Caldo Verde - Portuguese Kale Soup
Ready in 45 minutes, for 4 servings
Very healthy
Dairy free
Gluten free
INGREDIENTS:
- carrot
- garlic
- onion
1) Chop your onions, slice your carrots and smash your garlic. Set aside.
INGREDIENTS:
- potato
- water
EQUIPMENT:
- bowl
2) Peel and chop the potatoes. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.
INGREDIENTS:
- chorizo
- sausage
3) Remove the casing from your chorizo. This is an important step. Chorizo casing is tough and unforgiving and will make the sausage link curl during the cooking process. Just remove it and don't worry about appearance.
4) Cut the links length-wise then chop into half-moons.
INGREDIENTS:
- chorizo
- soup
EQUIPMENT:
- frying pan
- pot
5) Sautee in a separate pan until the are nice and browned. Don't put into the pot until the last minute, otherwise the color of the chorizo will leach into the soup turning it a weird red color.
INGREDIENTS:
- kale
6) Now it's time to prepare the kale. With each individual leaf, cut out the stem. You can do this several ways.
7) Cut a triangle out of the leaf, or fold over the leaf and cut out the stem that way. Or rip off the halves of the leaves off the stem. I like a little bit of stem to give some crunch and texture.
INGREDIENTS:
- roll
8) Tightly roll the leaf into a bundle.
EQUIPMENT:
- knife
9) Run your knife over it to julienne the leaf into thin strips.
INGREDIENTS:
- kale
10) Don't worry if it's not perfect. Set aside the kale.
INGREDIENTS:
- olive oil
- carrot
- garlic
- onion
EQUIPMENT:
- pot
11) In a big pot, sautee your onions, carrots and garlic in a bit of olive oil.
INGREDIENTS:
- red pepper flakes
- vegetable
- potato
EQUIPMENT:
- pot
12) Once the vegetables start to soften, add the potatoes and some crushed red pepper flakes. Stir the pot and cook the potatoes until the outer edges start turning clear.
INGREDIENTS:
- potato
- broth
- water
EQUIPMENT:
- pot
13) Then add the 6 cups of water and 2 bouillion packets (or 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water) to the pot. Bring to a boil then let simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
INGREDIENTS:
- potato
- soup
EQUIPMENT:
- wooden spoon
- pot
14) With a wooden spoon, mash the potatoes against the side of the pot. Do this until almost all the chunks of potatoes are mashed. Leave some chunks behind. This will give your soup a wonderful hearty texture.
INGREDIENTS:
- kale
EQUIPMENT:
- pot
15) Now it's time to add the Kale. It looks like a lot and will fill up your whole pot but not to worry because it wilts down pretty quickly.
INGREDIENTS:
- chorizo sausages
16) Cook for 5 minutes at a simmer then stir in chorizo sausage.
INGREDIENTS:
- bread
17) Serve hot or at room temperature (the latter is my favorite). Eat with a nice crusty loaf of Portuguese bread. Enjoy!