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Portuguese Chourico and Cabbage Soup
I imagined coming in off a fishing boat on a cold early winter day, unloading the boat and then heading down to a local establishment for some nourishment. Something hot and spicy and filling. So I immediately thought New Bedford and something with a Portuguese influence.
Chourico is a classic Portuguese sausage that comes in varying degrees of heat but all versions are over the top with flavor. So that was going to be the basis of the soup. And I wanted the hot version (Linguica being the milder of the two sausages) and would even add a little more heat in the form of a nice hot paprika or even cayenne pepper. The classic version of this type of soup is made with kale. But I'm not crazy about kale and thought cabbage would be a really nice addition because it is almost meaty in consistency and is also very filling.
On top of that add some onions, garlic, potatoes and beans and you have a real hearty meal for that cold wintry day. So give it a try and let us know how you change it up to make it your own. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb chourico, cut in 1/2" chunks
- 1 med onion, sliced thin
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
- 2 qts chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 t good quality paprika, preferably hot or 1/4 t cayenne pepper
- 2 t salt
- 1/2 t thyme
- 4-6 waxy potatoes like yukon gold, diced 1/2" dice (4-5 cups)
- 1/2 - 1 head green cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons (4-6 cups)
- 1 can cannelini (or garbanzo) beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
Note - Feel free to use Linguica here either in addition to or in place of the Chourico. Linguica is a little less spicy than Chourico but every bit as flavorful. Try to stay at around one pound in total between the two.
Note - The amount of cabbage depends on how much you like cabbage. It cooks down quite a bit and you might want to add it at different point of the cooking process to get different textures in the cabbage. Definitely something you can play with.
Instructions
1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot, preferably cast iron.
2. Add the sausage, onion and garlic and saute until the sausage has rendered its fat and the onion is sweated, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock and the bay leaf, paprika, salt and thyme and bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer at a light boil for 15 minutes
5. Increase the heat slightly and add the potatoes and 1/2 of the cabbage. Cook for 10 minutes, reducing the heat once it starts to boil to a very low boil.
6. Add more of the cabbage and cook until the potatoes are tender and the way you like them in soup, about 5-10 minutes longer.
7. Add the beans and the remainder of the cabbage, stir, simmer for a minute and then turn the heat off.
8. Let the soup sit until you think it has cooled down enough to eat.
Summary
Serve in bowls with a nice piece of crusty bread. Great for a cold winter day!
Make It Mine
- I went to make this and had some frozen cabbage that had been quartered and vacuum sealed. Bad experiment and I would not recommend that. So I had no cabbage. I decided to substitute carrots cut in bite sized pieces and also used a can of white beans. It was excellent. In some ways better than the recipe with cabbage. Try it and you decide.
| Recipe Yield: | Serves 8 |
| Prep Time - Active: | 30 Minutes |
| Cooking Time: | 30 Minutes |
| Category: | Soups, Comfort Food, Stews |
| Cooking Techniques: | Sauteeing, Simmering |
| Cuisine: | Portuguese |
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