Caldoverde Recipes

CALDO VERDE (PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE KALE SOUP)

Steps:

• Slice sausage into 1/4-inch rounds. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and saute until sausage begins to turn brown and renders some fat, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a dish. Reduce heat to medium-low; add onions and pinch of salt salt. Stir and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer potatoes to pot. Sprinkle in 2 teaspoons salt. Pour in chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• When potatoes are tender, carefully mash them in the broth with a potato masher until broken up or completely mashed. Add kale, a handful at a time. Transfer browned sausage to soup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until greens are tender, about 45 minutes.

CALDO VERDE (PORTUGUESE GREEN SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes more. Pour in water, bring to a boil, and let boil gently for 20 minutes, until potatoes are mushy.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook sausage until it has released most of its fat, 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mash potatoes or puree the potato mixture with a blender or food processor. Stir the sausage, salt and pepper into the soup and return to medium heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir kale into soup and simmer, 5 minutes, until kale is tender and jade green. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve at once.

CALDO VERDE

Steps:

• Take whatever greens you are using and stack several leaves on top of each other. Starting at the wide side, roll the stack up into a tight cylinder. Slice across the cylinder with a very sharp knife to make thin, hairlike shreds. Repeat with remaining leaves. Set aside shredded greens.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large kettle over medium high heat. Add sausage slices and fry until lightly colored and fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot with slotted spoon and reserve. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot, then add onions and salt and pepper. Stir well, then cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook one minute until its aroma is released. Add the potatoes, turn the heat to medium high, and saute 3 to 5 minutes until onions and potatoes begin to color. Add the water, cover, and simmer over low heat until potatoes can be mashed easily against side of pot with a wooden spoon, about 25 minutes. When potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and use a potato masher to thoroughly crush and blend. Add the sausage, turn the heat on to medium, and simmer 5 minutes to bring the flavors together. Stir in the greens and cook 5 minutes until bright green and tender. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve.
• This soup, literally Green Soup, could be called the national dish of Portugal. It is traditionally made with a type of flat green cabbage called couve gallego.
• The method of slicing leaves like this is called a chiffonade in the French lexicon. Important to get them thin enough that they will cook quickly.

CALDO VERDE

Steps:

• Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the potatoes, chourico and garlic. Simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
• Remove the chourico and when it's cool enough, slice diagonally into very thin slices.
• With a potato masher, mash the potatoes right in the soup pot. They will end up in little chunks. Boil for 5 minutes.
• While the potatoes are boiling, shred the kale. Gather some leaves together, roll them the long way, then cut the rolls into fine shreds.
• Bring the soup to a furious boil. Add the kale and cook for 5 minutes or until it is just tender. Add the chourico slices and the salpicao and taste the soup for seasoning. Let simmer very gently for 5 minutes before serving in soup bowls. Drizzle each bowl with a little Portuguese olive oil.

CALDO VERDE

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and slice thinly, about 1/8" thick.
• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
• Then, add potatoes and brown.
• This will give the soup a deep color and rich potato taste.
• Add onions and red pepper flakes, and cook until onions turn soft.
• Stir in garlic, then add broth and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer 10–15 minutes until potatoes are done.
• Meanwhile, peel casing from pepperoni.
• Slice pepperoni into 1/4"-thick pieces.
• Heat skillet over medium heat and add slices.
• Render and lightly brown on both sides.
• Drain on paper towels.
• When potatoes are cooked, use a potato masher to mash the slices—but don’t cream them!
• Try to simply chunk them enough so the broth thickens.
• Now add the drained pepperoni.
• In batches, stack stemmed kale and slice into shreds.
• Add and cook 2–3 minutes.
• Season with salt.
• Just before serving, stir in lemon juice.
• Acid turns the kale army-green if added too early.