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Caldo verde soup

by Jeanne Horak on March 6, 2015 38 Comments in Gluten-free, Soup

CaldoVerdeTitle

 

Authenticity (n) – truthfulness of origins, attributes, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions

Thus spake Wikipedia. And it’s a word that you increasingly hear being bandied about as a buzzword. If anybody under the age of 75 or so gets on a plane these days to go somewhere else, they no longer want to identify themselves as tourists. “Oh no,” they say disdainfully, “I am a traveller, not a tourist.  I travel to have authentic experiences abroad.”  Hmmm. If you were to take that to its logical conclusion, in a country like Brazil or South Africa, this might mean living in a corrugated iron shack without running water, having to beg or steal for money for food, and having either the police or the local criminal gangs shoot a few rounds over your head as you attempt to go about your daily business. Sound like fun? Probably not.  But these are the authentic daily lives of millions of people in these countries. Being driven around a favela or a township in a minibus and deposited at the door of a friendly local householder who is paid by the tourist board, to dine with his poor-but-happy family in his humble-but-scrubbed-clean home before being whisked back to your hotel?  Authentic? Not so much.

Of course, you will immediately cry out “yes, but for other people in those very same countries, that scenario in no way represents their authentic daily lives!” – and therein lies the rub.  Because although the current fashion is to hail authenticity in all things as some sort of ultimate objective yardstick by which every experience needs to be measured, authenticity is a totally subjective concept. What you define as authentic is totally governed by your library of personal experiences.  And so it is with food.  More column inches and more apoplectic rage has been wasted on the Big Foodie Authenticity Debate that I care to think about.  “How can they call this pho??” splutters the City trader who once spent two weeks in Vietnam. “I simply refuse to eat anything calling itself pizza that is not made with San Marzano tomatoes grown on the volcanic plains south of Mount Vesivius and mozzarella di bufala Campania made with the milk of semi-wild water buffalo raised in the marshlands of  Campania and Lazio” professes the girl whose one grandmother happened to marry an Italian chap loftily.  People tend to think the foods they remember from childhood (their Dutch grandma’s “authentic” Dutch pea soup and the like) represent the gold standard of authenticity.  But this loses sight of the dynamic nature of food and recipes – ingredients, techniques, recipes, traditions and even your palate all change over time.

Don’t get me wrong – a little piece of my soul dies when I read about hybrids like burrito spring rolls, spaghetti curry or sushi burgers.  Beware the dish where the whole is a lot less than the sum of its parts! But because I am in inveterate tinkerer with recipes, and because I often have to tweak a recipe to use up what is in my fridge, I seldom even attempt to assert the authenticity of my recipes. And  when people snootily call my recipe inauthentic because of the type of tomato that you used; or whether you added or omitted a particular spice; or snootily point out that you have used (heaven forbid!) the wrong brassica,  I roll my eyes, pour a glass of wine, and have another bowl of my deliciously inauthentic food.

 

Cabbage

 

Caldo verde has been called the national dish of Portugal.  Like many heritage dishes, it has its roots in peasant cooking – the kind of dishes scraped together  from whatever was left in the larder by people who did not have the luxury of supermarkets and exotic ingredients.  So naturally, it is made with things that are easy to grow and that most Portuguese kitchens will contain: cabbage, potatoes, water and chorizo.  At its most basic it is these vegetables boiled together in water to make a broth and a few slices of meat for flavour.  My first sin in the eyes of the authenticity police was apparently to start with the wrong type of brassica.  You see, the allotment that we have inherited from our friends Carel and Ryan yielded an unexpectedly large crop of dark purply-green cabbages last month: more than we could eat and certainly more than we could fit in the fridge. So we needed a recipe that used up a lot of cabbage fast – and what presented itself was caldo verde.  No sooner had I tweeted this before it was pointed out to me that in fact I needed kale to make AUTHENTIC caldo verde, not plain old cabbage.  Sadly for them, though, Wikipedia has got it wrong this time and traditionally caldo verde is made with a kind open-leaf tree cabbage that grows easily in gardens all over northern Portugal, rather than trendy kale.  And in any event, the leaves have to be rolled up tightly to slice thinly which is almost impossible with irrepressibly curly kale.  So enough about any ridiculous proclamations about authenticity – let’s move on to the taste!  I think the key to this soup is good stock and good chorizo, both of which will provide the dominant flavours while the cabbage and potatoes provide some satisfying body.  I used Marigold bouillon powder and Unearthed chorizo in mine and the finished dish was sublime – simple, nourishing and delicious – and even better when chilled overnight and reheated the next day. Bom proveito!

 

CaldoVerdeFinal

 

 If you are looking for more creative ways to use up cabbage, why not try…

  • My braised red cabbage with apples
  • Michelle’s Dublin parsnip colcannon
  • Meeta’s Asian chicken, red cabbage and peach salad salad
  • Nazima’s crab, cabbage and coconut curry
  • Jac’s Scottish rumbled thumps (potato & cabbage pie)
  • Bintu’s roasted red cabbage hummus
  • Margot’s Polish golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls)
  • Monica’s Indian cabbage salad
  • Helen’s five greens pasta

The gorgeous little Art Deco spoon was one of a few items sent to my by the lovely Jennifer at Jennifer’s Cutlery, an online store selling gorgeous vintage cutlery and tableware – everything from cake forks to vintage cruet sets and napkin rings.  It’s a treasure trove for food bloggers and for collectors of beautiful items!

 

5.0 from 6 reviews
Caldo verde soup
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
45 mins
 
Caldo verde has sometimes been called the national dish of Portugal. A rustic, homely soup of cabbage, potato, chorizo and stock gently simmered together, this makes a satisfying one-pot meal.
Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Portuguese
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 65ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 120g chorizo, sliced into ½ cm rounds
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced;
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • about 500g cabbage
  • 2 bay leaves
  • smoked paprika and extra virgin olive oil to serve
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the chorizo and cook until it releases its flavoursome red oil and is beginning to brown (3-5 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove chorizo from the pot and set aside for later
  2. Add the onions to the pot with the oil and sauté until they are soft but not browned. Add the garlic when the onions are nearly done and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes, bay leaves and stock and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently till the potato cubes can be crushed with a fork (about 20 minutes).
  4. In the meantime, prepare your cabbage, Separate and rinse the leaves.  Remove any particularly thick ribs.  Roll each leaf up as tightly as you can and then slice into strips as thinly as possibly with a very sharp knive.  If your cabbage is a little... vintage and tough, blanch the sliced leaves in boiling water for a minute or two and drain.
  5. When the potato cubes are cooked, remove the pot from the heat, remove the bay leaves and puree the soup - I tend to use a potato masher rather than a stick blender as I want the soup to retain some texture, but the choice is up to you.
  6. Return the soup to the heat, add the chorizo and the cabbage and bring everything back to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste (although my stock made mine plenty salty enough - so don't just add blindly!).
  7. Ladle the hot soup into bowls. To garnish you can either add a couple more slices of chorizo, or do as we did and make a paste out of paprika and olive oil and add a dollop to the soup for dinner guests to stir in at their leisure.  Serve immediately.
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  1. Monica Shaw says

    March 6, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    I LOVE cabbage soup and this reminds me very much of a Polish soup my mom used to make. Mine is of course most INauthentic because I don’t use meat. 🙂 Thanks for the shoutout to my cabbage salad! Which I’m pretty sure is “authentically” South Indian, but what does this Polish girl know?

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:16 pm

      Inauthentic Polish cabbage soup – how very DARE you?? ;o) I am a sucker for cabbage in any form and your salad is on the list to make at Cooksister HQ 🙂

      Reply
  2. Camilla says

    March 6, 2015 at 5:57 pm

    Wow, Jeanne I just want to dive right into those pictures and eat this soup it looks so delicious and nourishing – thanks for sharing:-)

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:17 pm

      Thanks Camilla 🙂 It truly is one of the least inspiring-sounding dishes on paper, but as soon as you taste a spoonful, it’s love at first bite!

      Reply
  3. Kavey says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    DITTO DITTO DITTO!
    I always find it amusing when people get too snooty about authenticity for recipes from, for example, the Indian subcontinent. Not only do recipes vary hugely across regions, they vary even from one village to the next, heck even my mum and her two sisters each make a given recipe differently and they are siblings! Not to mention how much variation comes from the availability of different ingredients according to the season – when tomatoes are in season fresh, they’ll be added, if not, they are omitted, simple!
    Even after explaining the origins of Indian biryani, the main types out of many many different variations, and how my mum’s recipe was an adaptation rather than exact representation of a particular style, I still got a snotty comment about it not being what I’d said it was.
    Bugger off and let me (and the many many people who’ve since made the recipe and loved it) enjoy our tasty food in piece. None of his give a flying toss whether it’s like your authentic idea of the dish or not.
    PHEW!
    YAY!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:19 pm

      Phew Kavey – glad you got that off your chest ;o) I agree 100% – recipes like language are living, evolving things and (as you point out) dependent on what is seasonal and available. Getting snooty about authenticity and correctness benefits nobody!

      Reply
  4. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    I am a fan of hybrid ‘inauthentic’ recipes as great things come from fusion. And right now a bowl of this would be fab as I am simply gazing at my fridge component wondering what to try and make.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:20 pm

      Great things have come from tweaking recipes – and I am sure that you would love this nourishing soup 🙂

      Reply
  5. Robin O says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    Food, made with intention. Full of flavors, care, and taste based on memory or inspiration. We all evolve, we all use what we have. Our success is how well the results taste and the good company in which it is enjoyed. Cheers Jeanne for another brilliant post and recipe!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:21 pm

      Aww, thanks Robin 🙂 And I do so agree – memory, inspiration, company and taste are all far more important than what “they” say about supposed authenticity!

      Reply
  6. Krista says

    March 7, 2015 at 10:11 am

    I couldn’t agree more. It boggles my mind that anyone thinks a certain kind of dish was made exactly the same by every cook in the entire country/region/village where it originated. That makes no sense whatsoever. Especially with dishes like this one, people would use what they had. No doubt it changed with the seasons, weather, availability of veggies. Well done making it work for YOU with what you had to hand. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:23 pm

      Exactly! As I was told on my Tel Aviv trip last week, ask anybody who makes the best hummus in town and they will all say “my mother” – and each recipe will be subtly different (but no less “authentic” for all that!). Having an allotment makes you realise you have to adapt to what you are harvesting – no point in going out to buy broccoli when you have a fridge full of zucchini (or cabbage!) that needs eating 😉

      Reply
  7. Sally -my custard pie says

    March 7, 2015 at 11:01 am

    Reading this after just leaving a session at the Emirates Literature Festival where one author said that no copy of the book is ever the same as 50 per cent is from him as the writer and 50 per cent what each reader brings to it. Could this be the same with food and authenticity?

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      Oh, I LOVE that idea, Sally! And it is so true – probably for art and movies too. What you take away from a piece of art or a film or a book is so heavily influenced by where you are in your own life when you experience it, and I am sure this is true for meals too.

      Reply
  8. Lynne says

    March 7, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    This is something I will definitely try. Love cabbage !

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      Then you will love this soup 🙂 Let us know how it turns out!

      Reply
  9. Anne's Kitchen says

    March 7, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    I think the majority of our meals at home are somewhere on the fusion theme, I’m English but also a bit Polish and exploring that cuisine, my boyfriends South African and my best friend, and neighbour is Filipino so we tend to borrow a bit from each other – and we make some great meals too!

    Life is all about discovery and I really don’t care for people who moan things are not authentic, surely its near impossible as what grows well somewhere is never going to taste the same grown elsewhere anyway?

    The soup looks great anyway! It reminds me I saw a version of this in a slow cooker book a long time ago and wanted to make but had clearly forgotten! I an imagine its homely tasting, great comfort food to eat on a cold day 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:31 pm

      Wow – you have a real league of nations going on there (and I hope your Saffer boyfriend is teaching you the finer points of SA cuisine ;)) So true what you say about things tasting different depending on where they are grown – anybody who has ever travelled from the UK to Italy and eaten a tomato will vouch for that! Hope you get to make the soup – it’s bliss in a bowl!

      Reply
  10. Margot C&V (@coffeenvanilla) says

    March 7, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Lovely recipe Jeanne, caldo vverde sounds one of those dishes I would really enjoy (minus the chorizo). I’m a big fan of cabbage in all forms.

    Just like you I make use of what ever I have at home and try to buy seasonal ingredients rather than look for specific type of vegetable just to make dish more authentic. I make Caribbean dishes with Polish ingredients, and Polish dishes with ingredients bought at Aldi but I do use a lot of fusion in my kitchen… English Cheddar Pierogi or Polish soup with Caribbean dumplings 😉

    Thank you for mentioning my Polish cabbage rolls recipe.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      Cabbage is great, raw or cooked, isn’t it? And re. chorizo – I’m sure I saw Emily saying she had a vegetarian chorizo? Might be worht a try as it realyl does add something to the flavour 🙂 English Cheddar pierogi sound like my idea of heaven!

      Reply
  11. Jen says

    March 8, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    I think very little of what I cook would be considered ‘authentic’ by anyone but I just don’t care because if it tastes good I’m happy. Compromises on ingredients are frequently made in my kitchen and I certainly wouldn’t get in a flap if I had the wrong type of cabbage in the fridge!

    It’s a delicious looking soup and I can see why it’s considered a national dish, simple yet hearty and filling.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      I know, right? When yo usay it out loud in shocked tones, “The Wrong Type of Cabbage” sounds more like a Wallace & Grommit movie than a serious statement ;o) Simple, hearty and filling really sums up this soup (and don’t forget TASTY!)

      Reply
  12. Zirkie says

    March 9, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    I don’t like winter much but I cannot wait for the weather to turn cooler so that I can make this soup! It sounds delicious.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      I so agree with you – I am always so sad to see the summer fruit and vegetables go, but soup is a good reason to look forward to winter!

      Reply
  13. Emily Leary says

    March 10, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Looks really tasty. Like Monica, my own meals are rarely entirely authentic because I don’t eat meat, but that *are* always tasty, to me at least 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      I’m sure they are tasty to anybody at your table, because they are made with thought and love. Neither authenticity (nor meat!) is a prerequisite for deliciousness 🙂

      Reply
  14. Pebble Soup says

    March 11, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Always such a pleasure to drop by your blog.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      Aww, thanks Solange 🙂

      Reply
  15. Amber Harding says

    March 11, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    Great idea for an early spring delight. I’m in love with vegetable soups and that’s a great idea to add to my cooking almanach!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      I can vouch for the fact that this is REALLY one worth adding to the regular menu rotation 🙂

      Reply
  16. Dorian Swift says

    March 14, 2015 at 4:53 am

    And who said cabbage was only best eaten in a salad. These looks lovely and breathtaking. this is something i would definitely try. yay cabbage:)

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:37 pm

      I know! I think cooked cabbage gets a bad rap because everyone pictures soggy, limp over-boiled leaves, but treated with respect it is a sheer joy 🙂

      Reply
  17. Rosa says

    March 16, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    A beautiful and flavourful soup! Portugal in a bowl.

    Authenticity is difficult to trace and it is a term that should be used loosely. Besides, I don’t like snotty people who use this word in order to appear superior to others…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:37 pm

      You nailed it, Rosa – snotty people who bandy about “authenticity” to make other people feel inferior. Enough! Thanks for visiting 🙂

      Reply
  18. kellie@foodtoglow says

    March 17, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    I must be going crazy because I could have sworn I commented (and blathered on about working in Portugal) but obviously I didn’t, or I pushed the wrong button or something! Anyway, this looks fantastic. I am glad you ignored the “authentic police”. Why don’t people just appreciate when someone likes their country’s food enough to honour it with a iteration of their own?

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:38 pm

      Oh – I didn’t know you worked in Portugal! Whereabouts? I am a huge fan of Portugal, its people, its landscapes and its food… The funniest thing was that the auithenticity officer in this case was not even FROM Portugal. Hilarious!

      Reply
  19. Libby with Lemony Thyme says

    March 18, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    My leftover cabbage just found a great new home. This soup looks so delicious and hearty.

    Reply
  20. Maureen says

    April 1, 2015 at 8:00 am

    I will surely try this. I love cabbage and the soup seems very nourishing and it looks very delicious!

    Reply
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Nicole Kidman's is both hands on hips. Meryl Streep's is only left hand on hip. Victoria Beckham's is right hip out, left foot forward (and no smile!). Mine started as a joke many years ago - the earliest evidence I have is from 2005 😎 Do YOU have a signature pose? Tell me in the comments or DM me a pic!

This particular pose was struck on the @chateaulhospitalet estate in the Languedoc, looking out over @gerardbertrandwines vineyards all the way to the Mediterranean. You can read all about my stay there now on the blog - click on the live link in my profile

Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you
Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you may be surprised by the number of French words you already know: rendezvous, entrepreneur, souvenir and ricochet need no introduction. All have been adopted into English wholesale, with their original French meaning and spelling. Perhaps they should apply for settled status post-Brexit... But sometimes a word’s literal translation in French bears no resemblance to what the word has come to mean, such as canape. Although we know the word as meaning a small piece of pastry or bread with a savoury topping served at drinks receptions, the literal translation is a decorative antique sofa. When a clever chef first came up with the idea, the topping was thought to sit on the bread or pastry like a person reclining on a sofa, and the snacks came to be known half-jokingly as canapes. Fact! 
I enjoyed these very elegant canapes (LOVED the lacy little potato lattices!) with Code Rouge sparkling wine before a jazz dinner at Gerard Bertrand’s flagship wine estate Chateau L’Hospitalet in the Languedoc.  The dinner was as  spectacular as the canapes and you can read all about it on my blog now – click the live link in my profile above.

The Christmas decorations may be long gone, but Ol
The Christmas decorations may be long gone, but Old Spitalfields Market where this photo was taken is very much open and is one of my favourite London markets. Here are my top tips for visiting Old Spitalfields:

1.  The closest station is Liverpool Street which is only a 5 minute walk from the market.
2. It's open daily, with over a hundred stalls, but on Wednesday the focus is on fashion & on Thursday the focus is on antiques & vintage.
3. The busiest day is Sunday - get there early to beat the crowds!
4. Make sure you sample some of the excellent street food on offer - I love the 8-hour pulled pork bagels from Dirty Bagel, topped with cheese melted by blowtorch in front of your eyes; or the traditional raclette at Abondance.
5. Don't forget to check out the amazing Shoreditch street art in the area around the market, either on a tour or self-guided walk.
6. The Truman Brewery just east of Spitalfields hosts a massive collection of vintage clothes stalls, and more street food - don't miss it!

Thanks @meetakwolff for the 📸

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Yo
"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so... get on your way!" (Dr Seuss)

How are you starting the new decade? Staring at the mountains ahead, worrying about how hard they will be to climb and whether your shoes will be comfortable and whether it is going to rain along the way? Or striding confidently towards the mountains ahead, looking forward to the fresh air filling your lungs and the sense of purpose as your legs carry you ever higher, and relishing the prospect of an amazing view from the top?

There is no finer metaphor for life than a walk in the mountains and I have already made my choice as to how I plan to tackle the mountains of 2020. What's your choice? 
Wishing you all a very happy new year and amazing views from the top of every personal and professional mountain that you climb!

This particular mountain is in the Austrian Alps where I hiked last summer. Thanks to @thepassionatecook for the 📸!


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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019
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P2PIrelandRhubarb © J Horak-Druiff 2013
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