Sopa da Pedra (Sopa da pedra)
Overview
Sopa da pedra, or stone soup, is a hearty bean and pork soup from Almeirim in Portugal's Ribatejo region. Red kidney beans are cooked with chouriço, morcela blood sausage, pork belly and a pig's ear or trotter, then potatoes, onion and plenty of fresh coriander are added. The soup is thick, smoky and very filling, more like a stew than a light starter. In Almeirim restaurants it is traditionally served with a clean stone placed in the pot or bowl.
History
The name comes from the folk tale of a hungry traveller, said in Portugal to be a friar, who offers to make soup from a stone and gradually persuades a household to add beans, meat and vegetables. Almeirim adopted the dish as its signature, and the town calls itself the capital of stone soup. Restaurants there serve it all year.
Main ingredients
Red kidney beans, chouriço, morcela blood sausage, pork belly, potatoes, coriander. The soup is built on pork and bean broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Bean soups · Pork soups · Potato soups · More soups from Portugal
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~140 min
Ingredients
- 300 g dried red kidney beans, soaked
- 1 chouriço and 1 morcela
- 300 g pork belly
- 3 potatoes, 1 onion
- 1 bunch coriander
- 1 clean stone (optional)
Allergens: None of the 14 major allergens in the base recipe. Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy.
Method
- Simmer the beans with the pork belly and sausages in 2.5 l water for 1.5 hours.
- Remove and slice the meat.
- Add the potatoes and onion and cook for 20 minutes.
- Return the meat, add coriander, season and serve with the stone.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
