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Galician Broth with Greens

📍 Spain
⏱️Prep: 20 min
🔥Cook: 90 min
Total: 110 min
🍽️8 servings
Difficulty: Easy

Galician broth with greens is the Atlantic winter stew: soaked white beans, smoked pork shoulder, and lard that simmer for hours until the broth turns thick and silky, with the grelos — Galicia's bitter, leafy green — added at the end to keep their bite. An unpretentious dish that genuinely fills you up and tastes even better reheated the next day.

🛒 Ingredients

8 servings
  • 300g soaked white beans
  • 400g smoked cured pork jowl
  • 200g white bacon
  • 300g fresh greens or cabbage
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • salt

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

  1. Boil the beans with the cured pork jowl and white bacon from cold water. Bring to a boil and skim.

  2. Boil over low heat for 60 minutes.

  3. Add the diced potatoes and cleaned, chopped greens.

  4. Boil for another 25 minutes until everything is tender.

  5. Adjust the seasoning with salt (the cured pork jowl and white bacon are already salty). Serve in a deep bowl.

💡 Chef's tip

The greens should be added when the potatoes are almost cooked: no more than 20 minutes so they retain their green color and characteristic slight bitterness.

📝 Our take

Galician broth is a dish that changes with the seasons: tender grelos greens in winter, turnip tops in autumn. But what never changes is the smoked lacón pork jowl, whose flavor is the backbone of the entire broth. The slight bitterness of the greens is part of the dish, not a flaw to hide. Those who soften it too much lose the Galician soul.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

Young red Ribeiro or a Mencía from Amandi. A light, acidic Galician red that complements the broth without overwhelming it.

Suggested wine: Galician Ribeiro red wine or Bierzo Mencía

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