It appears I’m having a little fascination with Portuguese food of late. The bacalhau balls I made recently were part one of what I did with the large quantity of salt-dried cod I acquired, and you can see what I did with the rest of it here in the bacalhau com broa.

In the meantime here’s a heart-warming soup that’s as rustic as any Portuguese soup can be. Traditionally it calls for couve gallego, a dark, green, flat variety of cabbage that isn’t grown in Australia. Cavalo nero is a good substitute, or even silverbeet, and the chunks of potato and chorizo make it a meal in itself.

caldo verde

serves 6-8

• 60 ml (¼ cup ex virg olive oil)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 kg desiree potatoes, peeled & cut into 2cm chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 2 litres chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 150 g cavalo nero, centre stems removed
• 300 g dried chouriço (chorizo), cut into 3mm rounds
• Piri piri (or Tabasco) & corn bread, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 mins. Add potatoes and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the stock and bay leaves, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove 2 cups of the potatoes and set aside.

Purée the remaining soup in the saucepan then return the reserved potatoes to the soup and bring to a simmer. If the soup is too thick  just add a little water.

Thinly slice the cavalo nero into shreds and add to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender, then season with sea salt.

Heat  a non-stick pan over medium heat and fry the chouriço for a minute each side or until golden. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with chouriço and serve with piri piri (or Tabasco) and corn bread.