Caldo Verde

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the diced onion for five minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat with the aromatic oil.

Pour in the water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook for twenty minutes until the potatoes are very tender and beginning to fall apart. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, crush the potatoes directly in the pot until the soup is thick and creamy.

While the potatoes cook, prepare the greens by stacking several leaves on top of each other, rolling them into a tight cigar shape, and slicing across into very thin ribbons no more than two millimetres wide. This chiffonade cut is essential for authentic caldo verde.

In a separate skillet, fry the sliced chicken sausage in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for five minutes until browned and slightly crispy on the edges. The sausage adds essential smoky, savoury flavour to the simple soup.

Add the thinly sliced greens to the simmering potato broth and cook for just five minutes until the greens are tender but still bright green. Overcooked greens lose their vibrant colour and develop a bitter, sulphurous taste.

Add the fried sausage slices to the soup and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and drizzle each serving with a thread of your best olive oil. Serve with thick slices of Portuguese cornbread for dunking into the silky green soup.