By Miranda Edo
Portugal may be known for the
soccer players, wine, rich history, and salted cod, but my favorite part is the
Kale Soup. The family recipe I’ll share didn’t start as a recipe at all, but
more an observation and routine passed down from each woman in my family. I
have watched my Mãe (mom) make it,
and my Avó (grandmother) for as long
as I can remember and noted the procedure into some semblance of a solid recipe.
Caldo
Verde, or green soup, originated about one hour north from where my Mãe was born in Northern Portugal. She was
the last sibling of her family born in the village of Doñoes. For reference,
the population of Doñoes is 62 people, most of them somehow related to me, so I
am definitely not exaggerating when I say village. The soup is simple, with little
fuss to the presentation. It is a potato onion pureed soup with greens and
chorizo eaten year-round in Portugal, sometimes even for breakfast. The greens
we used are called couve galega,
which are very similar to collards or kale. In the US, most times we use kale. Caldo Verde accentuates the rich,
natural flavors of each ingredient, making it vital that everything in it is of
great quality down to the olive oil in the pan.
I am very fortunate to have visited
my “cousins” (like I said, we’re probably somehow related) in the village of
Doñoes to make this soup with their garden (more like a farm than any garden
I’ve seen in America) ingredients last summer. My new-found friend, Beatriz,
led me through the sprawling garden set at the outskirts of the village to
gather onions, garlic, and couve galega.
We stopped on the way so she could show me the cellar where the chorizo hangs. At
no more than nine years old, she explained wide-eyed that the pig raised last
year is now the chorizo and the family made the sausages we used in the soup that
evening.
This exchange was a stark contrast
of many childhood experiences I had in the US. Children in Portugal are very
informed about the food system and are active players in assuring the
sustainability and future of food. Much like the French, the Portuguese savor
food and are very proud of the abundance the land offers, even as a child. I hope
that the elementary students we help build gardens with later this year will
have a similar appreciation when it comes time to harvest our own produce.
We brought our gatherings to her
mother, María, who stood over a stove sautéing the garlic and onions we
gathered. The only items bought from the store were potatoes and olive oil. The
potatoes at the supermarket probably grew about 15 minutes north and the olive
oil and spices a few hours south- I’d say that’s local. This is the usual for
the people of Portugal. Most families in the northern region have a garden at
the least, and many around the country follow suit, even in the outskirts of
bustling Lisbon.
As the now pureed soup bubbled away, María
showed me the way she finely slices the kale into elegant ribbons. She cuts the
whole bunch in her hand, her palm gliding against the edge of the knife, never
slicing into her skin. I had seen my Mãe
do this with onions, so I was not surprised by María’s risky methods. There
should probably be warning here, as this technique is not needed to make good
soup, it’s just something cool that scares outsiders when they watch Portuguese
women cook. The women of northern Portugal are stoic- expert chefs in their own
right. Along with some bread made locally with fresh-milled wheat, our meal was
complete- the most authentic Caldo Verde
I have ever experienced.
Caldo
Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)
Recipe by: Miranda Edo
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
1 ½ cups yellow chef potatoes, peeled
and thinly sliced
2 quarts vegetable stock or water
4 ounces chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
in rounds
1 pound kale, washed, trimmed of the
thick stems and thinly sliced into ribbons
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp safflower
Salt and pepper to taste
Method of Preparation:
1. In a skillet, cook sausage until most of the
fat is rendered over medium heat. Remove sausage, leaving the rendered fat in
pan.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a
medium soup pot, add onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until
translucent and fragrant. Add paprika and safflower.
3. Add potatoes and water. Cover and
boil gently over medium heat for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
4. Using an immersion blender or
blender if unavailable until a smooth. Add more water if too thick (it
shouldn’t be like mashed potatoes).
5. Add the sausage and the kale. Simmer
for another 5 minutes. 3. Season and serve.
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