Caldo Verde (Portuguese Soup with Cauliflower)

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I came home from the farmer’s market last Saturday with a beautiful head of cauliflower. I then stumbled over this soup recipe the next day and knew it was meant to be! It’s a beautifully creamy soup, that doesn’t have any cream in it, but uses pureed cauliflower to add body and creaminess. It uses some of my favorite flavors (cumin, smoked paprika) and finishes with sausage and greens. What’s not to like?

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It is a very simple recipe, and really didn’t take that much time to put together. I was able to roast the cauliflower ahead of time, and had the onions and garlic cut up and ready to go. Putting it together after that was very quick. Once the cauliflower, onions and garlic are nice and soft and hot, and the flavors have all melded together, you just need to puree it. Finally, finish it all off with the fresh component; spicy greens, herbs, and lemon juice.

The soup could easily be made ahead up to the point of pureeing it. When ready to finish, just reheat and add the fresh ingredients!

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I adapted the following recipe just a bit. I made a smaller batch (only about 1 lb cauliflower, and less stock) and didn’t measure anything, just eyeballed it. I also skipped the smoked turkey Kielbasa and used smoked Spanish chorizo instead which I think was a wonderful substitution. The spicy red pepper sausage worked great with the seasonings on the cauliflower.

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Caldo Verde (Portuguese Soup with Cauliflower)
From Food52
Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cauliflower florets

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste

  • 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

  • 2 pinches salt and pepper, plus more to taste

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for roasting

  • 1 Spanish onion, chopped

  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 8 cups chicken stock

  • 1/2 pound smoked turkey kielbasa, sliced

  • 1 bunch mustard greens, shredded

  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss cauliflower florets with cumin, smoked paprika, and liberal amounts of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread in a single layer in a roasting pan or baking dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove florets and set aside. Deglaze the roasting pan with 1 cup of the chicken stock, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Mix in with the remaining stock.

Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-medium high heat until tender and translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about an hour. Remove from heat and purée.

Return the puréed soup to low heat. Add sausage and cook about 10 minutes. (You can brown the sausage beforehand if you like.) Add the mustard greens and parsley and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes until the greens soften a bit. Remove from heat. Stir in the cilantro and the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of smoked paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.