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