steps · about 1 hr 45 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Heat the olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a large pot over medium heat.

   Uses 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2. 2

   Step 2: When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions, carrots (2), and celery. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently.

   Saute onion carrot and celery · 4 minUses Heated olive oil · 1 medium Yellow Onion (finely diced) · 2 Carrots (diced) · 1 Celery Rib (diced)

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the garlic (3–4), tomato paste (1 tablespoon), salt (1 teaspoon), dried oregano (1 teaspoon), cumin (½ teaspoon), and black pepper (¼ teaspoon). Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.

   Cook garlic tomato paste and seasonings · 1 minUses Sauteed onion-carrot-celery base · 3–4 garlic cloves, minced · 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste · 1 teaspoon Salt · 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano · ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin · ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

4. 4

   Step 4: Add the pork shanks, chicken broth (4 cups), and water (4 cups). Stir well while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.

   Uses Cooked aromatic tomato-spice base · 1–1 1/2 lb smoked pork shanks, ham hocks or meaty ham bone · 4 cups Chicken Broth · 4 cups Water

5. 5

   Step 5: Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, about 5–6 minutes. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.

   Simmer Soup · 30 minUses Smoked-pork soup with broth and water

6. 6

   Step 6: Lift the cooked pork shanks from the soup and reserve them on a board until cool enough to handle; leave the broth in the pot.

   Uses Soup after initial thirty-minute simmer

7. 7

   Step 7: Drain and rinse the three cans chickpeas, then add these ready cooked beans to the prepared broth. Return to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and keep simmering while preparing the reserved pork.

   Uses Prepared smoked-pork broth with shanks reserved separately · Three 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

8. 8

   Step 8: Remove the meat from the reserved cooked shanks once cool enough to handle. Discard bones and excess fat, chop the cooked meat, and return it to the simmering chickpea soup.

   Uses Reserved cooked pork shanks or ham hocks · Broth simmering with canned chickpeas

9. 9

   Step 9: Cover and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Maintain a simmer and adjust the heat if necessary.

   Simmer With Pork · 20 minUses Chickpea soup with returned cooked chopped pork

10. 10

    Step 10: Add the potatoes (2 medium), cover, and continue cooking for 30–35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the chickpeas are soft and creamy in the center. Stir occasionally and keep at a simmer.

    Cook Potatoes · 35 minUses Simmered chickpea and pork soup · 2 medium Potatoes (about 12–14 ounces, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces (we used a Russet potato))

11. 11

    Step 11: Taste the finished soup and add optional extra salt only if needed. If it is too thick, stir in a little of the separate optional thinning water until the desired consistency.

    Uses Soup with tender potatoes and creamy-centred chickpeas · Additional salt to taste after cooking, optional; quantity unspecified · Additional water as needed to thin finished soup, optional; quantity unspecified

12. 12

    Step 12: Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if desired. This soup goes well with white rice or a crusty piece of bread for dipping.

    Uses Finished seasoned chickpea-pork soup · Chopped Parsley (for garnish (optional))