Sometimes when you come home from a long day at work and the air has the slightest chill that signals the coming autumn all you want is a bowl of warm, salty broth studded with bits of soft potato and speckles of deep green kale and a nice crusty roll to dip into it.
Last Saturday as I left work and turned to the right to head to my car, the breeze was cool and I knew that Autumn was rolling out of his bed after a too-long nap, groggy and restless from Summer's wild parties that kept him from sleeping soundly. It was the perfect day for Caldo Verde, a traditional Portuguese soup I fell in love with around the same time I was falling for my husband, Paulo.
This is my husband's favorite soup. You can make it from start to finish in about 45 minutes.
Caldo Verde or Portuguese Kale Soup, Azorean Style
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
- 4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 10 cups of chicken stock or 10 cups of water plus bouillon (I always use bouillon)
- 1 onion, sliced thin
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
In a big stock pot sauté the onions over medium high heat until translucent, add garlic and cook 3 minutes more.
Add in the water and bouillon or the chicken stock, the cut up potatoes and the kale, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.
Cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart tender. Take the back of the spoon and crush the chunks of potato against the side of the pot to break them up. This makes the broth a bit thicker and it makes it easier to spoon since you don't have the huge potato pieces.
We enjoy this with some nice crusty bread and butter!
PS: I found my camera, so from now on all recipes will have mediocre photos to go along with them! =)
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