I’m so excited to share the recipe for Caldo Verde (my way) with you guys. Before I begin, I want to start by saying this recipe is not the traditional Portuguese way. The name literally means ‘green soup’, and it is typically made with collard greens or kale. I find collards to be too bitter for my liking. I also don’t add olive oil, which would probably make some old Portuguese ladies roll over in their graves.
A little bit of a family history- my grandparents are from Portugal and have the most amazing ‘American Dream’ story. They migrated to Brazil when my father was young and eventually ended up in Connecticut. I could go on for pages and pages about my father’s family. My Vovo (grandmother) is 94 years-old, and some of my favorite childhood memories involve watching her in the kitchen.
Right from the start of our relationship, Ben and I often talked about how diverse our family backgrounds are. Ben’s father is from Hong Kong and his mother is from London. Someday when we have children, we really want to make sure to honor all of our diverse family traditions. For me, keeping the occasional Portuguese recipe alive in our kitchen is crucial.
How to Make Caldo Verde (My Way)
You will need:
- 5 russet potatoes (peeled and washed)
- 8 cups of cold water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 large box of baby kale (apron 6 cups)
- 2 links of chouriço or linguiça
- Place the potatoes, water, and garlic into a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes).
- Add the kale, stir, cover, and simmer until the kale is fully wilted/mixed in (about 5 minutes). Let cool completely.
- In a skillet, cut the casing off the sausage. Crumble and sauté on the stove top.
- Pour the cooked sausage into the potato/kale mixture.
- Once everything is cooled, used an immersion blender or pour into a regular blender. Pulse until the consistency is thick and kale is chopped.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
I highly suggest serving with Portuguese rolls and your favorite buttery spread.
Instead of shooting pictures of the soup, I thought it might be fun to share some fun pictures from my trip to Portugal a few years ago.
