Portuguese Greens Soup (Caldo Verde)

This light and hearty soup is a firm fixture of Portuguese communities around the world, combining potatoes, hearty greens and chouriço.

‘Caldo verde’ is one of the quintessential soups of not only Portugal, but all Portuguese-speaking communities around the world. The heart of this soup is greens, which can be any hardy, leafy winter greens though most Portuguese will use couve or kovo, which are similar to collard greens. These hardy greens grow throughout winter, guaranteeing a supply of fresh, leafy greens even in colder climates. For this reason, caldo verde is a comforting staple which is deeply imprinted into Portuguese culture and diaspora. Besides the greens, the rest of the soup is actually a breeze. Onions, garlic, potatoes and a good chicken or vegetable stock make the body. Some people just use water instead of stock. To top it off, chouriço/linguiça - or any cured sausage really - which I fry gently in olive oil at the start to flavour the soup and provide hunks of meat to top the soup at serving. You could just as well leave the meat out of this if you’d prefer - it’s a light and hearty start to the new year either way. Like all soups, it tastes much better the day after too. Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4x)

• 2x tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 link of chouriço/chorizo, linguiça or other cured sausage - optional

• 1x large onion, sliced

• 2x cloves garlic, sliced

• 1 tsp salt

• 3-4x medium-sized floury potatoes (red skins are good) - about 350-400g total, peeled and large-diced.

• 400ml vegetable or chicken stock

• 300ml water

• 1x small head of winter greens (green cabbage, kale, couve/kovo or mustard greens)

• 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste

• Dash of lemon juice, to taste

WALKTHROUGH

1. First, place a large pot onto a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once shimmering hot, add the sliced choriço/sausage if using. Fry it gently for 2-3 minutes until the oil is stained red and fragrant. Remove the sausage pieces and set them aside.

   

2. Add the sliced onion and 2 cloves of garlic along with 1 tsp of salt. Fry them on medium heat until they are softened and glassy - about 5-6 minutes.

   

3. Add the 350-400g diced potatoes, the 400ml of chicken/vegetable stock and 300ml of water. Bring the contents to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes begin to break down.

   

   

4. Using a stick blender, or a jug blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Blend it for a good 3-4 minutes to achieve a velvety texture.

   

   

5. Keeping the soup on the heat, thinly slice the leafy greens/cabbage. The best method is to remove the tough vein from the middle of the leaf, lay the leaves on top of each other and roll them tightly. Slice across the roll to form a ‘chiffonade’ or thin ribbons. This allows the greens to cook quickly in the soup when added.

   

   

6. Add the thinly sliced greens to the hot soup and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes until the greens are tender. Taste the soup for seasoning here, adjusting with salt, pepper or lemon juice if needed.

   

   

7. Serve the caldo verde in bowls with the fried choriço/sausage on top. Eat with crusty white bread or cornbread and enjoy!