Recipe for a portuguese SOPA

The portuguese sopas are an intricate and ever present part of our culture, no meal is ever complete unless there is a starter soup... I make portuguese soups very often, I find them unpretentiously simple and delicious!! I have decided to share with you, from time to time, some of my favorite soup recipes, and would love to get feedback from you if you ever try them!! These recipes do not come from a recipe book, rather they are my interpretation of the portuguese classics.

SOPA DE GRÃO COM ESPINAFRES

(garbanzo bean soup with spinach)

4 cans of garbanzo beans

2 medium potatos

1 medium onion

1 small bag of frozen chopped spinach (or use fresh if you can!)

1 vegetable bouillon (I use Knorr - chicken cube would be fine, also)

olive oil

Peel the potatos and onion and cut into large cubes, drain the garbanzo beans. Add these three ingredients to the pot and cover them with water. Add the bouillon cube and cook for about half an hour. Puree everything with a hand blender (if you don't have one, use a regular blender) and check the thickness of the soup. At this point I usually add water, the soup shouldn't be too thick, just have a creamy aspect to it. Add the spinach, bring back to a boil for an extra 5 minutes. A minute before finishing cooking, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Check for salt (the bouillon adds some saltiness to the dish) and enjoy!!