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.
serves 6-8
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.