Sopa de Castanhas (Sopa de castanhas)
Overview
Sopa de castanhas, also called caldo de castanhas piladas, is a thick chestnut soup from Trás-os-Montes in northeastern Portugal. It is made with castanhas piladas, chestnuts that have been dried and peeled to keep all year, soaked overnight. The chestnuts are cooked slowly in the water left from boiling red beans, with a whole piece of pork belly, an onion, olive oil and a little lard, until they fall apart. Part of the pot is passed through a mill and the rest left whole, a handful of rice is added, and the pork is cut into cubes and returned. The soup is thick, sweet and filling and is eaten hot at supper.
History
Before potatoes spread across the fields, chestnuts were one of the staple foods of Trás-os-Montes, and families dried them on racks over a gentle fire so they would last through the year. The chestnuts of the Terra Fria around Vinhais have protected origin status, which also covers the dried chestnuts, and the town holds a chestnut festival every autumn. The soup is a winter supper of the region.
Main ingredients
Dried chestnuts, bean cooking water, pork belly, rice, onion, olive oil. The soup is built on thick chestnut broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
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Recipe
Method
- 1
Cook the beans in 2.5 l water for an hour, then keep 1.5 l of the water.
- 250 min
Cook the chestnuts in the bean water with the pork, onion, olive oil and lard for 50 minutes.
- 3
Take out the pork and a few chestnuts, then pass the rest through a mill.
- 415 min
Add the rice and cook for 15 minutes, stirring.
- 5
Return the cubed pork and chestnuts, season and serve hot.
- ✓
Serve. About 2h 40m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
