Making Spanish Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Soup

Spanish Chickpea or Garbanzo Bean Soup

We grew up eating all kinds of homemade soups, from chicken noodle to ham and bean to sauerkraut to mushroom to Dad's potato soup. When I went to Poland in the 1970s, soup was often served at lunch time at the Jagiellonian University. The best was a cauliflower soup with fresh dill. I still make different types of soup and enjoy sampling soups from different cultures when I get the chance. 

Chickpeas make a creamy, delicious soup.

When I worked at Lorenzo Walker Technical College in Naples, Florida, the administrators served their favorites at a faculty luncheon. I was particularly taken with a garbanzo bean-based soup. The recipe was very convoluted and there were lots of handwritten notes all over the recipe page, which made it very confusing. I looked the recipe up on the Internet and found many references to a Spanish Garbanzo Bean Soup that were similar. It appears that this particular soup is a national dish, but cooks have a wide latitude for making it their own. Which I did. The result was a fantastic soup which is supposed to sit overnight for the flavors to meld, but I can never do that, because it is so good right out of pot as soon as it finishes simmering. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Let me know what you think!

Sauteing the onions, green peppers, chorizo, and smoked ham. Note: I had a leftover hambone that I threw into the pot. It's optional.

Jackie Spencers Spanish Chickpea Soup (from Denise Dusick at Lorenzo Walker)*

1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium bell pepper, chopped (optional)
2 ounces Vigo olive oil
1 chorizo (Spanish sausage), skin removed and crumbled
1/2 pound smoked ham, diced
1/4 teaspoon Vigo paprika
1 29 ounce can garbanzo beans
2 medium potatoes, 1/2 inch diced
Vigo flavoring and coloring for yellow rice

In a large saucepan, fry onion, garlic, and bell pepper in olive oil. Fry until onions are tender, but not browned. Add chorizo, smoked ham and paprika and fry gently. Add entire contents of garbanzo beans can including liquid and also one and one-half cans of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add potatoes and Vigo Flavoring and coloring, ½ teaspoon at a time to obtain desired golden color and taste. Lower heat, and cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. I recommend doing this the day before serving and reheating and simmering the soup at a very low heat for 45 minutes.

Chopped bacon or salt pork that has been fried can be substituted for the olive oil.

*modified by Adam Janowski.

Note: I couldn’t find the Vigo flavoring and coloring for yellow rice by itself, so I had to strain a packet of Vigo Yellow Rice Mix to get the seasonings from the packet. It worked. And I didn’t need all the seasoning so I can use the rice mix for another dinner.