Recipe for Spring: Caldo Verde

We're lucky to have Chef Anthony O'Shaughnessy on our Gateshead Food Partnership steering group, bringing energy and ideas around food education and engagement. Anthony has kindly put together a recipe to share with our network: check out his site Cook's Instinct and follow @AnthonyShock on Instagram for more.

Portuguese Greens Soup (Caldo Verde)

Caldo Verde is Portugal’s most beloved home dish. Traditionally, the Portuguese use ‘couve’ greens - a type of cabbage - to make this soup, though you could use any hearty greens like spring cabbage or kale. This soup uses vegetables that were available all through winter, and preserved meat in the form of chourico sausage if they had it, which makes it one of the first dishes you could make to welcome springtime. Ask any Portuguese person about caldo verde and they will tell you just how much they adore it!

Ingredients (serves 4x)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ link chouriço/chorizo or linguiça (optional - or you could also use plant-based sausages and smoked paprika)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 - 4 medium floury potatoes (350–400g), peeled & large-diced
• 400ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 300ml water
• 1 small head winter greens (cabbage, kale, couve or mustard greens)
• ½ tsp black pepper (to taste)
• Dash lemon juice (to taste)

Method

1.   Flavour the oil
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Fry sausage (if using) for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Remove and set aside.

2.   Build the base
Add onion, garlic and salt. Cook 5 - 6 minutes until soft and translucent.

3.   Cook the potatoes
Add potatoes, stock and water. Bring to the boil, then simmer 20 - 25 minutes until potatoes are very soft.

4.   Blend
Blend until smooth and velvety using a stick blender or jug blender.

5.   Prepare the greens
Remove tough stems, roll leaves tightly and slice into thin ribbons.

6.   Finish
Add greens to the soup and simmer 3 - 4 minutes until the greens are tender. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and/or lemon juice.

7.   Serve
Ladle into bowls and top with sausage. Serve with crusty bread.

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