Almeirim Stone Soup

Ingredients

• well-washed stone
• kidney beans
• pig's ear, blanched and sliced thin
• chouriço negro or firm type of blood sausage
• mixed meat chouriço or Mediterranean smoked sausage
• pork belly, fatback or bacon
• potatoes, cubed
• onions, chopped
• garlic cloves
• bay leaf
• cilantro/coriander, chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

Soak the kidney beans overnight, then drain. This hydration cuts cooking time and reduces the oligosaccharides responsible for flatulence — essential for a soup that demands hours of gentle simmering.

Render the pork belly or fatback first in a heavy pot over medium heat until the fat runs clear and the solids turn golden. This one-pot-cooking base flavours everything that follows. Add chopped onions and crushed garlic to the rendered fat, stirring until softened and fragrant — roughly 6–8 minutes. The Maillard reaction between the onion's natural sugars and the pork fat builds depth that water alone cannot.

Add the drained beans, blanched pig's ear, both sausages (leave them whole for now), bay leaf, and the well-washed stone. Cover generously with cold water — aim for roughly twice the volume of solids. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a bare simmer. This is not low-and-slow territory: peasant-cooking relies on the slow collagen breakdown in pork cuts and offal, and a proper simmer — not a roiling boil, but steady, with occasional bubbles breaking the surface — takes 2 to 2.5 hours. Top up with hot water as needed to maintain the level; evaporation is your enemy here. The stone serves as both folklore and function: it distributes heat evenly and prevents the bottom from catching.

When the meat is falling apart at the prod of a spoon — the pig's ear should shred cleanly — remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the potatoes, cubed roughly 2 centimetres across to prevent them dissolving into mush. Return to a simmer and cook until the potato is completely tender but still holding its shape, 25–30 minutes. Stir in the reserved meat, torn into rough pieces if the sausages have split.

Taste and season aggressively with salt and pepper — soup-making demands bolder seasoning than you'd guess. Finish with plenty of fresh coriander. Serve in wide bowls so the broth, meat, and potato can all feature equally. The stone stays behind in the pot — or becomes a talking point, depending on your audience.