Sopa da pedra: Portuguese stone soup

Ingredients

• 300 g dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight in cold water, drained
• 150 g chouriço, whole
• 150 g farinheira (flour sausage), whole
• 100 g presunto, in one piece or thick-cut slices
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 300 g potato, peeled and diced
• 2 g fresh herbs, as suits the Ribatejo tradition (bay leaf, parsley)
• 1.5 litres water
• To serve
• 1 smooth river stone, scrubbed and washed thoroughly
• 1 loaf broa (Portuguese cornbread), sliced

Method

1. 1
   Place the soaked, drained kidney beans in a large pot with the water, onion, presunto, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until the beans are beginning to soften — approximately 45–60 minutes — tasting one; it should yield completely to the tooth with no chalky centre.
2. 2
   Add the whole chouriço and farinheira to the pot. This is where the dish lives or dies: the sausages must enter the broth only in the final 30 minutes of cooking — added earlier they overcook and surrender their character; added later the broth lacks the depth they provide. The broth should colour and perfume from the sausages' fat and paprika.
3. 3
   Add the diced potato. Continue to simmer until the potato is fully tender and beginning to break at the edges, thickening the broth. The soup is ready when a spoon drawn through it holds a coating — the surface should close slowly behind the back of the spoon.
4. 4
   Remove the chouriço, farinheira, and presunto. Slice into rounds or strips and set aside. Taste the broth before adjusting salt — the pork products will have provided significant seasoning. Correct only if necessary.
5. 5
   Ladle the soup into bowls. Arrange sliced sausage and presunto alongside or atop each portion. Place the washed river stone in or beside the tureen as a garnish. Serve immediately with sliced broa.