Welcome Back Post: Portuguese Kale Soup

Well after a little summer hiatus, I am back to blogging.  Nothing like easing into Fall with some comfort food, even if it is still 80 degrees outside.  So for my first blog of the new season, I have a special treat.  I'm bringing in my second guest souper chef to help me learn more about soup making.

My boyfriend has been talking about his famous Portuguese soup for over a year now.  Finally, I got him to make it for me.  Even though this recipe is a throwback to Old World Portugal, its main ingredient happens to be the trendiest green among the health conscious right now: KALE.  Mmmmmm. People just can't get enough kale right now.  To tell you the truth, I haven't jumped on that bandwagon and this kale-heavy recipe is just a coincidence, but if it helps me get a few extra hits, all the better.

I don't have much of a shopping story this time as the ingredients are fairly easy to find, and many can be found in the canned veggie isle of your market.  But a note about the kale.  I first learned about this soup when my boyfriend showed me this big green plant in his dad's garden.  He said it was Portuguese kale and made for a delicious soup.  After some research I learned that the kale my boyfriend's family grows in their garden is called Tronchuda Beira and is a flatter, sweeter kale that is very heat-tolerant and works very well in soup.  For this recipe, we only had access to the traditional, crinkly kale, but it came pre-cut and washed in a bag, so that made up for any disappointment for not having the traditional ingredient.

Portuguese kale, Photo from www.ReneesGarden.com

No onto the simple directions.  We sauteed chopped onion and potato in a little oil until warm.

Potatoes & onions

Next we added the garlic, bay leaves and kale, seasoned with pepper, covered and let wilt for about 2 minutes.  We added the chicken broth, a few extra cups of water and additional ingredients and brought to a boil.

Kale

As you see, we used the regular, curly kale.  Maybe we got a sweater one, but it was not bitter at all.  Past soups I've made with kale were not very good as leftovers because they got too bitter and overpowering, but somehow we got lucky this time.  Still, I'd love to try this recipe again with the Portuguese kale.

Linguica

My boyfriend did the grocery shopping this time since this was his special recipe.  He chose a spicy linguica since he knows I like the heat.  The flavors from the spicy sausage really added to the broth so that the soup does not need many additional spices.  We don't like to cook with salt, so the sausage also added a salted flavor without adding additional salt.  But, warning, HOT linguisa means HOT linguisa, so if you are sensitive to spicy foods, opt for a milder sausage.  And if you like the heat, you are in for a treat!

All ingredients

Last step, we covered the soup and let cook on medium heat until the potatoes were cooked (about 15 minutes).  We ate the soup with a yummy sourdough baguette.  I usually pass on the butter, but the boyfriend insisted I add butter and dip into the broth.  Yummmmy!!!  The soup was both spicy and earthy, filling but healthy.  Delicious.  We both had 2 bowls and a bowl for lunch the next day.

Portuguese kale soup

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Olive oil / from home
3 medium potatoes / $2.06 / Lucky's
4 cups chicken broth / $3.99 / Lucky's
2 bay leaves / from home
1 diced medium onion / $1.49 / Lucky's
4 garlic cloves garlic, finely chopped / $2.59 /Lucky's
1 lb kale, chopped, stems removed / $2.99 / Lucky's
1 lb linguisa sausage  / $4.99 / Lucky's
1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, drained / $1.49 / Lucky's
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained / $0.98 / Lucky's
2 bay leaves / from home
pepper / from home

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy!
Cost:  $20.58 ($2.57/ serving)