There’s something about Portugal that lingers long after you leave. Maybe it’s the tiled facades glowing in late afternoon light, the winding cobblestone streets climbing impossibly steep hills, or the way even the simplest meals feel deeply soulful and intentional. I’ve now been to Portugal twice, from Oporto to the Algarve and just back from Lisbon, and each visit leaves me craving the food all over again.
This trip, one top nostalgic food I must have was caldo verde, Portugal’s beloved national soup, which I had on a day-trip to Sintra. I first fell in love with it two decades ago, and one spoonful instantly transported me back to that tiny table in Oporto with my husband. Travel always leaves me bringing home more than souvenirs. Sometimes it’s a technique, sometimes a feeling, and sometimes it’s a humble bowl of soup that carries an entire country within it.
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| Enjoying a smooth puree caldo verde in Sintra |
Back home, with the flavours of Portugal still fresh on my tongue, I recreated caldo verde for tonight’s comfort dinner. Silky potatoes, ribbons of kale, smoky chorizo sausage, lots of garlic, and good olive oil come together in a soup that proves simplicity only works when every ingredient is treated with care. It tastes like something a grandmother would ladle into your bowl after a long walk through hilly streets, warming you from the inside out.
There are many versions, but the texture I like is rustic, loose with a bit of potato bite. To create a smooth soup, blend your potato soup base then add the kale shreds and sausage slices to cook towards the end.
Caldo Verde
Serves 6
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ lb. chorizo sausage, cut into ¼-inch rounds (use any good smoky sausage)
1 large onion, diced
8 to 12 garlic cloves, chopped
4 large potatoes, peeled, chopped in large chunks
6 cups water
1/2 bunch kale, washed, hard stems removed and leaves thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt to finish
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and the sausage; cook and stir until browned. Remove sausage onto a plate.
Add remaining olive oil to the pot; then add onion, garlic and a little salt to sweat the onions. Cook and stir until the onion and the garlic is lightly golden (taking care not to burn), about five minutes. Add the potatoes and toss for a minute. Add water and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, simmer until potatoes are soft about 15 minutes. Carefully mash potatoes in pot.
Add kale and cook five minutes until tender. Then add sausage and stir.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of good EVOO.
Serve at the table with crusty bread, good olives and a splash of lemon juice.
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| Homemade caldo verde in 2014 |
And already, I’m dreaming about the next trip-inspired dish recreation. Stay tuned ππ₯
Full Recipe:
Caldo Verde
Serves 6
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ lb. chorizo sausage, cut into ¼-inch rounds (use any good smoky sausage)
1 large onion, diced
8 to 12 garlic cloves, chopped
4 large potatoes, peeled, chopped in large chunks
6 cups water
1/2 bunch kale, washed, hard stems removed and leaves thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt to finish
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and the sausage; cook and stir until browned. Remove sausage onto a plate.
Add remaining olive oil to the pot; then add onion, garlic and a little salt to sweat the onions. Cook and stir until the onion and the garlic is lightly golden (taking care not to burn), about five minutes. Add the potatoes and toss for a minute. Add water and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, simmer until potatoes are soft about 15 minutes. Carefully mash potatoes in pot.
Add kale and cook five minutes until tender. Then add sausage and stir.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO.
Serves 6
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ lb. chorizo sausage, cut into ¼-inch rounds (use any good smoky sausage)
1 large onion, diced
8 to 12 garlic cloves, chopped
4 large potatoes, peeled, chopped in large chunks
6 cups water
1/2 bunch kale, washed, hard stems removed and leaves thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt to finish
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and the sausage; cook and stir until browned. Remove sausage onto a plate.
Add remaining olive oil to the pot; then add onion, garlic and a little salt to sweat the onions. Cook and stir until the onion and the garlic is lightly golden (taking care not to burn), about five minutes. Add the potatoes and toss for a minute. Add water and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, simmer until potatoes are soft about 15 minutes. Carefully mash potatoes in pot.
Add kale and cook five minutes until tender. Then add sausage and stir.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO.
