Weekly Recipe: Caldo Verde (The Best Cabbage Soup Ever)
Ingredients (Serves 6):
2 Spanish onion, diced 1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
4 garlic cloves, crushed bay leaves
60ml rapeseed oil large bunch cavolo nero, thinly sliced
1 chorizo sausage, diced 1tsp. smoked paprika
6 large potatoes, diced salt & pepper to taste
Method:
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Fry the onions and garlic in a frying pan over a medium heat until soft and pale, chop the chorizo and add to the pan, fry for a few minutes then add the potatoes. These should absorb lots of flavour, which would otherwise be lost in the pan.
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Transfer the contents of the pan to a large saucepan. Add the stock, seasoning and bay leaves to the pan, bring to the boil then let simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
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Once the potatoes are cooked, using a masher, squash the potatoes in the pan to thicken the broth.
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Chop the cabbage and blanch it by boiling it in a separate saucepan for 1 minute, drain the cabbage, then add to the broth.
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Simmer for a few minutes and the soup should turn a pale green.
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Mix the smoked paprika and rapeseed oil together to create an aromatic dressing, swirl a teaspoon of the dressing into a portion of the soup for a fragrant kick.
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Serve steaming hot with a chunk of crusty bread.
Toms Top Tips: Soups and stews always taste better the next day because the flavours have had much longer to develop and this one is no exception. I recommend reheating it the next day for a tasty starter at a dinner party or just for lunch.