Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup With Sausage) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is caldo verde made of? ›

The basic traditional ingredients for caldo verde are finely shredded Portuguese cabbage or couve-galega (essentially a type of collard green), (or alternatively other leafy greens such as kale or mustard greens), potatoes, olive oil, black pepper and salt, mainly flavoured with onion and garlic.

Caldo verde is often called Portugal's national dish. In “My Portugal,” chef and author George Mendes wrote that the soup “defines the culture and the people: warm, soulful, and easy to love.” The dish originated in the north of the country, but is now made all over, with each cook adapting it to his or her tastes.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Morcela is a blood sausage, typically served in rural regions of Portugal like Guarda and Portalegre. Besides pork meat, morcela also has the animal's blood, which gives it a different consistency (soft and crumbly) and a darker color compared to chouriço and linguiça.

Bacalhau

The national dish of Portugal, bacalhau is dried and salted codfish, which is usually soaked in milk or water before cooking. The Portuguese have been eating bacalhau since the 16th century when their fishing boats brought it back from Newfoundland.

The origins of 'Caldo verde' were in mid-15thcentury – but it can be oldest – and it was born in Northern Portugal, more specifically in Minho region. However, over the years, the recipe has been adapted according to the region where it's made.

Caldo Verde, meaning “green broth” in Portuguese, is a traditional soup in Portugal made with potatoes, kale or collard greens, smoked sausage and olive oil. This delicious Caldo Verde recipe is simple to prepare and made in just one pot.

Russian Kale

Compared to other kale varieties, Russian kales are on the tenderer, milder, and sweeter side, making them an excellent and delicious green for salads and soups.

Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half.

Does heavy cream thicken soup? ›

Heavy cream

Use heavy cream as a keto-friendly thickening option for your soups and broths. Heavy cream has more fat than regular whole milk, so you can add it to your soup recipes without worrying about it curdling.

Walk into almost any taqueria in this country and you will find chile verde on the menu. The chile will likely be made with chunks of pork shoulder, slow cooked in a green chile sauce of jalapeño chiles, garlic, and tomatillos.

Depending on whom you ask, caldo is either a soup or a stew, but the truth is, a real caldo is neither. A soup is a sopa and a stew is a guiso, like carne guisada, the gravied friend of a warmed flour tortilla. But a caldo is a broth.

Minestrone is the ubiquitous Italian soup, made up of different kinds of seasonal chopped vegetables often paired with potatoes, beans and mushrooms.