A generous, hearty Portuguese boiled dinner, where meats, cured sausages, cabbage, and root vegetables gently simmer together in a fragrant broth. Served in large pieces with chickpeas, this is a rustic, deeply flavorful, and comforting family classic.
Ingredients
- 500 g beef short ribs
- 300 g salted pork belly
- 2 pieces free-range chicken leg quarters
- 1 piece Portuguese chourico
- 1 piece Portuguese morcela or plain blood sausage
- 1 piece Portuguese farinheira
- 1 piece Savoy cabbage
- 600 g waxy potatoes
- 4 pieces carrots
- 2 pieces turnips
- 300 g canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- to taste coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 l water
Method
- Rinse the salted pork belly under cold running water to remove excess surface salt, then place it in a large stockpot with the beef short ribs, onion, garlic, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and water; bring gently to a simmer until foam rises to the surface.
- Skim the surface thoroughly, lower the heat, and let simmer gently for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the beef begins to yield when pierced with the tip of a knife.
- Add the chicken and continue simmering until the meat is cooked through and tender yet juicy, keeping the broth at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil.
- Prick the sausages with a toothpick or fork, then add the chourico; let it infuse the cooking broth until it turns an amber-red hue and develops a light smoky aroma.
- Add the carrots, turnips, and potatoes; cook until the vegetables are tender all the way through yet retain their shape.
- Add the Savoy cabbage cut into large wedges, then gently place the morcela and farinheira on top so they do not burst; poach until the cabbage is tender and glossy.
- Stir in the drained chickpeas at the very end just to warm them through in the broth; taste and adjust salt only now, since the cured sausages and salted pork already season the broth considerably.
- Carefully transfer the meats, sausages, and vegetables to a cutting board, carve them into serving pieces, and arrange them on a large warm platter with a ladle of hot broth to keep everything moist.
- Serve piping hot, offering extra broth in bowls on the side or spooned lightly over each plate so every bite stays juicy and flavorful.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 474.6 kcal
- Protein
- 34.53 g
- Carbohydrate
- 34.97 g
- Fat
- 22.33 g
- Fibre
- 7.44 g
- Calcium
- 113.83 mg
- Iron
- 4.37 mg
- Magnesium
- 81.7 mg
