Sopa de Jerimum (Pumpkin Soup) Recipe

Pumpkin soup is a hearty soup that was first made popular in Portugal. Here in the States, it is a great choice if you are looking for an easy, inexpensive meal during the autumn months. This recipe for Sopa de Jerimum only uses half of the average pumpkin so I usually use the other half to make pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:
1/2 to 1/4 pumpkin, seeded, skinned and chopped into 1 to 1/2 inch peaces
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tspn kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
2 cups diced yellow onion
1 leek, sliced into rounds
1 bay leaf
1 tspn pepper
2 tspn brown sugar
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 tspn dry sage
2-3 sprigs parsley
1/2 tspn dry thyme
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 - 3/4 pound Italian sausage or chorizo
parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
baked pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter.
2. Add the pumpkin, onions, leek, bay leaf, brown sugar, sage parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.
   
3. Cook until onions are clear and translucent in color and the pieces of pumpkin are soft.
4. Transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender and puree. You may have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your food processor.
5. Pour the puree back into the pot and add the chicken broth.
6. Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat and add sausage to the pot of soup.
7. Cook for at least 1 1/2 hours.
8. Serve hot and garnish with Parmesan cheese and/or baked pumpkin seeds.

Portugal  [ print this recipe for Sopa de Jerimum (Pumpkin Soup) ]

Caldo Verde Recipe

Caldo Verde is one of the best known dishes in Portugal. It's a great choice on a cold day or if you're feeling a little "under the weather." Caldo Verde is an extremely therapeutic mixture containing garlic, onions, chicken broth, and a lot of vitamin-packed and anti-oxidant rich kale.

Recommended Equipment:
Dutch Oven or large soup pot

Ingredients:
1/2 pound chorizo or linguica sausage, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 tspn + 1 pinchsea salt
1 1/2 tspn pepper
2 tspn vinegar
4 cloves garlic
5 1/2 cups chicken broth (1 32oz. box)
1 bunch of kale or collard greens
5 medium red-skin potatoes, quatered

Preparation:

1. Heat olive oil in pot over medium heat.
2. Add the sausage and stir until it is lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Remove sausage from pot and set it aside in a paper-towel lined bowl.
4. Pour all but about a table spoon of the remaining oil from the sausage into another bowl and save for later.
5. Add the onions to the pot over medium heat along with a pinch of sea salt and stir frequently until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
6. Add garlic and cook for about a minute.
7. Add chicken broth and potatoes and increase heat to medium high.
8. Put cover on pot and cook for about 7 minutes so that potatoes are soft.
9. Mash about half of the potatoes against the bottom or sides of the pot and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Cut out and discard the tough center stems of the kale or collard greens. Dice up the leaves and add them to the pot along with the sausage.
11. Stir and simmer for 5 more minutes.
12. Add 1 teaspoons of sea salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar to the pot and stir.
13. Pour Caldo Verde into bowls and drizzle a little of the reserved oil from the sausage into the bowl before serving.

Related Articles / Posts:
Benefits of eating soup

Portugal [ print this recipe ]

Portuguese Skillet Haddock Recipe

Portuguese Skillet Haddock is another extremely healthy dishes from the Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Fresh Cookbook. Most of the flavor in this dish comes from a simple combination of sautéed vegetables along with the traditional Portuguese ingredient, port wine. We prepared this dish with haddock but it would work well with other varieties of white fish.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. Madeira wine
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tspn dried basil
1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tspn. dried tarragon
1/8 tspn. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 1/2 pounds haddock, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced, pitted black olives
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and sauté the scallions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic for 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that the garlic doesn't turn brown.
   
2. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, wine, basil, tarragon, and pepper.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the fish, cover the pan, and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the black olives.
7. Serve over rice, garnished with chopped parsley.

Makes 5 servings.

Recipe courtesy of The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden-Fresh Cookbook.

Portugal