A vegan version of the comforting Portuguese soup.
· 6 garlic cloves
· 2 medium white onions
· Vegetable or olive oil
· Chilli flakes
· 1 tbsp tomato puree
· Salt
· Smoked Paprika
· 3 medium potatoes. Peeled and roughly chopped.
· Bay leaves
· 1L of vegetable stock
· 8 leaves of cavolo nero (savoy cabbage or kale would work well to)
· 1 lemon
Method
1. Peel the garlic and chop finely (or it can be minced or grated). Finely dice the onions.
2. In a cold pan, add the chopped garlic. Add just enough oil to cover it.
3. Heat up the pan slowly to start the garlic cooking without burning it- keep the heat to medium/low.
4. When the garlic starts to sizzle and just brown, add the diced onions and a pinch of salt. The moisture from the onions will stop the garlic burning.
5. Cook the onions until translucent and just starting to brown.
6. Add ½ tsp of chilli flakes and 1 tbsp of tomato puree. Keep stirring and cook out the tomato puree for 3-5 minutes until it deepens in colour.
7. Add 1 tbsp of smoked paprika, stir and cook through for another minute.
8. Stir in the potatoes and cover with the stock.
9. Add 2 bay leaves. Remove before blending.
10. Leave to simmer for about 20minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
11. Partially or fully blend the soup (your preference). It can also be left unblended but mash the potatoes slightly to thicken the soup.
12. While the soup is simmering, slice the cavolo nero into thin strips and wash.
13. Add the cavolo nero to the blended soup and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft.
14. Add the juice of one lemon. Also add any more salt, chilli flakes or black pepper to taste and serve.