Peasant soup
A delicious, authentically Portuguese soup, rich in nutrients and consisting above all of a great diversity of vegetables.
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Today I decided to show you how to make Peasant Vegetable Soup, which is a traditional soup from Portugal.
This Portuguese soup is very rich in various vegetables and depending on the variation of this recipe, it can have meat or not. Which makes it very rich in nutrients and vitamins essential for our health.
What I find very interesting about this soup is that it is very easy to prepare and we usually always have the ingredients to make this delicious soup in our fridge, as we will see below.
Another point is that for those who have a busy life and without time to stay in the kitchen preparing elaborate dishes, this recipe is quick to prepare and above all it can easily replace a complete meal.
And finally, you can keep this soup in the freezer for a long time, so you can make a very large pot of this soup and eat it whenever you want without spending too much time heating up your peasant soup.
Origin of Peasant Soup
Peasant soup is from the time of our grandparents' grandparents, say the people here in Portugal, but no one knows for sure what date or where this delicious soup was born.
What is known is that this soup was very strong in terms of ingredients, because it was the only dish for many families and it had to have enough calories for the hard work in the field. So, how for children to spend energy in their day to day playing from morning to night.
The peasant soup recipe was very thick and with an intense smell that just thinking about how we make it today, we can imagine what it was like back then, other times say the elders…
It was a soup rich in heavy vegetables such as beans to give us a lot of energy, potatoes, turnips, carrots, among many other delicious vegetables that help our health a lot.
In those times, nobody cared about well-being, but about meeting the primary needs of their family, which in many cases was depressing, so just having food to feed their own was the most important thing.
Only much later did the question of gastronomy and health begin to go hand in hand.
Why this recipe works
- This recipe is very simple and easy to prepare.
- We usually have the ingredients at home at our disposal to make this recipe.
- This soup can easily be kept in the fridge for a few days, so you can eat it again.
- If you want to make a large amount to last for weeks or even months, no problem, just put it in individual bowls and freeze.
Ingredients you will need
- Water : I usually use natural water or filtered water
- Olive oil: The oil I always use to make soup recipes is the Gallo extra virgin olive oil, because it is better for your health than cheaper oils that are of lower quality. If it is not possible to use olive oil, you can alternatively use vegetable oil although this is more harmful to health.
- Cabbage: I like to choose a medium-sized cabbage, with very green leaves, so I know it's fresh.
- Butter bean: I usually buy butter beans in a glass jar or can that supermarkets have available here in Portugal. Alternatively, you can use another type of bean.
- Potatoes: You should choose potatoes suitable for cooking, of medium size and of good quality.
- Bacon: A package of bacon cut into small squares, this type of product is usually found in neighborhood supermarkets or even hypermarkets in large cities. If you can't find it, you can buy a piece of bacon and cut it into cubes.
- Turnip: A medium-sized turnip that is fresh and not too tough.
- Carrots: As a rule, I like to choose medium or large size carrots that are fresh, with that characteristic carrot smell.
- Onion: A medium or large sized fresh onion.
- Salt: A little salt to use to taste.
- Leek: The leek must be very fresh to give the soup a special flavor.
How to make Peasant Soup
Preparation: Before we start making our recipe, we have to wash all the necessary vegetables very well, before we start cutting and separating.
1. Cut the cabbage into thin strips, place in a colander, wash very well and set aside. Then peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes and reserve in a container. Then peel the carrots and cut them into cubes and set aside.
2. Peel a turnip very well and cut it into pieces, then set aside.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat, then add olive oil and when it is hot, add the bacon, let it cook for a few minutes.
4. Next, put the onion and let it sauté a little more until the onion is translucent, now put the garlic and let it sauté. Then add 3/4 of the cabbage strips, reserving ¼ of the cabbage strips for the end of the soup.
Add 3/4 of the potatoes and reserve ¼ of the potatoes for the end of the soup. put 3/4 of the carrots and reserve ¼ of the carrots also for the end of the soup, put the whole cut turnip and finally put a part of the beans and reserve the other part for the end of the soup.
5. Add the water to cover the vegetables in the pan, add the salt and cook until they are softened. When the vegetables are cooked, pass a mixer to crush the vegetables and turn into a cream.
Then put all the reserved vegetables and the beans, then let it cook a little longer until they are softened.
6. Finally, just taste the salt, if missing, add to taste until it suits your taste. Then just serve. Enjoy your food!
Ve's tips
- Prepare your ingredients before you start cooking. As with almost all soups, this one is quick to cook! It's best to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go in the pot before you start cooking.
- Check out the water in the soup. As each soup is different, the doses of water do not have a correct measure, so if you find that you are low on water, add water gradually until it is ready.
- Always pay attention to the salt in the soup. You should add the salt little by little so as not to over-salt the soup, as it cooks, taste the soup until it has the right amount of salt for your taste.
Common questions
PEASANT SOUP
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- 1 small cabbage, chopped into strips (reserve a little for the end of the soup)
- 1 chopped leek
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 2 medium chopped potatoes
- 2 medium carrots, chopped (reserve some for the end of the soup)
- 1 chopped turnip
- 50 g diced bacon
- 40 ml of oil
- 850 ml of water
- 400 g butter beans or other
- salt to taste
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the cabbage into thin strips, place in a colander, wash very well and set aside. Peel the potatoes, cut the potatoes into cubes and set aside. Peel the carrots, cut the carrots into cubes and set aside.
- Peel the turnip, cut into pieces and set aside.
- Then peel the onion, cut into pieces and set aside. Now, cut the leek into slices and set aside.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add oil and when it is hot, add the bacon and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Then, put the onion and let it sauté a little longer until the onion is translucent, now put the garlic and let it sauté. Next, put the cabbage strips and reserve ¼ of the cabbage strips for the end of the soup, put the potatoes and reserve ¼ of the potatoes for the end of the soup, put the carrots and reserve ¼ of the carrots also for the end of the soup, put the whole cut turnip and finally put a part of the beans and reserve the other part for the end of the soup.
- Add the water to cover the vegetables in the pan, add the salt and cook until they are softened. When the vegetables are cooked, pass a mixer to crush the vegetables and turn into a cream, put all the reserved vegetables and the beans, let it cook a little more until they are softened.
- Now just taste the salt, and if it's ready, just serve. Enjoy your food!
VIDEO RECIPE
NUTRITION
Note: This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although Cozinhadave.com tries to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
If you try this recipe, leave a comment below, letting me know how you like it!
And if you make any changes, I'd love to hear about that too. We can all benefit from your experience!
Verônica Ribeiro, the creative mind behind “Cozinha da Vê”, is passionate about flavors and aromas and transforms her passion for cooking into irresistible recipes. With a unique ability to combine ingredients and a special touch of affection in each dish, she conquers hearts and palates, making cooking a truly delicious experience on her blog.
