Traditional recipe for Spanish bean soup with a base of soaked legumes, vegetables, and meat stock perfectly blended with chopped chorizo.

A local hotspot in my hometown to enjoy traditional food is the Tampa Bay History Center.
The museum cafe is a mini version of the hugely famous Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City.
Ybor City is the historical Spanish neighborhood just north of downtown Tampa that is home to many shops and restaurants along with at least one remaining cigar factory.
It’s also where I shop every week at an urban farm to obtain locally-grown, seasonal produce.

The recipe below for Spanish bean soup on the cafe placemats immediately caught my eye while enjoying a quick lunch on a family outing.
Everything about it was traditional from soaking the beans overnight to using beef and ham bones to make the soup broth. Alternatively, you can use meat stock as the base.
Even lard is used to fry the onion and bacon!
I thought I would share this recipe with you as it is simple and fast to make and one of the most delicious blends of meats, beans, and broth you will ever try.

If you live in Tampa or will be visiting soon, go and check this place out!
If you are in a hurry, it doesn’t seem that you need to gain entrance to the museum itself to sit down and enjoy a quick lunch.

Traditional Spanish Bean Soup Recipe
Traditional recipe for Spanish bean soup that nourishes with properly prepared legumes, vegetables, and a meat stock base blended with chopped chorizo.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Soak dried chickpeas overnight in a large bowl or pot with a tablespoon of sea salt dissolved in sufficient filtered water to cover. Use 2 cups of these presoaked chickpeas if preferred.
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Drain the water from the chickpeas and rinse in clean filtered water. Place chickpeas and bones in a large pot with 2 quarts of fresh, filtered water (or meat stock if omitting the bones). Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes on low heat.
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Immediately after starting to cook the chickpeas, fry the bacon and onion in lard until the onion is caramelized. Add the bacon, onion, potatoes, and saffron to the pot with the simmering beans and bones.
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When the potatoes are soft, remove the pot of soup from the heat and add chorizo cut into 1/2-inch thick medallions.
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Remove the bones from the soup, add sea salt to taste, and serve at the table with an optional dollop of homemade creme fraiche.
Recipe Notes
Substitute lentils for the chickpeas for a GAPS diet friendly version.

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