It’s soup season! For this particular day, it’s caldo verde, or Portuguese green soup season.
It’s a blustery day here in the Hundred Acre Wood, and nothing sounds better than a nice hearty bowl of soup. I’ll no doubt be saying that quite a bit over the next few months.
I’m a weirdo (compared to most of my friends and family) that believe soup is seasonal and you’ll rarely catch me eating something like this six months from now. However, since flu season is wreaking havoc on most of the U.S., it’s just what we need, right here, right now.
This, however, is hardly mom’s chicken soup. Or at least not my mom’s! Rather, it’s a “creamy” (I say this because there is no cream) cabbage and sausage soup. Considered by many to be Portugal’s national dish, it originated in the northern provinces and spread (like the flu) throughout the country. It only calls for a handful of ingredients to make a nice big pot, so it’s cheap and easy and delicious. And remember that hearty broa I made earlier this week? Perfect for dipping. I tweaked the method of cooking from what I found everywhere, but it’ll result in the same tasty bowl.
Caldo Verde
Ingredients
- Olive oil, enough to coat the pot
- 1 large onion (about 1 cup)
- 3 medium red potatoes
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 links chicken chorizo sausage (about 1/2 pound)
- 1 head kale, sliced into small bits
- 6 cups stock or water
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley, for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 . Coat the bottom of a deep stock pot with olive oil. Remove the casing from the sausage, put in the pan, break up into bit with a wooden spoon and sauté until cooked. Remove from the pot.
- Step 2 Add more oil if needed. Add the onions, potatoes and garlic and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the stock or water, bring to a low boil, and cook until soft.
- Step 3 With an immersion blender, puree the potato and onions until smooth.
- Step 4 Add the kale and sausage, and cook for about 15 minutes until the kale is soft.
Where is the cabbage? Kale?
looks fabu!
Yup, the cabbage is the kale.