Portuguese Holy Ghost Soup | Sopas do Espírito Santo

Portuguese Holy Ghost Soup, or Sopas do Espírito Santo, is traditional to the Portuguese Holy Ghost festa. This dish has a rich history and rich flavor. The festa is held only once a year, so if you ever get the craving you now know how to make the soup on your own!

Portuguese Holy Ghost Soup in stock pot and in small ceramic bowl

Portuguese Holy Ghost Soup | Sopas do Espírito Santo

Portuguese Holy Ghost Soup, or Sopas do Espírito Santo, is traditional to the Portuguese Holy Ghost festa. This dish has a rich history and rich flavor. The festa is held only once a year, so if you ever get the craving you now know how to make the soup on your own!
3.92 from 24 votes
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 6 hrs
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Portuguese
Servings 15

Ingredients
  

  • 15 black peppercorns, whole sub. 1½ tsp ground pepper
  • 10 allspice kernels
  • 10 cloves, whole
  • 5 sticks cinnamon sub. 3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 10- 20 bay leaves
  • 5 lbs beef chuck roast, bone in
  • 2 yellow onions, large sliced in thick wedges
  • 1-1½ quarts water
  • cups red wine
  • 5 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cans crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 bunch mint leaves
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 4 tsp table salt
  • 1-2 bunches collard greens sliced
  • day old Portuguese or crusty artisan bread thickly sliced
  • 2 cups tomatoes peeled or finely chopped, sub. 2 cans of tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions
 

  • Make a bouquet garni with all of the whole spices and bay leaves.
    allspice spice 7660
  • To a large stock pot, add the chuck, onions, water, red wine, garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, 1/4 of the bunch of mint, cumin, salt and the bouquet garni. Set over medium-low heat and allow to cook for at least 5-7 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone and easily shredded.
    allspice spice 7662
  • *Optional* To add a extra richness and a velvety mouth feel to your soup follow these steps. Add ¼ cup of water to a small sauté pan. Pour in two packets of gelatin. Stir it to combine and let it sit for 5 minutes. This step is known as blooming. Add two ladles full of hot broth from the soup pot into the gelatin and allow the gelatin a few minutes to melt. After the gelatin is fully dissolved add it into the soup.
    mint spice herb 7671
  • When your soup has about 1 hour left of cooking, add the sliced collard greens. At this time you can also add a few more cups of water if your soup needs it. This soup should contain a lot of broth. Additionally, taste your broth and add more salt and other seasonings.
    douro wine portugal portuguese 1
  • To serve, place a slice or two of bread in each soup bowl topped with a mint leaf or two. Ladle a generous amount of broth over the bread to soften followed with some pieces of meat.
    corn raisins molasses cinnamon 9213

Video

Notes

Bouquet garni: a French term, for a bundle of herbs tied together. This makes it easy to remove woody herbs or whole spices before serving. 
Holy Ghost Crown link:
https://portuguesemuseum.org/?page_id=1808&category=4&exhibit=&event=234
 
IMG 0403 IMG 0043 IMG 0428
 
https://justcookwithmichael.com/tips-for-slow-cooking-braising-stewing-and-smoking/
slow cooking
History of the Holy Ghost queens
https://portuguesemuseum.org/?page_id=1808&category=4&exhibit=&event=240
Link to IDES Azorean Halls Festas in CA, 
Azorean history immigration
Azore Island Pictures
Keyword Festa, Holy Ghost Soup, portugal soup, portuguese soup, soup
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Recipes

Portuguese / Keto / Seafood / Vegetarian / Breakfast / Dinner

Michael holding plate of pesto crab cakes

Hello, I'm Michael!

I aspire to share recipes that you and your family can enjoy while also learning about cooking fundamentals along the way. I attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA and now enjoy cooking as a hobby.

Link to shop Michael's Kitchen Essentials