Galician Soup (pote Gallego)

Total Time: 12 hrs Preparation Time: 8 hrs Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 lb cannellini beans, dried (or great northern)
• 3/4 lb salt lamb
• 1 lb beef shank (with bone)
• 1 chorizo sausage, spanish (not mexican!)
• 1 ham hock, cured not smoked
• 1 blood sausage (morcilla, from spain, the one with onions is better for flavor rather than the one blended with rice)
• 1 napa cabbage, large
• 1 lb red potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
• salt

Recipe

• 1 rinse beans and discard any damaged or odd looking beans. put in large pot with 1 tablespoon of salt and cover by 4 inches. leave to soak overnight or at least 8 hours.
• 2 in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add drained beans, salt lamb, beef shank, chorizo and ham hock. cover all with cold water by three inches and bring to a boil over high heat. cover and turn heat down to low or medium/low - pot should be at a strong simmer for two hours.
• 3 prepare cabbage by stripping the outer, dark green leaves. remove core of leaves, chop roughly and set aside. quarter the light green inner cabbage and remove core. halve each piece again and chop into chunks.
• 4 over the two hours, check pot every 30 minutes or so and spoon off any gray 'scum' that bubbles at the top - this is from the meat. when the broth is thickening and the beans are almost tender, add the morcilla, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, potatoes and chopped dark green outer cabbage leaves. bring back to the boil, then cover and lower heat to a simmer again for about 20 minutes.
• 5 over the two hours, check pot every 30 minutes or so and spoon off any gray 'scum' that bubbles at the top - this is from the meat. when the broth is thickening and the beans are almost tender, add the morcilla, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and potatoes. bring back to the boil, then cover and lower heat to a simmer again for about 20 minutes.
• 6 taste for salt again and add the rest of the cabbage. cover and cook until cabbage is very tender, at least 40 minutes. test for salt and adjust.
• 7 to serve, remove meats and chop (except morcilla). remove bones and fat and put meats back into soup. slice morcilla and add to the bottom of each bowl before serving, top with soup and serve.