Sopa de Trigo | Portuguese Wheat Soup
Sopa de Trigo, or Portuguese Wheat Berry Soup, is a hearty soup to add into your recipe rotation that makes great use of winter produce. This soup is popular in Madeira Island!
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat berries/kernels 24 hours in advance cover and let soak in pot of water
- 1 lb pork shoulder or butt cut into small cubes
- 2-3 qts chicken stock
- 2 carrots, large diced
- 1½ lbs white sweet potato peeled, cut into 1" cubes
- 5 bay leaves fresh preferred
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb linguiça or smoked sausage roughly chopped
- 1 large leek roughly chopped, washed and strained
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ lbs orange pumpkin/ winter squash seeds removed,
- 3 cups collard greens or kale roughly chopped
- 1 can butter beans drained
Instructions
- Season pork with salt and let sit for 30 minutes while preparing the rest of the soup.
- To a large stock pot add the chicken stock and drained wheat berries. Simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Add the carrots, sweet potatoes and bay leaves to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Into a hot frying pan add 1 tsp olive oil. Add in the pork. Once about half way browned add in the chopped sausage. Once the pork has completely browned, it does not need to be cooked through, remove from the heat and set aside.
- To a frying pan over medium heat add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Sauté leeks and garlic for 5 minutes. Add in squash and chopped collard greens. Sauté for an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in drained butter beans.
- Taste the broth and adjust seasoning as desired. Add in pork, sausage and sautéed vegetable mixture. Let soup simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes to allow the flavors to merry.