Azorean Sopa de Funcho
Recipe: #24375
July 11, 2016
Categories: Beef Sausage, Ribs - Pork, Fennel, Portuguese, Sunday Dinner, Gluten-Free, No Eggs, Non-Dairy, more
"Sopa de Funcho is unbelievably healthy and hearty and utilizes various simple vegetables and other ingredients to make a wonderful soup. In the Azores, the fennel is different than what we find in our stateside grocery stores - there is no bulb - but rather mostly the whispy fronds. Recipe from Ana Ortins' "Portuguese Homestyle Cooking". TIME DOES NOT INCLUDE OVERNIGHT SOAKING."
Ingredients
Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (504.6 g)
- Calories 434.8
- Total Fat - 20.5 g
- Saturated Fat - 4.9 g
- Cholesterol - 58.4 mg
- Sodium - 361.1 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 38.5 g
- Dietary Fiber - 12.9 g
- Sugars - 2.1 g
- Protein - 25.4 g
- Calcium - 123.4 mg
- Iron - 4.7 mg
- Vitamin C - 19.5 mg
- Thiamin - 0.5 mg
Step by Step Method
THE DAY BEFORE
Step 1
Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover by 2 inches.
Step 2
Rub the ribs with 2 tablespoons coarse salt and chill overnight.
THE NEXT DAY
Step 3
Drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.
Step 4
Wipe any excess salt from the ribs (or pig’s feet) and place in a 4-quart stock pot with the beans and water. Cover, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender and the beans are easily mashed (about 1 hour). Occasionally skim the surface of any impurities.
Step 5
Meanwhile, trim and discard coarse stems from the fine feathery fennel leaves. Finely chop enough leaves to yield 2 cups. (If you are using fennel bulbs, discard the outer layer. Separate sections of the bulbs, rinse well, and coarsely chop.) Set fennel aside.
Step 6
Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, and black pepper to the pot. Simmer 5 minutes, then toss in the fennel leaves, and chopped bulb if using, along with the cabbage, potatoes, scallions, olive oil, and sausage. Return the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer until the potatoes are done and the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes.
Step 7
Usually this soup needs no additional salt, but taste and season to your preference. Serve with good crusty bread.
Tips
No special items needed.