Caldo verde has its origins in Portugal and translates to “green broth”. It is sometimes eaten at weddings, birthdays and festivals. This rustic soup is usually cooked with potatoes, collard greens and sausages; and only requires a few ingredient, which makes it very convenient.
In Portugal, it is usually served as an appetizer, lunch or light supper in the evenings. My take on this soup is without sausages, so it is suitable for vegetarians. I used rainbow chard for this caldo verde recipe, because that was what I had at home, but you can also use other leafy greens like collard greens and kale.
Jump to RecipeHow To Cut The Leaves for Caldo Verde
As with most recipes, the way it is prepared depends on where you are and who you are with. However, one thing everyone agrees on with regards to caldo verde is how to cut the leafy greens.
The leaves are cut into thin ribbons, that almost look like grass, to allow the greens to infuse flavour, and also to give the right texture to the soup. You do this by stacking the leaves, then rolling up before slicing very thinly. Most recipes call for removal of the stalk, but that is not needed for the rainbow chard because the stem is crunchy and has a slightly sweet taste which add to the flavour of the soup.
How To Make Caldo Verde
The potatoes make the soup hearty and adds a creamy, silken appearance. I also added carrots to my recipe, which gave the soup a beautiful light orange colour. You can vary the stock quantity depending on how creamy or thin you want your soup to be.
If you keep it in the fridge till the next day, it certainly tastes better, and will also become thicker, so you may need to add a splash of water when warming it.
Vegetarian Caldo Verde
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 1 Onion chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped
- 3 Potatoes cut into smaller pieces
- 1 Carrot cut into smaller pieces
- 2 cups Vegetable stock
- 2 Bay leaves
- Salt to taste
- 4 leaves Rainbow Chard rolled and sliced thinly
- Pink peppercorns to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan at medium heat.
- Cook the onions until soft and translucscent.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring to prevent burning.
- Add the potatoes and the carrots, then pour in the vegetable stock.
- Put the bay leaves into the pot and add some salt to taste.
- Cover the pan and allow to cook for around 20 mins or until potatoes are soft.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Blitz the content of the pot in a blender.
- Pour the soup back into the pan and add the rainbow chard leaves.
- Allow to cook for further 3 mins
- Remove from heat and serve with crushed peppercorns.
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