Portuguese Watercress Soup Recipe
Here’s a great old Portuguese recipe that will keep you warm through even the coldest of Atlanta’s snowy days. Better yet, it freezes well and is really versatile, served over rice or even soft buttered rolls! This spicy Watercress Soup gets its heat from the peppery bite of the watercress and the delicious old world spices in the sausage. This could feed 6 very hungry Portuguese fisherman, or maybe even your teenagers!
What you need:
1 VERY large bunch of watercress, preferably an older plant with tougher, woodier stems. If you can’t get that, a package of fresh young watercress works great!
1/2 lb. of Portuguese Sausage, you can probably find Silva brand at your local specialty grocer’s. If you can’t find that, look for linguica or a spicy andouille.
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (is there any other kind?)
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
1 large russet potato
2 cans dark kidney beans
red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste
1. Cut the watercress into 2 1/2 inch pieces across the stem from bottom to top, separating them into 3 groups based on stem thickness
2. Cut the Portuguese sausage on a slight diagonal to make little ovals
3. Heat half the Olive Oil over medium/medium-high heat in a large stockpot and start chopping the onion, but not too fine
4. Add Portuguese Sausage in 1 layer and let it crisp on bottom before turning it over, again allowing for the sausage to crisp. Once crispy, push the sausage to the edges of the pot, making a ring. Add onion in a nice thin layer and let it cook gently. Once it gets translucent, stir the sausage back in. While your waiting for the onion to cook, mince the garlic, and add on top of the onion once it starts getting fragrant.
5. When you can smell the garlic, stir it all together.
6. Cut up your tomatoes still in the can with a pair of kitchen scissors until in small chunks, then add tomatoes and their juice to the pot. Scrape the bottom while stirring them in, thats where your flavor comes from! Add your first (thickest stem) bunch of watercress slices.
7. Turn your heat down to medium-low and let everything simmer. While simmering, peel and chop the potato into 3/4 inch squares (it doesnt have to be perfect, this is a soup, after all). Add your potato to the pot and let it come back to a simmer.
8. Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the simmering pot, along with two bean-cans full of water. Add tomato paste and stir. Throw in the medium stem batch of watercress and mix it in.
9. Bring the heat up to medium and cover the pot until its at a low boil. Uncover and let simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and add the last (smallest stem) batch of watercress. Stir it in. Let sit for about 5 minutes and add seasonings to taste. Serve hot, and enjoy!
Note: If youre using younger watercress, don’t add it in stages. The young leaves are very delicate and should just go in at the very end where the recipe calls for the last batch. It still tastes great!