Caldo Verde

Today I want to give you a gift.  A gift of soup.  Specifically, a gift of Portuguese Caldo Verde – green broth. 

I have to tell you right from the start that I am afraid as I write this post.  You can write about a lot of things that generate both positive and negative feedback:  Democracy vs. socialism.  The right to choose versus the right to life.  Healthcare for all versus self-pay with a middleman.  But nothing,  I mean NOTHING, gets people more stirred up than having a foreigner tell them how one of their favorite national dishes is made.  

So, I’m going to be careful here. I approach the topic with deep respect for tradition.

I have spent time reading different recipes for this celebrated dish. I’ve made it a several times, using different ingredients and techniques. What I hope to give you, in the end, is a combination of the best ideas from the professionals to the home cooks – my way of making caldo verde.

First Some History

Soup has provided warmth, nourishment, and comfort to people for thousands of years. It is one of the oldest dishes in human history and it plays an integral role in the Portuguese dining experience. 

Soups in Portugal, like in many countries around the world, are generally served as a starter, a prelude to a larger meal.  Soup has been on every menu we have seen in Portugal and in ready-to-eat bowls in the grocery stores.  Caldo verde is even on the menu at McDonalds.

Caldo verde comes from the Minho region in northern Portugal, where it has been eaten for centuries.  It is a simple dish, made with basic ingredients – potato and onion purée, collard greens, and water.  People with a small garden could feed their family a highly nutritious and comforting meal.  Those without a garden could feed their family even when the purse strings were tight.  It was a vegan meal back in the day – amazing!

In 2011, Sete Maravihas de Portugal, an organization funded by the Ministry of Culture, was tasked with compiling a list of the “seven wonders” of Portuguese gastronomy.  It was an almost impossible task, but they established some rules about what could be included and took a vote. Almost 900,000 Portuguese citizens participated and caldo verde made the list. 

Once you taste it you will understand why.

Now The Recipe

Please understand, every recipe evolves. Home cooks have always fiddled with a recipe. Sometimes it is out of necessity.  They may not have one ingredient and have to make a creative substitution.  Sometimes they just want to try something new.  

As the Portuguese immigrated to other countries, they took their recipes with them.  But what happens if you can’t find collards in Macau?  You innovate with local ingredients.  This happened to caldo verde.  This is what happens to every recipe.  Even going from the north to the south of Portugal, you find different ingredients based on what is available and regional tastes.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Collard Green Soup With Chouriço)

Serves 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion (225g), quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons (90ml) olive-oil
• 1 pound of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” slices
• 6 cups (1.4L) homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 bunch of collard greens or curly lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves stacked and rolled into a cigar shape, then sliced at thinly as possible.
• 12 ounces (340g) pan fried chouriço or other garlicky pork sausage, cut into ¼” slices, stacked and cut into quarter pieces
• Your best virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Some good bread for dipping. (A Portuguese broa de milho – corn bread – goes great.)

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, but not browned, about six minutes. Add a little olive oil if the mixture gets too dry.
2. Add potatoes, stock, and olive oil and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes until potatoes start to fall apart. 
3. Using an immersion blender, blend until potato/onion mixture is completely smooth.
4. Add thinly sliced greens and chouriço and cook for at least 10 minutes until the greens have softened.
5. Taste. Add salt and pepper if necessary and serve garnished with virgin olive oil.

My Notes

When we first made caldo verde, we couldn’t find collard greens so we substituted kale.  We saw kale being shredded for caldo verde at the market in Espinho and have since found it in the local markets. 

If you can’t find Portuguese chouriço, use Mexican chorizo.

Want to make it vegan? Omit the sausage and add a teaspoon of smoked paprika for flavor. Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock. A plant based sausage with smoky flavor would work for the chouriço.

The Bottom Line

Just make this soup. It’s quick.  It’s good the first night and even better the next.  And it’s easy peasy to make. 

Besides, it’s getting cold outside and you need some hot soup!

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What’s your favorite recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation? Leave us a note in the comments below or send it in via the Contact Form. Maybe we’ll feature your recipe in a future blog post. We’re always on the lookout for new foods to try.

Bon appetit / Bom proveito,

Mary

The Cook

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