Sopa da Pedra (Portuguese Stone Soup)

This is the soup with the story, and in this house the story is half the reason we make it. A hungry friar walks into a village in Almeirim with nothing but a stone in his bag, tells the townspeople he can make the finest soup they have ever tasted from that stone alone, and then talks them into contributing “just a little” cabbage, then “just a little” sausage, then “just a little” of everything they own, until the stone soup is a full feast for the whole village. Sofia asks me to tell it every single time I make this, and I have never once managed to shorten it the way she wants.

The real dish, whatever its folkloric origins, is Almeirim’s most famous export from the Ribatejo region: a thick, hearty bean and pork soup loaded with chouriço, sometimes morcela, potatoes, and cabbage, so substantial that you eat it with a fork practically standing straight up in the bowl. It is less a starter than a full dinner in a bowl, the kind of soup that follows a long cold day outdoors.

If you already make my caldo verde or my canja de galinha (recipes on the site), think of this as their heartier, meatier cousin, closer to a stew than a broth.

Sopa da Pedra Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes · Total: 1 hour 50 minutes · Servings: 6 servings · Calories: ~410 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried red or white beans, soaked overnight (or 2 cans, about 30 oz total, drained)
• 1/2 lb pork shoulder, cut into chunks
• 1/2 lb pork ribs or a ham hock
• 4 oz chouriço, sliced
• 4 oz morcela (Portuguese blood sausage), sliced, optional, see notes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Fresh cilantro or mint, chopped, for serving

Instructions

1. If using dried beans, drain the soaked beans and set aside. If using canned beans, just have them ready.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the pork shoulder and ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika.
4. Add the dried beans (if using), the bay leaves, and enough water to cover everything by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 1 hour, until the pork and beans are tender.
5. Add the chouriço, morcela, and potatoes, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
6. If using canned beans, stir them in now along with the cabbage, and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender and everything is well combined.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The sausages add a lot of salt already, so taste before adding more, and make sure the pork reaches a safe internal temperature of at least 145°F, which this long simmer easily achieves.
8. Ladle into wide bowls, drizzle with a little raw olive oil, and scatter fresh cilantro or mint over the top.

Recipe Notes

• Morcela is optional if you cannot find it or are not comfortable using blood sausage. The soup is still excellent without it, just slightly less traditional. It is sold frozen at Portuguese and Brazilian markets in the US and through Portuguese specialty importers online.
• This soup is meant to be thick. If yours looks brothy rather than stew-like, mash a few of the potatoes or beans against the side of the pot to thicken it.
• Tell the legend while you serve it. A hungry friar convinces a village he can make soup from a stone, then talks them into adding “just a bit” of everything they own until it becomes a feast. Kids always want to hear it twice.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day. Thin with a little water or broth when reheating, since the beans keep absorbing liquid in the fridge.