Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)

Soups are a traditional part of Portuguese cuisine, and probably the most loved of them all is caldo verde (green soup). It has just a short list of ingredients, and is comforting and healthy.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 10 thin slices Spanish chorizo (approx a 2 in piece) or more traditionally, if you can get it, Portuguese choriço or linguiça
• ½ yellow onion, diced small
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and diced small
• 8 oz potato, peeled and diced small
• 2 c low sodium chicken stock
• 1 c water
• 8 oz kale, cut into very thin strips and longer strips cut shorter*
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A few drops of white or cider vinegar on the bowls to serve

Instructions

• Warm the olive oil in a pot large enough to make the soup in (at least 1 quart) over a medium-high heat. Add the slices of chorizo and cook a minute or two on each side, until some of the oils from the sausage run into the olive oil. Remove the sausage slices from the pot and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions to the pot. Cook for 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they becoming translucent. Take care not to let them burn. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
• Add the potatoes to the pot, stir, then add the stock and water. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat. Blend the soup either using a hand blender (immersion blender) or transfer the pot’s contents to the bowl of a blender to blend the soup. If you like, add roughly half of the sautéed chorizo slices to the soup as you blend.
• Return the soup to the pot and warm it over a medium heat. Add the kale and stir it in until wilted from the heat of the soup. Cook for a minute or two, just until tender.
• Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add a dash of vinegar to your bowls before ladling in the soup. This both adds to the flavor and helps separate the leaves as you eat.
• Serve the soup with a slice of sautéed chorizo on top of each bowl (more, if you prefer).