Portuguese-style cabbage soup

Step 1

Gently fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil until softened and translucent.

Step 2

Chop the chorizo into small chunks and add to the pan with the onion.

Step 3

Fry the onions and sausage for a few more minutes and then add the diced potatoes. They will absorb all the flavour from the sausage.

Step 4

Transfer the mixture to a large pan, add the stock, seasoning and bay leaves, and cook until the potatoes are soft.

Step 5

Meanwhile, very finely chop the cabbage (alternatively, buy a cabbage-shredding machine from the market as we did).

Step 6

When the potatoes are ready, mash them into the broth to make a thick base. Blanch the greens in boiling water for one minute to take off any bitterness, drain, then add to the simmering broth.

Step 7

Add as much cabbage as the broth will support - if you want heavy soup add loads of greens, if lighter, add less.

Step 8

Simmer for a few minutes. The soup will go the colour of jade.

Step 9

Mix the smoked paprika with some olive oil to make a dressing, and swirl this red magic into the vibrant green soup. Serve with some rustic country bread.