Portuguese Soup

Portuguese soup is the kind of one-pot dump-and-simmer cooking that the Iberian coast is famous for. Smoked chorizo drops paprika-laced fat into the chicken broth as it simmers, cabbage breaks down into silky ribbons, and the kidney beans and potatoes thicken everything into stew territory. After 2 hours on a low simmer, you’ve got soup that tastes like it cooked all weekend.

The technique is almost lazy: combine, boil, simmer, season. But the result is anything but. The chorizo is doing serious work, releasing its smoky-paprika flavor into the broth and seasoning every other ingredient as the soup reduces. Use real Portuguese-style chorizo (chourico) or Spanish chorizo, not Mexican fresh chorizo, which has a totally different flavor profile.

Waiting to season with pepper at the end is smart. Long simmers concentrate everything including salt from the broth and chorizo, so adjusting at the finish prevents over-seasoning.

Pro Tips

• Cut the chorizo into small dice, not slices. Smaller pieces release more flavor into the broth and you get sausage in every spoonful instead of occasional bites.
• Rinse and drain the canned kidney beans before adding. Skip this and you taste tinny canning liquid in your soup.
• Don’t add salt until the end. Chorizo and chicken broth are both salty, and the soup reduces over 2 hours, concentrating the salt level.
• Tear the cabbage by hand or chop coarsely. Fine shreds disintegrate into mush over a long simmer.

Variations

• Stir in 2 cups of chopped kale or collards in the last 15 minutes for a caldo verde lean.
• Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika for deeper smoke flavor if your chorizo isn’t very smoky.
• Drizzle each bowl with extra-virgin olive oil and crusty bread on the side for a complete Portuguese meal.