Caldo Verde – Portuguese Kale and Chorizo Soup

About This Recipe

Caldo Verde — 'green broth' — is Portugal's most beloved soup and one of the country's national dishes, served at every celebration from weddings to football matches. It is a beautifully simple soup: a silky-smooth potato base seasoned with olive oil and garlic, into which very finely shredded kale (couve galega) is stirred at the end, and slices of chouriço (Portuguese smoked sausage) are floated on top. The character of the soup lies in its contrasts: the creamy, neutral potato broth against the iron-rich, slightly bitter kale; the mild background and the intensely smoky, paprika-spiked sausage. The kale must be cut into the finest possible ribbons — traditional cooks use a dedicated mandoline-like cutter, the cortador de couve — as the ultra-fine shreds cook almost instantly in the hot broth, staying bright green and slightly toothsome rather than going grey and limp. Caldo Verde originated in the Minho region of northern Portugal and has been made for centuries. It is intrinsically linked to the corn bread (broa de milho) that traditionally accompanies it, used to soak up the last drops of olive oil-slicked broth.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgfloury potatoes(peeled and diced)
• 1large onion(diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(sliced)
• 80 mlgood olive oil
• 1.5 Lwater or chicken stock
• 200 gchouriço or Spanish chorizo(sliced)
• 300 gcurly kale or cavolo nero(very finely shredded)
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the base

   Heat half the olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onion and garlic until soft, 5 minutes. Add potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, cook 20 minutes until potatoes are very tender.

2. 2

   Blend smooth

   Use a stick blender to purée the soup completely smooth. Adjust seasoning. The texture should be silky and slightly thick.

3. 3

   Fry the chorizo

   In a small pan, fry the chouriço slices in a little olive oil for 2 minutes until lightly coloured.

4. 4

   Add kale and serve

   Bring the soup back to a boil. Add the very finely shredded kale and cook for exactly 2 minutes — no more. Ladle into bowls, float chouriço slices on top, drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

   The kale must be cut into the thinnest possible ribbons — this is what distinguishes caldo verde from other kale soups.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian version: omit chouriço, add smoked paprika to compensate

• •

  Heartier version: add white beans with the potatoes

• •

  Lighter version: replace half the potatoes with sweet potato

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Add the kale fresh when reheating — don't store with kale already in, as it loses colour.

Frequently Asked Questions