Just made a huge pot of Portuguese soup. The whole house smells great!

[bif]

I took a couple of hours but I think it's going to be incredible! Well worth the time.

[geardaddy]

1. Where did you get the Portuguese?

Were they the young tender ones?

[bif]

2. They're freeze dried!

[geardaddy]

3. Nah, you gotta get the fresh ones!

:hi:

[bif]

4. These reconstitute quite well.

And they're right from Portugal. It even says so on the package.

[geardaddy]

5. Well that's ok then.

:D

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Freeze-dried! The best Portugese are salted,

like their bacalhau.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

7. I'm feeling too lazy to Googleize it

But what the hell is Portuguese Soup? I was a cook in a previous life, and I've never heard of it.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. sausage, cabbage, kale, broth, potatoes, kidney beans

is the basic sort of configuration.

One can add beans, leave out the potatoes, use just cabbage instead of adding kale, and so on.

But that's basically it - sausage bean soup with leafy vegetables.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

10. That sounds freaking awesome!

Do you have a recipe for it? Is it something I could make in my crock pot?

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Lots of recipes online - just do a google, and find one you like.

Standard soup making stuff - saute some onions, cut up and toss in the sausage (chorizo or Polish or Kielbasa, etc.) and cook, toss in the broth (beef, or chicken if you prefer), shred the leafy stuff and toss it in along with beans, and let it go to town.

And since brown food is good, whenever I do any soup with sausages, I prefer to cut 'em up and brown them first, so I would saute the sausages, and then saute the onions (and I'd add celery and carrots, just because that's who I am, and maybe a bay leaf, and maybe even some smoked paprika), then add the broth, the beans, the potatoes, the leafy stuff.

This is basically peasant type of food, so there is no *one* recipe for it - one of those things that every good Portuguese wife will have her own recipe, and most likely changes it every time depending on what's in the larder and the fridge.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

12. Thanks!

I have this thread bookmarked, and I'm going to make it this weekend.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. Woot! I'd also add some garlic to it, just because I like garlic.

And I bet it would be awesome to use the sausage and also a nice, firm white fish, like haddock or cod, or even some salt cod. Make a sort of surf and turf stew. Maybe toss in a few anchovies with the onion saute, too - nice kick of umame, there!

And try it with some saffron - mmmm, now *I'm* getting the urge to make some this weekend...

[bif]

14. Here's what it had in it...

Ham, kielbasa, turnips, lima beans, chicken broth, onions, garlic. and tomato paste. It turned out great! Lots of chopping, but you could easily do it on a crock pot.

[madinmaryland]

8. This thread is worthless with the recipe!