Jill, here is a recipe for Spanish bean soup/garbanzo bean soup that we would
drive from a small town in Florida to Tampa about once a week when I was a
child-the soup is wonderful. With the soup we would get real Cuban sandwich's,
Yummm!

Spanish Bean Soup

1/2 pound dried garbanzo beans
1 TBS. salt

Soak the beans overnight in cold, salted water.

4 ounces salt pork or 4 slices bacon, chopped
1 beef bone
1 ham bone with some meat still on it
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves (Optional)
A few tsp. olive oil
1-2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
A pinch of saffron ( a must)
Pinch of sweet paprika
Salt to taste
2 chorizos, Spanish sausage, thinly sliced

When ready to cook, drain the salted water from the beans and place them with
the beef and ham bones in about 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the
heat and cook covered about 1 hour over low heat or until the beans are cooked
through stirring occasionally adding more water as needed. Discard the bones
pulling any meat attached and adding it to the soup. Fry the salt pork or bacon
with the pinch of paprika, garlic cloves and onion in some olive oil (the
recipe calls for 2 ounces of lard, but I just can't do lard, LOL). Discards the
garlic cloves. Add onions and pork to the beans, also at this time add the
potatoes, saffron and chorizo, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Serves 4 Jan.