Caldo Verde

Portuguese Kale Soup

Keith

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

This "green" soup made with mounds of shredded kale is the national soup of Portugal. It's not difficult, and the end result is wonderfully filling, economical and full of texture.

Ingredients

• 1 pound kale, cleaned, stems removed
• 8 ounces linguica sausage, thinly sliced (or substitute Spanish chorizo sausage, or mild Italian sausage removed from its casing and broken into small pieces)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1½ teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 pounds white or red potatoes
• 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock (preferably homemade) or water
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Working with several leaves at a time, stack the kale leaves on top of one another, roll them into a tight cigar shape and slice them crosswise as thinly as possible into strips.
2. In a large heavy pot over medium heat, brown the sausage. Transfer it to a plate and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the oil. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes if desired, slice them in half lengthwise, then slice thinly crosswise. Add the potatoes to the pot, stir to coat well with oil and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the prepared kale, sausage, stock or water and pepper. The kale will seem tall in your pot, but it cooks down. Use a wooden spoon to turn the vegetables over gently from the bottom and mix them all together. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring almost to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve hot.

Note

Linguica (lin-GWEE-sah) is a Portuguese sausage. It is smoked but not cooked and is made from pork shoulder. The spices vary but typically include paprika, garlic and pepper, and sometimes cinnamon, coriander and/or cumin. It is less spicy than chorizo or andouille.