Portuguese Chourico and Kale Soup (Adapted from Rachael Ray)

BarbryT's Note:

There are a couple of other sausage and kale soups on 'Zaar, but none like this. It is a just a bit spicy and filling and soothing and a meal in itself. (OK, maybe with an apple for fruit...or apple pie! :-)

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 -6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb kale, coarsely chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans (chick peas) or 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 lb diced chorizo sausage
• 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups stock
• coarse salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the olive in a pot over medium high heat.
2. Add potatoes and onions, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add garlic, bay leaves, and kale to the pot.
4. Cover pot and wilt greens for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add beans, tomatoes, sausage, and broth to the pot and bring soup to a full boil.
6. Reduce heat back to medium and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

Reviews

[Maito]

Great soup! I would have liked more potatoes in it (maybe double or triple). I thought I had cannelini beans, but only had garbanzos, so I used those, though I think this would be even better with the cannelinis. It took an hour to make, but I was prepared for that, since I had read reviews on Food Network's site (and it makes sense that prep takes longer than 10 minutes -- really about 25 minutes, and that potatoes take longer to cook than stated). I used chicken chorizo. I have never bought chorizo before, so mistakenly ended up with the raw Mexican kind, that you squeeze out of its casing and cook first. Nonetheless, it imparted a wonderful smoky flavor, which permeated the entire dish. It is good that I only used half a pound of it though, since that made it plenty spicy. When I make this again, I will skip the beginning steps where the potatoes are in the pot without liquid, it stuck really bad and burned onto the pot, despite stirring frequently. The recipe makes a lot, enough for 6 big eaters. With the chicken chorizo I used (and the fact that this feeds 6), fat is only 9 grams per serving. I definitely recommend this yummy soup!

[Jostlori]

This is a great soup! I followed the recipe exactly, and added some carrots and about a half cup of cooked rice. Like other reviewers, I really liked that this one contained tomatoes. A bit different, but in a good way! Thanks for the recipe...

[Vinya]

If I make changes to a recipe, I usually try to wait until I've made the recipe the "right way" before reviewing, but this time - having substituted carrots for potatoes only - I'm not waiting. The major distinction I saw between this and other kale soup recipes on the site was the addition of the diced tomatoes, which is just lovely. With the slightly bitter kale, the neutral beans and meaty sausage (oh, that's another change: I browned and crisped the sausage first, removed it from the pan and let people sprinkle the crunchy bits on the tops of their bowls at the end), the soup needs something bright and acidic like the tomatoes. To be honest, a shot of balsamic in individual bowls balances flavors even better, but this recipe can stand solidly on its own. I'll make this soup again, I'm sure, with only slight tweaks like the balsamic, and maybe some boullion or soy to boost umami.