This soup is a personal creation, but it is based upon the Caldo Gallego that I enjoyed eating at a favorite Cuban restaurant in Orlando when we lived there in the late 1980s.
Beans & Greens Soup
1 c. dried navy beans
6 c. water
1 medium to large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, shredded
cooking oil
4 oz. pork sausage
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1 bunch greens, chopped coarsely
salt & pepper
Soak beans overnight in 6 c. water. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender. You may need to add more water as beans cook. Saute onions, celery and carrots in small amount of oil until onion is transparent; add to soup pot. Cook sausage meat in small skillet, remove meat & retain grease. Add oil if necessary to make 2 Tbsp. Make a classic white sauce from grease, flour and milk; stir in sausage, making sausage gravy. Add 1 cup of liquid from soup pot to gravy to thin it out, then stir gravy into soup pot. Allow to simmer, adding salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped greens and simmer for at least 1/2 hour more. If you're using spinach, you can simmer for a shorter period. Winter greens (turnip, mustard, kale, kohlrabi, etc.) will need the full 1/2 hour to tenderize.
