Caldo Verde
A silky potato soup scattered with hair-thin ribbons of kale, lifted at the table by a generous swirl of green olive oil.
Photo : Mateus Hidalgo · CC BY-SA 2.5 br
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Strip the tough central ribs from the greens, stack the leaves, roll them into a tight cigar and slice them into the finest threads you can manage. Set aside in a bowl.
- In a large pan, soften the onion and garlic in 3 tbsp of the olive oil over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, without letting them colour.
- Add the potatoes, water and salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes collapse at the touch of a spoon.
- Blend with a stick blender until the base is completely smooth and faintly creamy. It should coat a spoon without being thick.
- Return to a gentle boil and drop in the shredded greens. Cook for only 4 to 5 minutes, so they stay bright green and keep a little bite.
- Check the salt, add plenty of pepper and serve straight away, finishing each bowl with a spiral of raw olive oil.
In Portugal this soup ends festive meals and reappears in the small hours after a night of dancing. Everything rests on the cut: the finer the shreds of greens, the better the soup.
