• Ingredients:
  • 1 cup roasted sweet red peppers
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8oz package of sliced FunGuy white button mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 lbs dark green cabbage or kale
  • salt to taste

The FunGuy believes there’s always mushroom for improvement when it comes to eating healthy, so why not start off the first month of the year with a healthy Portuguese soup with a FunGuy twist?

Caldo verde is a simple creamy traditional potato and dark leafy greens soup that is usually heavily flavored with garlic, onion, and cured sausage like chouriço or linguiça. However, in this recipe those herb and spice laden sausages have been swapped out for our mushrooms marinated in a tangy salty garlic and sweet pepper paste, not unlike the mixture used in those sausages!

To get the full rustic experience, we suggest getting some crusty rustic bread and a bowl full of olives to enjoy with your bowl of warm FunGuy caldo verde! 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a blender, purée the sweet red peppers, garlic cloves, vinegar, oregano, and salt until smooth. Put the FunGuy mushrooms into a bowl and add the pepper purée. Toss to coat the mushrooms, cover, and allow them to marinate at least 30 minutes. Once they have marinated, remove the excess purée and reserve it for another dish or discard. 
  2. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and crushed garlic cloves to the pan and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the marinated mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms have just started to brown. Transfer the mushrooms to a dish and cover until ready to use. 
  3. Add the potatoes to the soup pot and cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently so they don’t stick. Pour the water into the pot and add the bay leaves and increase the temperature to high. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium high and allow it to simmer about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and easily break apart. 
  4. While the potatoes cook, prepare the cabbage or kale. 
  5. Rinse the greens thoroughly under cool water, making certain to remove any debris.  Remove any of the tough stem and stack the leaves on top of each other. Roll the leaves up and very thinly slice the greens into thin shredded like ribbons.
  6. When the potatoes are ready, remove the bay leaves (don’t discard!) and blend the soup together using an immersion blender. Return the bay leaves to the soup and add the mushrooms and greens to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Let it cook at least 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Taste and season with salt if necessary. 
  7. Serve immediately. 

Have a Fun meal!