Caldo Verde

Caldo Verde

Portugal's beloved green soup: a silky purée of potatoes and onion threaded with finely shredded kale and finished with coins of smoky chouriço and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil, plus extra to finish, Portuguese if possible
• •1 whole (1 medium) onion, finely chopped
• •2 cloves garlic, optional, finely chopped
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) floury potatoes, e.g. Russet or Maris Piper, peeled and thickly sliced
• •1.2 L (5 cups) water, or light chicken stock
• •2.5 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •200 g (7 oz) cured chouriço, skin removed, sliced into thin coins; Spanish linguiça or Portuguese-style smoked sausage is the closest substitute
• •250 g (9 oz) Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) or curly kale, stems removed, leaves rolled and cut into very fine shreds (julienne)

Steps

1. 1 Heat 30 ml olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook gently for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent, without browning. Add the garlic, if using, and cook 30 seconds more.
2. 2 Add the sliced potatoes and the water (or stock). Season with the salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 18–20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender and break apart easily.
3. 3 While the potatoes cook, place the chouriço coins in a small dry skillet over medium heat and fry for 2–3 minutes per side, until the edges crisp and the fat turns orange-red. Set aside.
4. 4 Using a handheld blender, purée the potato and onion mixture directly in the pot until completely smooth and silky. Alternatively, mash thoroughly or blend in batches and return to the pot.
5. 5 Add the finely shredded kale to the purée, bring back to a gentle simmer, and cook for 6–8 minutes, until the kale is tender but still a vivid green.
6. 6 Taste and adjust salt. The soup should be the consistency of thin cream; if it has thickened, loosen with a splash of hot water.
7. 7 Ladle into bowls, top each with several chouriço coins (drizzle a little of the rendered orange fat over the soup as well), and finish with a generous thread of good olive oil. Serve immediately with crusty bread.