Caldo Gallego (Gallician soup)

Typical soup of the Gallician region northwest of Spain, this flavorful dish constitutes a meal in itself. You can modify this and use any meat or combination of meats and vegetables you desire and still maintain that Gallician flavor.

Ingredients:
  1 chicken breast (with bones)
  1 Spanish chorizo (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
  1 ham bone
  5 cloves garlic (diced)
  1 carrot (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
  1 large potato (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
  2 celery stalks chopped
  1 small cabbage (sliced)
  1 cup hot pepper leaves (sili leaves)
  1/4 cup olive oil
  2 mid sized tomatoes (cubed into 1/4" sizes)
  1 madium sized Spanish onion chopped
  1 tblsn. pimenton (red pepper powder)
  1 tspn. salt.
  dash of black pepper

Recipe:
In a soup pan, heat olive oil, pimenton, tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, ham bone and chorizo. Once the garlic turns brown add carrots and 4-5 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breast. Turn heat on low to simmer for 45 minutes. Take the chicken breast out while adding the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 15 minutes. Debone the chicken, dice it and put it back on the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve while hot!