Caldo Verde
Was in a doctor’s office yesterday and, with time to kill, I started flipping through a magazine when I came across a recipe for Caldo Verde or “Portuguese Green Soup”. What immediately caught my eye with this one is two of my favourite ingredients….. Chorizo sausage and Navy beans and so I knew I just had to make it.
Traditional Caldo Verde, from what I have managed to find out, contains ( amongst other things) Kale and Potatoes but seeing how I didn’t have Kale and didn’t really feel like peeling potatoes I left them out and substituted Savoy cabbage for the Kale. In addition I strayed a little bit more from the recipe I found by adding a bit of spice in the form of a Poblano pepper and some Cajun seasoning. The addition of the Cajun seasoning and the Poblano pepper makes this a perfect “I feel awful from a cold” type of soup since it provides a warm and comfy feeling and the spices help clear your sinuses.
Here’s how we do this one.
Shopping list:
- 5 Chorizo sausages cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups Navy beans – washed and rinsed
- 1 medium Poblano pepper – seeded and diced
- 1 medium yellow Onion – diced
- 1/2 head of a small Savoy cabbage – thinly sliced
- 4 Garlic cloves – finely diced
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 cups low sodium Chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- Sea salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste
- Olive baguette (optional)
Putting it all together:
- Place the Navy beans in a large non reactive bowl, cover with water and set aside for about 2 hours
- When the beans have softened place the Olive oil and Chorizo in a large pot or Dutch oven and brown on medium high heat – about 5 to 8 minutes
- Remove the sausage and set aside.
- Add the onion, Poblano pepper and garlic to the pot and sauté for about 3 minutes
- Add in the chicken stock, Navy beans and the remainder of the seasonings and simmer for about 15 minutes
- Add back the Chorizo and mix well
- Mix in the cabbage and continue simmering for about 10 minutes or until the cabbage has softened
- Adjust the seasonings and enjoy
There you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond.”
Until next time……
Bon Appetit