Cape Verde Cachupa (Soup)

by Christyn Walker, from her grandmother, Dominga "Minnie" Donna Cabral-Gomes

This is the soup Christyn made for everyone at Kristie & Rodney's family wedding in November 2023.

PREP TIME: 30 mins TOTAL TIME: 4 hrs 30 mins

SERVINGS: 8servings CALORIES: 962 kcal

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ pounds corned beef brisket cut into chunks

1 pound salt pork cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons crushed garlic divided

2 teaspoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1-2 bouillon cubes extra large

2 teaspoons tomato paste

18 cups water

1 ½ dried yellow hominy or samp

½ cup dried rock beans or pinto beans, soaked overnight

½ cup dried cranberry beans soaked overnight

⅔ cup large white lima beans dried

1 large yuca

4 cups chopped collard greens rinsed and chopped

1 pound linguiça or chouriço, sliced into rounds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season the corned beed and salt pork the night before with the vinegar, bay leaf, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the crushed garlic. Let the meat marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot and add the chopped onions, and other tablespoon of garlic. Transfer the bay leaf from the seasoned meat to the pot. Saute the onions until they are fragrant.

3. Add the marinated meats to the pan (in a single layer if possible) and let the meat brown for about 10 minutes (5 minutes on each side). Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

4. Add 1 bouillon cube and the tomato paste to the pot and whisk until the bay leaf has dissolved and the the tomato paste is smooth. Add the meat back to the pot and add the water. The water level should reach the handles of the pot. Cover the pot with a lid.

5. Bring the pot to a boil and thoroughly rinse the hominy and add to the pot. Let it reach a boil again, and then turn the flame down to low. Cover the pot with the lid and simmer for 1 hour. Check on the hominy every 30 minutes to give it a stir and make sure that there is plenty of water. (It helps to have a kettle of boiling water on-hand throughout the cooking process, so you can add more water at any point if needed. use cold water.)

6. After the first hour is up, add the feijão pedra and cranberry beans to the pot, stir and cover it again with the lid. Stir and check the water level every 30 minutes. The liquid will thicken as it cooks.

7. Once the second hour is up, remove the meat from the pan (if desired), and shred it by lightly pressing a fork against the meat. Feel free to discard any fat that gets detached from the salt pork.

8. Add the meat back to the pot, stir it again and add the fava beans, yuca, and greens. (If the greens are too bulky add about half the greens at first, let them cook for 10 minutes and then add the rest) Let everything cook for about 45 minutes.

9. Add the chouriço, let it cook for about 20 minutes. At this point you want to stir and taste the cachupa. Add another bouillon cube if desired. Let everything simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

10. Turn of the flame and let the cachupa rest (covered) for 20-30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.

NOTES

*You can cut the beef brisket into bite-sized chunks or into rib-sized pieces. Do whatever your preference tells you to.

*White hominy or a mixture of yellow and white can be used (yellow and white are not packaged together). There is no difference in taste between white and yellow, I just like the color of the yellow.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1bowl

Calories: 962kcal

Carbohydrates: 37g

Protein: 31g

Fat: 76g

Saturated Fat: 26g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g

Monounsaturated Fat: 30g

Cholesterol: 130mg

Sodium: 3017mg

Potassium: 815mg

Fiber: 7g

Sugar: 2g

Vitamin A: 1261IU

Vitamin C: 42mg

Calcium: 109mg

Iron: 4mg