Columbia Restaurant ★ 4.5
Columbia in Ybor City has plated 1905 Salad, paella and Spanish-Cuban classics since 1905, Florida's oldest restaurant under five Gonzmart family generations.
History
Spanish bean soup is the Sunday-dinner classic that the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City has served since 1905. The Asturian-Spanish recipe combines garbanzo beans, smoked chorizo, ham hock, potato and saffron in a clear broth, served as a starter or a meal. Cuban diners across Tampa now run the same soup. The Columbia plates over 5,000 bowls a week between its six Florida locations.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 400g dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas), soaked overnight
- 1 ham hock (or 200g pork shoulder)
- 200g Spanish chorizo, sliced into rounds
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 liters chicken stock or water
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil for sauteing
Method
- Drain soaked garbanzo beans. Put in a large pot with the ham hock and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer; skim foam.
- Cook 1.5 hours until garbanzos are tender. Remove ham hock, shred meat, return to pot, discard bones.
- Heat olive oil in a separate pan. Saute onion until soft, add garlic, paprika and saffron. Add to the soup pot.
- Add diced potatoes and sliced chorizo. Simmer 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Taste, adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot in bowls with Cuban bread on the side.
Tip from the editors. The saffron is essential to the Spanish version; don't skip it. If garbanzo beans are still firm after 1.5 hours of cooking, add a pinch of baking soda.
Where to eat spanish bean soup (garbanzo)
Spanish bean soup (Garbanzo) in Tampa
La Teresita ★ 4.5
La Teresita on Columbus Drive has run a Cuban counter and dining room in West Tampa since 1972, owned by the Capdevila family across two generations.
Order: Palomilla steak with yellow rice and black beans.
Tip: The counter side runs 6am to midnight Friday and Saturday; the dining room takes reservations next door.
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