 |
Hearty Portuguese Kale Soup (Caldo Verde ) |
On a cold night, serve this soup with warm crusty bread for a complete and
satisfying meal.
 Ingredients:
3 lbs. medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, cut in half
(Yukon Gold or Yellow Fin are perfect),
48 oz. chicken stock
4 cups water
2 large yellow or white onions
6 large cloves garlic
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds Portuguese kale leaves - a sizeable bunch
4 Portuguese Linguiça sausages - close to 2 lbs. total
Garnishes: freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large heavy soup pot, combine the potatoes (peel them first, if you feel
it's important, but I don't because the best nutrients are close to the skin)
with the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook,
covered, until the potatoes until almost tender – 20-30 min. or so, depending on
your potatoes. (The cooked potatoes and stock will remain in the soup pot as you
add the other recipe ingredients to the soup.)
While the potatoes are cooking, coarsely chop the onions and garlic and slice
the sausages into 1/2 inch slices. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan,
add the onions and garlic and sauté gently at low heat until they are
translucent (5 – 8 minutes). Add the sliced sausages and cook them together for
a few minutes longer. Turn off the heat.
Prepare the kale: cut out the white center ribs of the kale leaves and discard.
Stack three or four leaves together and roll them up into cylinders like cigars.
Then, slice into one 1/4 inch wide ribbons. Repeat until you sliced up all the
kale leaves.
When the potatoes are tender, add the sautéed onions, garlic and sausage
mixture, the shredded kale leaves and the 4 cups of water to the soup pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, covered, for about 30 to 40
minutes, or until the kale is quite tender. Add the potatoes back into the pot
and continue to simmer just until they are heated through. Serve hot with freshly grated
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over serving.
8-12 servings, depending on how hungry everyone is!
 Renee's Notes:
I know it's not traditional, but here are some additions I have added when I
have made the Caldo Verde at various times: 2 cups sliced carrots (for color)
added in to cook with the potatoes; 1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (I love
the taste of parsley in soup), which I added just before serving.
Be sure to have crusty bread to help you mop up and enjoy every last drop in
your soup! The potatoes seem to melt into the kale- rich broth and add a
satisfying creamy texture to the soup. The flavorful Linguiça sausage is on the
lean side and doesn't render a lot of fat, so I've never felt this soup was too
oily; it's a deliciously full- flavored complete meal in a bowl and tastes just
as delicious and satisfying heated up the next day.
 If
you don't have Portuguese kale you can use regular kale instead - it won't be
authentic, but it will taste fine.
Find more great garden-inspired recipes in
Renee's Cookbooks:
Recipes
from a Kitchen Garden
More
Recipes from a Kitchen Garden |
