2 pounds meaty soup bones (have butcher crack them if they're in huge pieces) or oxtails
1 tablespoon ground Portuguese spice (recipe follows) or whole spice in muslin or cheesecloth packet
2 cloves s garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (27-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
2 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
2 pipinella (chayote) squash, cut into chunks
1 bunch collard greens (or Portuguese cabbage, if you have it in the garden), washed and cut chiffonade (strips)
1 inch ring Portuguese sausage, sliced (optional)
1 handful watercress leaves and tender stem ends (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
The night before:
Soak beans in water to cover overnight. Make stock: Rub soup bones or oxtails with olive oil and Portuguese spice (if using ground spice) and roast in 500-degree oven until dark brown. In deep soup pot, cover soup bones or oxtails and ham hocks with garlic and water (if using whole spice in packet, add it at this point); boil, skim foam and turn down heat to simmer; simmer 1-2 hours. Remove soup bones or oxtails, trim meat from bones; discard bones and gristle and Portuguese spice packet, if using. Return meats to broth. Chill overnight and skim away fat the next day.
On soup day:
On soup day: Bring broth to room temperature, add drained beans and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Skim foam, turn down heat and simmer 1 hour. Taste and add additional garlic, salt and pepper, as desired. Stir in tomatoes, carrots and potatoes and simmer 20 minutes; add pipinellas and simmer a further 20 minutes. Taste and add seasonings as desired. (And if you want to add some Portuguese sausage, now is the time to do it!) Shortly before serving, bring soup to a gentle boil, add collards and watercress, simmer just until greens are cooked.
Portuguese spice
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a rimmed baking pan, mix together 1 bottle of stick cinnamon, 1 bottle whole cloves, 1 bottle whole peppercorns, a handful of bay leaf and a handful of star anise (cheap in Chinatown). Toast these until crisp and aromatic. Grind fine in a blender or spice grinder. If this is too much trouble, make a cheesecloth bag and put in 1 whole cinnamon stick, a couple of cloves, a few peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves and a star anise.
