If you are Portuguese, have sat in a Portuguese restaurant, have visited Portugal, or have been around Portuguese people, then you know exactly what this soup is. If you have never had this soup, then my friend, let me introduce you to some soul food!
Caldo Verde or Collard Green soup is a tradition in any Portuguese home! It is a go-to soul food soup that will immediately take you “home”. This is by far one of my favorite soups, and dare I say anyone who grew up in a Portuguese home might have the same sentiment!
Growing up in a Portuguese family, soup was something we ate regularly. On a cold winter’s day, on a hot summer’s night and any other time in between, Caldo Verde was always a dish that just soothed the soul and wrapped you in the warmth of a cozy blanket. Who isn’t up for a bowl of that type of yumminess??
In my family, Caldo Verde was made after a hard day’s work. When my family gathered together either for a project, a celebration, or even sitting outside near a fire on a summer’s night, Caldo Verde just brought everyone together around the table. If you’re familiar with Portugal in the summertime, then you know that Caldo Verde was also served in your local “Festa na aldeia”, (celebration in the local village or town) which was usually a celebration to honor Portuguese history, religion, and culture.
Usually, in the summer months, most village celebrations consist of local bands performing traditional dance and songs, foods such as bread, olive oil, cheese, wine, sausage, soups and so much more. It meant that we all got to slurp our spoons with the richness of this soup while also not letting the thin strings of this cabbage hit our chins while we ate. Which by the way, isn’t always successful, so be sure to grab your napkin, or like my grandmother would do, grab a piece of cornbread and wipe up your chin with the remnants of the soup drippings on your face. Don’t judge, all Avós (grandma’s) did it, not just mine! We don’t let food go to waste. Not even when it’s on our face!
This soup is just a time for gathering with your loved ones to celebrate life’s goodness and blessings. Moments to cherish and hold on to with the people that matter the most!
Along with so many other traditional soups in Portugal, Caldo Verde is Portugal’s most popular soup! This soup originated from the north side of Portugal using the simplest of ingredients: potatoes, onions, and collard greens. If you were lucky enough to make your own homemade chouriço (smoked pork sausage) or buy it at your local butcher, chouriço is used as an added flavor to this soup. If you’re super traditional and old school, some may even add a splash of vinho caseiro (homemade red wine) into their bowls. But we’ll leave the wine splashing to the elders in the family! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea!
This is also what many may consider a poor man’s soup because of the simple and inexpensive ingredients. Many farmers across the abundant regions of Portugal already had these ingredients in their back yards. Potatoes, cabbage, beans, corn and so much more are popular foods that many harvested on their lands. Essentially, this soup was made to meet Nutritional needs, be filling, and satisfy the appetites after a hard day’s work in the fields.
I remember very vividly the soups that my grandmother would make with the simplest ingredients grown in her gardens to fulfill my grandfather’s appetite and belly. She always had a pot of soup going on the daily, even on the hottest of dry summer days, soup was essential if not necessary in her home. My grandfather wouldn’t go a day without a good ole bowl of soup!
Potatoes
If you haven’t read through some of my recipes already in my blog before this one, you will realize that I love a good Yukon Gold potato. It is packed with flavor, richness, and a beautiful yellowish, golden vibrant color. You can use any potatoes of your choice for this recipe.
Begin by peeling 6-7 potatoes. Rinse thoroughly and dice into cubes. These will be boiled in a pot of water so they don’t need to be cut perfectly.
Collard Greens
Collard greens are low in calories, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins. They are a vibrant green color and easy to find in your local supermarket or farmer’s market. The secret to using collard greens in this recipe is to cut them as thinly as you can.
Wash them thoroughly piece by piece. Stack them up in a pile and tightly roll them and don’t let go. The tighter your hold, the easier it will be to cut these into thin strands. As you cut through these greens, the end of your pile will loosen a little bit. Just be sure to keep rolling it tightly as you go along to ensure even thin strands.
Chouriço
Chouriço (smoked pork sausage) is a great flavorful addition to this soup. It’s packed with smokiness and tons of delicious flavors! For many Portuguese families, including mine, chouriço is a staple food to have because it is super versatile and used in so many different Portuguese recipes in so many ways. When I make my next batch of chouriço, I will be sure to share it with you! If you can’t find chouriço in your local supermarket, chorizo (Spanish sausage) will work fine too.
Once the water with the chopped onions, diced potatoes, and olive oil comes to a boil use an immersion blender to blend it all. If you don’t have one, then pour the contents into a food processor, but be careful not to burn yourself. Add the collard green strands and let cook for a few minutes. Collard greens don’t take long to cook in this soup. After a few minutes of it cooking, take a few strands to taste and check to see if they are thoroughly cooked.
Add in some sliced chouriço in your pot for added flavor for a few extra minutes. If you prefer, you can serve the chouriço on the side rather than in your soup.
This soup is best served with Portuguese cornbread along with the company of your favorite food lovers!
Have fun with this recipe. Feel free to share what you have done in the comments below or share a picture of you enjoying this delicious meal!
Bom apetite! Enjoy your meal!
30 Minute Easy Portuguese Caldo Verde
Equipment
- 1 5 quart pot
- 1 Immersion Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 6-7 Yukon Gold potatoes cubed
- 1 small onion chopped
- 7-8 cups of collard greens thinly sliced
- 2-3 tbsp of sea salt
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup of chourico thinly sliced
Instructions
- Peel 6-7 Yukon gold potatoes. Cut them into cubes and rinse them.
- Chop a small onion into tiny little cubes.
- Place potatoes and chopped onion in the pot of water.
- In the meantime, rinse the collard greens piece by piece. Stack leaves on top of one another. Roll into tight rolls and begin cutting as thinly as possible. The thinner, the better.
- Let potatoes and onion boil until you can pierce potatoes with a fork, and it'll easily go through and slide off the fork.
- Using an immersion blender, blend potatoes and onions in your pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a food processor will work fine too. You will see the water become a little thicker and look cloudy. This is the consistency that you want to have.
- Once everything in your pot is nice and smooth, add the thinly sliced collard greens.
- Add salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes.
- After 5 minutes taste the collard greens to make sure they are cooked all the way through. Also, take this time to taste for salt. This soup definitely needs a good amount of salt.
- Once it’s all cooked, you can add in the sliced chourico and let it cook for a few more minutes for the flavors of the chourico to infuse into the soup.
- Serve in a bowl with a side of freshly made homemade bread!
- Bom appetite! Enjoy this delicious soup!
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