Zeza’s Favourite Caldo Verde

What is caldo verde? 

Caldo verde, or green soup, is a creamy potato soup blended with finely chopped kale or colland greens and Portuguese chorizo and is a pale green accented with deeper green flecks. The more kale, the greener the soup becomes. Of course, nowadays, the soup is liberally laced with Portuguese chorizo sausage which adds contrast.

This is a cold winter’s soup that has transcended popular culture and is often served as a starter in fine restaurants and Portuguese functions year round. Some might say that this is Portugal’s national dish!

Although Portugal is now a popular holiday destination, the traditional cuisine reflects the harder times of poverty and starvation brought about by years of war and a facist regime in the early 20th century. While everyone enjoys the richer caldeira, many of the most delicious recipes rely on 2-3 cheap and ubiquitous ingredients that can be found in any Portuguese garden – either due to necessity in rural areas or ancestral pride – our garden has at least 5 kale plants.

Kale is one of the healthiest foods on the planet and is jam-packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, making this an amazingly healthy soup, especially for students who might forget to look after their diet. Best of all, the soup can be frozen for a couple of months, making this the ideal 10-minute meal for a busy lifestyle!

Caldo verde, recipe overview

While every matriarch will have her own twist on this recipe, my sogra’s version is definitely the best and makes enough to feed a family of 7….

Lightly fry grated onions and chopped garlic and add in about 6 large mashing potatoes (e.g. russet potatoes) along with some water and salt, naturally. Boil until the potatoes start to fall apart. Mash the potatoes – this is a rustic soup after all, so small chunks are perfectly fine and return to the stove. Add in the finely chopped kale leaves – about 2 cups and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Add in some olive oil, salt to taste and sliced Portuguese chorizo – this is different to the Spanish chorizo and adds its own subtle flavour to the dish – and simmer for 5 more minutes. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before enjoying.

Some people enjoy using a stock cube to give the soup more flavour or pan-fry the chorizo until crispy. Both approaches will alter the basic dish, making the profile more complex. Be careful though as stock cubes and chorizo will increase the sodium content.

Nutrition facts:

Zeza’s Favourite Caldo Verde

Recipe by Alexander WhaleyCourse: Lunch, Dinner, StarterCuisine: PortugueseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

120

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

Caldo verde, or green soup, is a smoky, creamy green potato soup blended with finely chopped kale or collard greens and Portuguese chorizo. This thick and creamy soup packs a punch of flavour, while costing next to nothing to make. The more kale, the greener and healthier the soup becomes. Where Portuguese Chorizo was originally used sparingly to enhance the flavour and provide a smoky background, nowadays the soup is liberally laced this sausage, though restraint is always recommended to maintain the original delicate balance of flavours.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil

• 2 large Onions finely chopped or grated

• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced

• 6 (1.2 kg) large potatoes (mashing type, e.g. russet), quartered

• 2 cups of finely sliced or shredded kale leaves, remove the stems which can be quite tough

• 1/2 a Portuguese chorizo sausage, sliced

• Water

• Salt to taste

Directions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until translucent
• Add the potatoes and cover with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt
• Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, roughly 20 minutes
• Mash the potatoes roughly, adding some water to thin the soup, as required
• Add the kale and cook for another 10 minutes
• Add the chorizo and simmer for another 5 minutes
• Add salt and a bit more olive oil to taste
• Leave to stand about 20 minutes to develop the flavour