Caldo Verde is a traditional Portuguese soup, the Verde in its name refers to the deep green colour of Portuguese Kale. Few things are as warming and delicious as some of the soups available here in Portugal. They’re also amazingly cheap at most cafés. Often a serving of sopa do dia and a slice of bread for as little as €1! That’s the soup of the day, and if you’re lucky it will be a bowl of freshly made Caldo Verde.
Portuguese Kale – The Green in Green Soup?
Portuguese Kale sometimes also referred to as Portuguese Cabbage, and in Portuguese you’ll see it referred to as Couve Tronchuda. It’s important to get this kale sliced right, as it wouldn’t be a Caldo Verde if they weren’t simply cut into long thin strands.
Where is Caldo Verde From?
Caldo Verde is believed to have originated in the north of the country, but it’s served everywhere and especially popular as a starter during celebrations. It’s simple to make and made from some easy to find local and healthy ingredients, so there shouldn’t be anything stopping you! In 2011, Caldo Verde would be awarded the title of one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders of Gastronomy. The Seven wonders of Gastronomy were a hand-picked list of Portuguese dishes chosen to represent the heritage, and history of traditional food production in Portugal.
Serving Caldo Verde
Traditionally, the soup is served with broa de milho. That’s a type of Portuguese corn bread, it’s a dense bread, with a crunchy and crumbly top and rather excellent to mop the soup up with. If you can’t find corn bread, or you’re not making it yourself, any good fresh bread will do. With that out of the way, lets get into our recipe!
Our Caldo Verde Recipe
Authentic Caldo Verde – Portuguese Green Soup
4
servings10
minutes30
minutes300
kcalCaldo Verde is a traditional Portuguese soup, the Verde in its name refers to the deep green colour of Portuguese Kale.
Ingredients
200 g kale
500 g Potatoes
2 Medium Onions
3 Garlic Cloves
1 tbsp Olive Oil
100 g Chorizo
Directions
- Roughly chop onions and garlic, peel and dice the potatoes. Place it in a large pot, covering them with water.
- Sprinkle in some salt, place it over a high heat, bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low-medium, and let it simmer for around 20 minutes.
- Blend everything with an electric mixer to create your creamy soup base.
- Finely slice the kale into strands, add it to the soup base. Leave it to cook for another 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice and fry the chouriço (chorizo). Add in the cooked chouriço (chorizo) and its fat, saving a couple of slices for the garnish.
- Season it with black pepper, and salt if needed.
- Serve it with some broa de milho! (Or fresh bread if you don’t have Broa de Milho)
Notes
- Chouriço is Portugal’s version of Chorizo, if you don’t have access to chouriço you can use a good quality chorizo!
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