Chouriço + White Bean Soup
When the weather in Toronto gets below zero, it feels like the only thing I ever want to eat is SOUP! And this one is as comforting as they come. It starts by using Portuguese sausage to build a smoky, rich flavour that gets absorbed into a base of veggies and infused in broth. Add some white beans, a bunch of kale, a squeeze of lemon and call it a meal!
Watch me make it here on Instagram!
Active Time: ~1 hour
Servings: 2-4
Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
2 hot portuguese sausages, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 small yellow onions, sliced
2 medium fennel bulbs, core removed and sliced lengthwise
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
4 cups water
2 cans (540 mL) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 lemon
4 large kale stems, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
Salt and peppers
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook sausage pieces until crispy and browned, about 5 minutes per side. Take your time with this, we’re building a lot of flavour during this step.
Remove sausages and reserve them on a separate plate. Add fennel and onion to the pot. Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring occasionally until everything becomes soft, about 10 minutes. The veggies should reduce in size by about half.
Add tomato paste and chili pepper flakes, stir to coat. Season with one large pinch of salt and about five cracks of black pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low to prevent burning. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes jammy, about 2 minutes.
Add broth and water, season with another pinch of salt and 5 more cracks of pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add beans and sausages and reduce to a simmer.
Let simmer for 25-30 minutes. Add the juice of half of the lemon and taste, adjusting salt and pepper to taste.
Add kale and continue simmering until wilted, about 2 minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Playing Around
My boyfriend’s family is Portuguese and one of his favourite foods is pan-fried chouriço. At his family gatherings, it’s almost always a part of the meal, served as a side, the plate getting passed around the table as everyone takes a few pieces. Inspired by his love for it and a desire to make something comforting on a cold winter night, I started experimenting with it as an ingredient in soup. Since then, it has become a staple in our house — a favourite, even.
Chouriço is similar to the Spanish sausage, chorizo, and despite often getting mistaken for being the same, they are different! While Spanish chorizo is fresh or cured, Portuguese choriço is smoked and always ready to eat.
If you want to play around here, you could easily sub for another smoked pork sausage or play around with different veggies. You could do celery instead of fennel, or spinach instead of kale.