Sandi is blogging from the WhistleStop Cafe kitchen. It's all about good home cooking; food, family and fun. Thousands of posts . . .

~In the south and around the world.



Sunday, January 11, 2009

a Verde yummy soup

This week it was Deborah's turn to pick a soup for our Sunday Slow Soupers. Her blog is old shoes-new trip~ don't you just love that title? She is a slow traveler who would just as soon wear old shoes and plan a new trip; sounds like a plan to me! She found this recipe while planning a trip to Portugal and Spain. Caldo Verde is a traditional soup made in many different ways... here is her recipe from 'The Food of Portugal' by Jean Anderson.

Caldo Verde
1 large yellow onion, peeled and minced fine
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
4 Tbs olive oil
6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 quarts cold water
6 ounces chouriço, chorizo, pepperoni, or other dry garlicky sausage, sliced thin
2½ tsp salt (about)
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound collards, kale, or turnip greens, washed, trimmed of course stems and veins, then sliced filament-thin. (The easiest way is to stack 6 to 8 leaves, roll crosswise into a firm, tight roll, then slice with a very sharp knife.)

Sauté the onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy saucepan 2 to 3 minutes over moderate heat until they begin to color and turn glassy; do not brown or they will turn bitter. Add the potatoes and sauté, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, until they begin to color also. Add the water, cover, and boil gently over moderate heat 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are mushy. Meanwhile, fry the sausage in a medium-size heavy skillet over low heat 10 to 12 minutes until most of the fat has cooked out, drain well and reserve.

When the potatoes are soft, remove the pan from the stove and with a potato masher, mash the potatoes right in the pan in the soup mixture. Add the sausage, collards and simmer uncovered 5 minutes until tender. Mix in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and taste the soup for salt and pepper. Ladle into large soup plates and serve as a main course accompanied by chunks of Broa.
Broa is a heavy cornbread from Northern Portugal... I just used a heavy cornbread from Alabama. It's not such a big world after all!

This is a great hearty soup. I was not happy with the pepperoni that I used, and should have made it thicker with more kale. Other than that it was perfect for a cold rainy day.
Y'all Enjoy!
Sandi

13 comments:

Justabeachkat said...

It's cold here today so a bowl of soup sounds extra yummy.

Happy Sunday
Hugs!
Kat

Anonymous said...

Very cool photo with the cornbread in focus and the soup in the background!
Glad you liked the recipe.

Cape Cod Rambling Rose said...

The soup looks heavenly... but I must admit it's the cornbread that has caught my full attention! =)

Here's a sales pitch for one of your items... I recently made beef stew for my guys... the last batch hubby said was the best I'd ever made. The only ingredient I added to my usual recipe was the GRILLING SPICE from WHISTLESTOP CAFE!!!! WOW! I used just a teaspoonful, and hubby said it put my beef stew "over the top"! =)

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hey, Sandi, of course you are welcome to use my paperwhites as a centerpiece..anytime you see one of my photos you are welcome to use it for that! I've been a little busy lately.

Half Baked said...

Ohh that's just the soup I need on this cold dreary night!

Anonymous said...

Sandi - your soup looks great. I was lucky - we have a large Portugese community nearby so I was able to get the real sausage. It really did make a big difference.

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

YUM. Perfect on a day like today! And that cornbread is killing me. My favorite. And now I am on no carbs. Its killing me.

Anonymous said...

I have really enjoyed reading your blog over the past week or two. Fannie Flagg is also one of my favourite authors, although some of her book are hard to find here.

I have nominated you for a blog award. Please come and visit to find out more.

Kate

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Kathy~ you could leave off the cornbread.
Deborah~ thanks for the soup suggestion!
Louise~ your hubby is very smart! We have lots of people who love the Grill-it. I'm so glad to hear that.
Rhoda~ busy? Hobnobbing with Eddie!
Baker~ we are having an arctic blast!
Jerry~ the pepperoni was not a good substitute...next time I'll search for the real thing.
Leigh~ a southerner with NO carbs? You must be hungry girlfriend
Kate~ an award? I'll be right over!

Anonymous said...

I am Portuguese and we call it Kale Soup. I would have been much better with the chourico sausage. Try it again with that and you will realy enjoy it. There is a company called Gaspar's and they will ship it to you.
If you live near a Publix they sometimes carry it.

Anonymous said...

So funny that as you were leaving me a comment I was here reading your soup post! I have absolutely no idea where we will be staying in Savannah - hotel or B&B? Expensive or cheap? Location? No idea! I'm just now starting to look at stuff online...but I work in the wedding & travel industry, so I know first hand that there can be a SIGNIFICANT difference between how fab a place is online versus in person!

It's always so nervewracking for me...am I choosing the right place or will it be an overpriced tourist trap? Perhaps I'll just sleep in the car.

:)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Cindie~ I will search out the right sausage next time. Publix is my 'corner store'
Peachy~ I saw your post about Savannah, I can give you all kinds of tips!

Service Care said...

Howdy neighbor!

Looks yummy. :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails