We live in Greater Lisbon Portugal and have a patch of “couve-galega” cabbage which we planted in March last year thinking we'd have to live on “caldo verde” all year if the pandemic got really bad. They are now over 2m tall and spectacular with blossom which the bees love (see picture above). Don't slice it too thick, I was told by Maria de Lurdes Modesto. If you buy bags of it ready-sliced in the supermarkets here it really is very fine. But the “couve-galega” has firm, flat leaves and perhaps it's not so easy to slice other varieties so finely.

This book is considered in Portugal to be one of the "bibles" of Portuguese Cuisine (I’ve got one of the editions). And when I talk or write about Portuguese Cuisine what comes to mind is "caldo verde". Whatever you do, don’t zap potatoes, as you get a slimy soft paste that I find rather disgusting (what you'll need to do is to demolish them with every Portuguese housewife's/househusband’s favourite tool - the "varinha magica"; translated to English, it is the "magic wand"). Mashing or just simply leave them to boil to pieces small enough to mash with your fork on your plate (vinho verde anyone)? Traditionally, “caldo verde” is made with water, not stock, salt, a little thinly sliced onion, no garlic (I like with garlic) and the potato, boiled and then roughly crushed with a wooden spoon against the side of the pan; then add the shredded cabbage and one slice of chouriço (the “tora”) per person (if we served it up with just one slice, our children would have us shot! Repeatedly. As with many Portuguese dishes, there isn’t much seasoning in “caldo verde” and I find it really needs the saltiness of the chouriço to perk it up), boil for just a few minutes; olive oil to taste is added at the table. In the North, where it originated, usually accompanied with “broa” (maize bread). Ready in twenty minutes, about the time it took to write this!

“Caldo Verde” is wonderful sustaining food source that originated with the simple ingredients available to poor and the peasantry. It should be made on a water base and without meat and is all the better for being made like that. The kale component is a biannual tallish plant which feeds man and beast.

Keep it simple says Maria de Lourdes Modesto! She is right of course. ( )

The classic reference of Portuguese cuisine. A cuisine often followed in dishes of several other countries and cultures but which remains largely unknown as such. The Portuguese introduced tempura and castella in Japan, chilli in Asia, created Brazilian cuisine, influenced a significant part of Indian, Indonesian, southern-chinese and Malaysian cuisines. Emigrants from Portugal cook always as such but usually run restaurants under other countries cuisine denominations in order to keep foreign costumers "comfortable". All in all Portuguese cuisine is vast and hugely diverse featuring a mixed Mediterranean-Atlantic background.
Portuguese classic recipes are numerous, several times the usual amount of different basic dishes featuring in any European national cuisine (more than twice the classic french recipes). The dishes are plain and straightforward with natural genuine flavours and sufficient quantities using a huge variety of natural healthy ingredients. Recommended!