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Caldo Gallego (Galician Broth)

October 15, 2015 by TammyRenea 33 Comments

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CaldoGallego10

A year ago at this time, my husband and I were walking El Camino de Santiago. (It is hard to believe that a year has passed already.) For months after we returned, I walked the Camino every night in my dreams. I was so sad when those dreams ended. I wanted to keep alive the lessons I learned, the beauty I saw, and all my experiences, but life isn’t like that.  Day turned into night and turned again into day and the past was past.

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My feet no longer were kept on that ancient trail by my dreams, so I travel back there through my pictures, my memories and through my food.  When I make Caldo Gallego I remember the first time I ever tasted it.  We were served this soup in Fonfría del Camino at the end of the day after we left Villa Franca, climbed O’Cebreiro and continued walking for 24 km. We were more than tired; we were done.

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We stayed in the Albergue A Reboleira where we were served dinner in a communal dining area with our fellow peregrinos (pilgrims). This festive place soon made us forget our aches and pains and all the suffering we had experienced just a short time before.

fonfria

In this picture, you see my husband as he reacts to some colorful conversion with some newly met friends. In front of him is an empty bowl of Caldo Gallego, the large serving bowl we served ourselves from in front of it.

I never will forget the wonderful aroma or hearty, healthy taste of this simple soup; it has become a favorite in my house. Whenever I make it, I once again walk the Camino, see the weary yet happy faces, and hear the stories that are shared over and over between a long list of pilgrims who meet again and again on this ancient trail.

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I hope this soup will warm your heart as it has mine and will fill your stomach with its wholesome goodness.

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Ingredients (Serves 6)
1 1/2 cups dried white beans
1 ham knuckle, or 1 ham bone, or 1 ham hock, or 1lb. pork bones
1 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika (preferably Spanish)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
1 bunch turnip greens, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 spanish chorizos (6.5 oz total), cut into pieces

Instructions

Soak the beans overnight in cold water.
Rinse beans then add them back to the pot with the pork.

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Cover with 8 1/2 cups of water and season them with the salt, pepper and paprika.
Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer 1 hour covered. (Skim off foam)

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Remove the pork bones from the broth and add the potatoes, turnips, and chorizo.

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If you like, pull the meat off the bones and add back to the pot.
Return the pot to a simmer and cook for 30 more minutes.

¡Enjoy!

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Print

Caldo Gallego (Galician Broth)

Caldo Gallego is the traditional soup of Galicia in the coastal northwest of Spain. Turnip greens, pork, beans and potatoes make a hearty, healthy meal to stave off the damp cold of winter.
Course Soup
Cuisine Spanish
Prep Time 8 hours hours
Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 9 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Author www.sanpasqualskitchen.com

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups dried white beans
  • 1 ham knuckle or 1 ham bone, or 1 ham hock, or 1lb. pork bones
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika preferably Spanish
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 lb potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 bunch turnip greens rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • 2 spanish chorizos 6.5 oz total, cut into pieces

Instructions

  • Soak the beans overnight in cold water.
  • Rinse beans then add them back to the pot with the pork.
  • Cover with 8 1/2 cups of water and season them with the salt, pepper and paprika.
  • Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer 1 hour covered. (Skim off foam)
  • Remove the pork bones from the broth and add the potatoes, turnips, and chorizo.
  • If you like, pull the meat of the bones and add back to the pot.
  • Return the pot to a simmer and cook for 30 more minutes.

 

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Filed Under: Beans/Lentils, Pork, Soup/Stew, Spanish Tagged With: broth, Caldo Gallego, el camino de santiago, Galicia, pork, potatoes, soup, Spain, Spanish food, turnips

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Comments

  1. Isabel Moure says

    October 16, 2015 at 10:43 AM

    Me encanta tu historia, tu presentation , colorido y sobretodo todo ese caldo Gallegos tan requisimo !!!!

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      October 16, 2015 at 12:11 PM

      Muchas gracias, Isabel! besos

      Reply
      • Rocio Vila says

        July 9, 2016 at 12:35 PM

        Hi Tammy, Galicia is in the Northwest of Spain not the Northeast. The Northeast is where Barcelona would be.

        Reply
        • TammyRenea says

          July 10, 2016 at 7:37 AM

          I don’t know how many times I’ve read this post but it has been many and I’ve never caught that. You are so right. Thanks for pointing that out to me. 😀

          Reply
      • Gretchen Douthit says

        April 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM

        I can’t wait to make this recipe! I just returned from walking the Portuguese Camino less than a week ago and my memory of many, many bowls of delicious caldo are very fresh in my mind. Thanks for the pictures, memories, and recipe!

        Reply
        • TammyRenea says

          April 2, 2025 at 2:40 PM

          Thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoy it

          Reply
  2. A Spoonful of Spain says

    October 21, 2015 at 7:56 AM

    This looks delicious and just what you need after a day walking the Camino! I love the simple goodness of Spanish soups.

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      October 21, 2015 at 12:01 PM

      Simple and good is the best way to describe most Spanish cooking. I’m so glad you commented because I visited your blog, and I’m so glad I did! I have fallen head over heels for Spanish food, and I can see I’m not alone in this! I know I will be dropping by often to see what your cooking. 🙂

      Reply
  3. echeberriamarialuisa says

    November 4, 2015 at 9:08 AM

    You´re the first person I know who cooks real spanish food!!..CONGRATULATIONS, I love you liked it in here…I love Galicia too, we went there for our vacations last year.
    Love and thanks for your story.
    Marialuisa

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      November 4, 2015 at 12:36 PM

      That means so much to me coming from you!!! Yes, I’m an unabashed lover of Spain! I want everyone to know about this wonderful cuisine. In my opinion there is none better in the world.

      Gracias y besos,
      Tammy

      Reply
  4. echeberriamarialuisa says

    November 4, 2015 at 9:09 AM

    Sorry, the first foreign person…I forgot to write that…lol…sorry

    Reply
  5. frightfulkitchen says

    March 10, 2016 at 6:20 AM

    I must admit this is the one of the few recipes I’ve seen in English and written by a non-galician that has not rattled my cage. lol However, I’d recommend omitting the paprika as one of the signs of good caldo gallego is the white colour of its broth; you get enough paprika flavour from the chorizo. If you are interested in my family’s (my dad is Galician and grew up on this) caldo gallego recipe check out my blog. 🙂

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      March 10, 2016 at 12:57 PM

      I visited your blog and I can’t tell you how happy I am to find out about it. I love Spanish food and want to learn as much about it as I can. I appreciate your suggestion on the soup and will remember it the next time I make it. 😀 I will be visiting your blog often. ps I love the name of your blog!!!

      Reply
      • frightfulkitchen says

        March 10, 2016 at 1:20 PM

        ¡¡Muchas gracias!! 🙂 I am happy you found my blog too; the best thing about food is the sharing!

        Reply
  6. Janene says

    August 29, 2016 at 5:08 PM

    I too walked the Camino in Fall 2016. This is the soup recipe I’ve been looking for! Thank you so much. I’m so excited to have found it!
    Gracias

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      August 29, 2016 at 7:32 PM

      I hope it brings back wonderful memories!

      Reply
  7. Bertha Pastrana says

    March 21, 2017 at 2:23 PM

    HOLA! I walked the camino back in June (2016) from SJPD to Santiago and the food all along was great! you just made me remember some cool stages, o’ Cebreiro was absolutely a blast but we stayed there, the bar there is just amazing!

    buen camino!

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      March 22, 2017 at 9:15 AM

      Hola, peregrina!!! The food is amazing along the camino and so needed. I’m constantly looking for recipes that take me back to that very special time. 😀

      Reply
  8. Annika says

    October 6, 2017 at 3:07 PM

    Hello! I was searching for a recipe of Caldo Callego that we enjoyed on our Camino a month ago. So amazing, we got it for the first time in the same nice alberge as you! And actually , I also still dream about the camino . Annika

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      October 7, 2017 at 7:56 AM

      Oh that makes me so happy! I can remember the day like it was yesterday. Well, I hope you enjoy the recipe and it takes you right back there. Buen Camino!

      Reply
  9. Tamara says

    January 23, 2018 at 4:34 PM

    I had this yesterday for the first time and decided to make it. I put it together from tasting, and it is almost identical to your recipe! I used ham broth instead of the bone because I didn’t have one. Also used canned beans because of time. Chard, kale and spinach greens. So delicious. Thank you! I used chorizo and chorico because I wanted to taste the difference.

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      January 24, 2018 at 5:12 AM

      Thank you! Your version sounds wonderful!

      Reply
  10. Kathe JulinKathe says

    December 11, 2018 at 10:05 AM

    Tammy, I was touched by your description of your first encounter with this soup and your dreams and memories of the camino. Well said. I feel similar in that I just did the Camino this year and value the memories, photos, stories and food.

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      December 11, 2018 at 12:04 PM

      A fellow peregrina! Thanks so much for your comment. This is a time I love to revisit and one of the surest ways to conjure up the memories is through food. I think that’s because of the importance of food while walking long distances everyday. Food for fuel on the journey and food as comfort at the end of the day. Buen camino, Kathe!

      Reply
  11. Lorna says

    February 6, 2019 at 1:53 PM

    We love this soup, too! It is true comfort food on a cold winter night! It’s simmering on the stove as we speak!
    For the second time,we hiked the Camino last fall but this time we started in Portugal. Incredible experience !
    I had turkey stock in the freezer. I used this as a base and then also added kale instead of turnip greens with delicious results!

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      February 6, 2019 at 6:50 PM

      Oh, that sounds wonderful! My husband’s uncle did the Portugal Camino. I would love to do that one too. I’m glad you are enjoying the soup and thank you for your comment. Buen Camino!

      Reply
  12. Patricia Passov says

    April 28, 2019 at 5:23 PM

    I finished my camino in October. I looked up caldo recipes and found yours, the only one I looked at. How awesome that you were in Fonfria at the same place I first had caldo. I stayed 2 rainy nights at A reboleira. An earned break! Buen Camino!!

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      April 28, 2019 at 5:36 PM

      I love hearing from fellow peligrinas! I feel I can just imagine what you were feeling and how good the caldo was and what it meant during those grueling days. Buen camino, friend.

      Reply
  13. Connie R Page says

    June 17, 2019 at 9:18 PM

    Love this recipe..it was delicious..
    Your story was very delightful to tead!

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      June 18, 2019 at 1:38 PM

      Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  14. Victor Carlos Torrico says

    March 24, 2020 at 7:42 PM

    My maternal grandfather Pedro had a small lumber mill in Outes, Galicia, Spain many years ago before he emigrated to Buffalo, New York. His wife Rosa was a talented pastry chef. She made a beautiful hearty Caldo Gallego and strained the vegetables and meat from the soup which she served separately as a clear pale yellow broth. This broth is what I understood to be the Caldo Gallego. The solids were served as a sort of a stew. All was eminently delicious. Many is the time my mother Laura made Caldo Gallego. It was always a big hit with everyone. It must have been good stuff since she lived independently to age 102 with all her faculties intact.

    Best regards to everyone,
    Victor Torrico

    Reply
    • TammyRenea says

      March 27, 2020 at 11:25 AM

      Thank you so much for your comment. I loved hearing of the way your grandmother and your mother prepared Caldo Gallego. That’s what I love about the food of Spain each region, and sometimes regions within regions, has their own version. I will have to try it that way sometime and will look for it the next time I’m in that region of Spain. It sounds amazing and if it helps me live to 102 the better!

      Thank you again for sharing this wonderful story.

      Reply

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