Sopas do Espirito Santo (Azorean Holy Spirit Soup)

If you have ever wandered through an Azorean-American community anywhere from Fall River to San Jose between May and September, you have probably seen the crowds gathered around an Imperio, one of those small chapel-like buildings dedicated to the Holy Spirit, and you have probably smelled this soup before you saw it.

Sopas do Espirito Santo is the dish of the Festas do Divino Espirito Santo, the Feast of the Holy Spirit, a tradition my grandmother carried with her from Sao Miguel and that our local Portuguese-American community still keeps alive every summer.

This is not a delicate soup. It is beef and cabbage simmered for hours until the broth turns deep and meaty, then ladled over slices of bread so the bread soaks up the broth and turns almost custardy underneath, with fresh mint scattered on top for brightness.

At the actual festas, volunteers make it by the enormous vat for hundreds of people, which is a little different from my stockpot, but the flavor, that slow-cooked, mint-lifted broth, is exactly the same. If you like my Canja de Galinha (recipe on the site), this is its bigger, heartier cousin, built for a crowd instead of a sick day.

I make a pot of this every year around the time our community’s festa comes around, and it always turns into an event at home too. My husband ladles, Lucas inspects the meat for tenderness with the seriousness of a judge, and Sofia is in charge of tearing the mint. It freezes beautifully, so do not be shy about making the full batch even for a smaller household.

Sopas do Espirito Santo (Azorean Holy Spirit Soup) Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes · Cook time: 3 hours · Total: 3 hours 30 minutes · Servings: 8 · Calories: ~420 per serving

Ingredients

• For the broth:
• 3 lbs beef chuck or brisket, cut into large chunks
• 1 lb linguica or chourico sausage, whole
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
• 10 cups water, or enough to cover
• For the soup:
• 1 small green cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 loaf day-old crusty bread or Portuguese rolls, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
• Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, combine the beef, whole sausage, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Add water to cover by about 2 inches.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer 2 hours, skimming any foam that rises, until the beef is fork-tender.
3. Remove the sausage, slice it, and set aside. Remove the beef, shred or chunk it into bite-size pieces, and set aside. Discard the bay leaves.
4. Add the cabbage wedges, potatoes, and carrots to the broth. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
5. Return the beef and sliced sausage to the pot to warm through. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper.
6. Line the bottom of a large serving platter or individual bowls with slices of bread. Scatter half the mint leaves over the bread.
7. Ladle the hot broth generously over the bread so it soaks through, then arrange the beef, sausage, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots on top. Scatter the remaining mint over everything and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

• The bread is not a garnish here, it is a structural part of the dish. Use a sturdy, slightly stale crusty bread so it soaks up broth without dissolving into mush.
• Sourcing tip: linguica and chourico are widely available at Latin or Portuguese grocers, and increasingly in the international aisle of larger US supermarkets. In a pinch, a good smoked kielbasa gets you close.
• This soup is traditionally served family-style on one large platter at the center of the table at the Holy Spirit festas, so do not feel you need individual bowls if you would rather do it the communal way.
• The broth and meat freeze well on their own for up to 3 months. Assemble with fresh bread and mint only when you are ready to serve.