Humble ingredients define one of Portugal’s most beloved soups, caldo verde. It traditionally contains potatoes, olive oil, kale or Portuguese cabbage, and salt. For a vegetarian or vegan version, omit the sausage.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion or large leek, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 6 cups vegetable or other stock
- 1 bunch lacinato kale or collard greens, tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
- 12 ounces cooked linguiça or other garlicky pork sausage, sliced
- Minced fresh chives, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion (or leek) and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes, adding olive oil as necessary to keep the mixture loose and moist.
Step 1
Add the potatoes and stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add the kale and continue to cook until the russet potato slices have completely broken down (you can press them with a spoon or potato masher for an even thicker texture), the Yukon Golds are tender, the greens have softened, and the soup has thickened to a creamy consistency, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the sausage. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chives, if desired.
Serves 6 — Recipe adapted from seriouseats.com