Sunday Soups

I’m making a point to carve out a couple hours every Sunday to make soup. There’s something about a warm bowl of anything that makes the Sunday blues a bit easier to bear. Moreover, a big pot of soup makes for five weekday lunches (and it always tastes better the next day). So who’s with me?



I first discovered Portuguese caldo verde soup at Ted and Amy’s Supper Club. Loaded with potatoes, linguica sausage and kale (Yay! Kale!), this rich, spicy soup makes a comforting meal when served with a glass of red wine and some hot, crusty bread.

Best of all, it takes under an hour to make. I was amazed by how simple it was to replicate. I find that it’s easier to get your hands on Chorizo than linguica sausage, and it worked very nicely here. My aunt--and cooking mentor--who taught me how to make this, has always raved about the power of tap water when it comes to good broth (when she doesn’t have homemade stock on hand, she’ll always use water over the boxed variety). This was the first time I made a soup without stock, and the results were lovely. The salt, onions and chorizo are the star flavors, and give the broth a real heartiness. So when in doubt, turn to the tap.

Caldo Verde soup
Ingredients
3 Tbs olive oil
¾ lb kale, stems discarded and cut into strips
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 ½ lbs boiling potatoes (2 large), peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp salt, divided
½ lb spicy Chorizo, cut into ½-inch cubes
8 c. water

Heat olive oil in a 5-quart pot over medium-high heat, and sauté onions until translucent (about five minutes). Add peeled potatoes, and cook four to five minutes. When the warm-onion-and-potatoes aroma fills the kitchen, add 8 cups of water, 1 tsp of salt, cover and bring to a boil. Simmer the broth for fifteen minutes, uncovered, and get to work on the chorizo. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat and brown the Chorizo pieces until crisp (five minutes). Lay on a paper towel to drain. After fifteen minutes, mash potatoes—a wooden spoon works fine—into coarse pieces. Place the Chorizo into the soup, and simmer five minutes more. Then place kale in the pot, and use a wooden spoon (gently) to immerse it in the broth. Add additional tsp of salt, stir and simmer for five minutes more.