Portuguese Sopas Recipes

Portuguese Sopas RecipesWhat do you do on a gloomy day? I make sopas! Usually my brother’s recipe, here. But today I’m trying a new recipe. I like the idea of this one … It’s full of red wine, my favorite flavor. And it’s a manageable recipe for 12 or so. Both recipes are delicious and revolve around fond family memories. You really can’t get better than that! Thank you Julie for sharing your Great-Grandmother’s Recipe. I love it! Here’s where Julie & I met, right on my Portuguese Sopas Pin. Thank you again Cardoza Family.

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Rustic Anise Soup Portuguese Style

Rustic Anise SoupSpicy Portuguese Style with few ingredients. A smart choice … healthy, tasty and economical. This is a great fall and winter soup … Hearty but not calorie heavy. Well, that’s if you share the linguica! And it really gets better the next day. Choose a large anise bulb with stalks and fresh looking fronds. You’ll be using it all. For a little bite add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Serve this with my Rustic Yeast Cornbread. Perfect!

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Depression Era Soup
Worth Revisiting

Funny how conversations change to food when you least expect it. And even more so to the Great Depression and food. Julie and I were conducting some minor business when we fell into such a conversation. I was interested in her four ingredient Depression Soup realizing many of our Comfort Foods today were the economical dishes created back then. Meat was a premium and often eaten only once a week with most meals predominately vegetarian. Butter & bread were often made at home and sliced bread was a luxury. Now we think of homemade bread as luxurious. Recipes with lots of ingredients weren’t practical. Sometimes it was the cost and others it was lack of availability. If you’re a Baby Boomer you might relate. Our grandparents and parents were hit hard and their food habits were heavily influenced. If you’ve ever heard clean your plate … Or have eaten SPAM or hot dogs as a meat substitute … or have eaten Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or Mock Apple Pie with Ritz Crackers you’ve experienced a bit of that history.

As with many old recipes measurements are often missing. Sometimes it just doesn’t matter and this is just one of those times. The main ingredients are white potatoes, fresh green beans, whole milk and butter. I couldn’t help but add a little onion but you don’t need to. This soup thickens nicely without any addition of flour. Read on for the recipe. And enjoy over and over this winter.

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Cream Drizzled Stuffed Pumpkin Soup

Stuffed Pumpkin Soup

Out of the 80’s and with a few tweaks it works today. I came across some old newspapers just recently … One happened to be the Visalia Times Delta Cookbook ’81. There on page four was my Grandmother’s Portuguese Bean Soup. I’m a bit prejudice but this bean soup is still an award winner today. But the top prize actually went to Jay Glasgow for her Stuffed Pumpkin. I tried to recreate her recipe and found I was a bit lost without ingredient measurements which the recipe didn’t have. But today I’ll be giving a few pointers that help make this a no fail. This recipe is certainly simple in ingredients and prep. Definitely worth trying.

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Greens and White Bean Soup

With Croutons

Greens and Beans SoupAny time is a great time for soup! Hot or Cold weather makes no difference. I reach for soup just about anytime. Even more when I’m under the weather … tired, sad or have overdone with rich foods for days. It just perks me up, mood and all! This is one of my go to soups because I have the ingredients at hand & I love greens … And it’s a bit Italian and Portuguese, two of my favorite cuisines.

About the greens, I love escarole (a variety of endive) but kale and spinach are great substitutes and are readily available. I prefer using fresh greens in this soup but frozen will do in a pinch. Let’s get on with the recipe.

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Easy Cucumber Soup

Cold Cucumber Soup

Really refreshing! The perfect summer soup. Serve in your fine china with your table draped in linen for an elegant presentation because this soup deserves it. Give yourself time for this soup for the best flavor. It’s not the prep but rather the hours needed for the flavors to blend while refrigerated. And yes, it does become soupier. My photos just didn’t give this what I’d hoped. And of course, I was tasting this all along until I didn’t have enough soup to photograph. It’s that light, delicious and so low calorie. Add a sprinkle of paprika too if you like. Aubree and Austin, my grandchildren, love cucumbers sprinkled with paprika. So, I added a bit as a garnish … the red shadows seen on the far dish. Don’t forget to refrigerate those sterling soup spoons. Enjoy!

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Tinolang Manok

Delicious Chicken Soup

Filipino Chicken Soup

Doesn’t this look fabulously delish! I wish I had some this very minute. A shy friend of mine made this for my mother. (See her food photo, next page. She advised me that noodles are really not part of this dish.) I say shy because she’d rather remain anonymous. And since she has yet another recipe for me, Filipino Adobo Style Chicken, I must respect her wishes.

Both recipes, the second coming up later today, are amazing and so healthy too.

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Simple Albondigas Soup

Meatball Soup

Albondigas SoupThis is one of my brother’s family favorites and I can see why. Use your favorite meatball recipe or mine, meatballs … And with the simple addition of tomatoes and onions to a beef broth you’ve Albondigas Soup.

The secret is to keep it simple.

 

Thank you Ruth, my sister-in-law, for the suggestion and recipe … I can see this as our family favorite too.

 

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The Best Pizza Soup

Pizza Soup

 

If you love pizza with red sauce you’ll love love this! Use the pizza toppings you like on your usual pizza, make it vegetarian, add jalapeños or not … You’ve got the idea. Make it your own! Ready in less than 30 or make everything from scratch for a truly personal touch. I’ve made our family favorite, Combination without anchovies. If you’re into anchovies add a little paste to give that in-depth taste.

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