Sopa de Beldroegas (Alentejo Purslane Soup)

Every summer a weed takes over the cracks in my driveway, and every summer my husband threatens it with vinegar. Every summer I stop him. That weed is purslane, called beldroega in Portuguese, and it is the star of one of the oldest soups in the Alentejo. My grandmother treated it as a gift from the garden gods: free, hardy, and tasting faintly of lemon.

Sopa de beldroegas is as simple as Portuguese soups get. Olive oil, garlic, onion, potatoes, and a big handful of those fleshy little leaves, simmered until the purslane melts and thickens the broth by itself. Traditionally it is served with a poached egg dropped in at the end, or a slice of day-old bread in the bowl, the same spirit as Sopa de Tomate Alentejana (recipe on the site) and Açorda Alentejana (recipe on the site).

Sofia declared it tastes like green lemonade in soup form, which is not wrong. If your driveway is purslane-free, you will find it at farmers markets from June through October, in Mexican grocers as verdolagas, and in many Asian markets. A substitute is below, because I refuse to let a missing weed ruin your dinner.

Sopa de Beldroegas Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 25 minutes · Total: 40 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~230 per serving

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb (450 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 5 cups (1.2 L) water or light chicken broth
• 8 oz (225 g) purslane, thick stems trimmed, leaves and tender stems chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large eggs (optional, for poaching)
• Day-old rustic bread, toasted, to serve
• Lemon wedges or a splash of white wine vinegar, to serve

Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned.
2. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the potatoes, bay leaf, and salt. Pour in the water or broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes until the potatoes are nearly tender.
3. Add the purslane and simmer 5 more minutes. It will wilt and slightly thicken the soup.
4. Remove the bay leaf. Mash a few potato cubes against the side of the pot for a creamier body, or use an immersion blender for 3 or 4 pulses if you like it rustic-smooth.
5. If using eggs, bring the soup to a gentle simmer, crack each egg into a small cup, and slide them in. Poach for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites are set. Cook the yolks longer if serving anyone who prefers them firm.
6. Ladle into bowls over toasted bread, drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper, and serve with lemon or vinegar on the side.

Recipe Notes

• Substitution: if you cannot find purslane, use 5 oz baby spinach plus 3 oz watercress and finish with a good squeeze of lemon. It will be a different soup, but it will taste like the right neighborhood.
• Wash purslane thoroughly. Wild purslane picks up grit and dirt in its stems, and a soup with sand is never a happy soup.
• Do not boil the purslane long. Five minutes is plenty; past that it turns drab and slimy.
• Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge and taste even better the next day. Add the poached eggs fresh when reheating.