Portuguese Kale Soup

PaulaG's Note:

DH and I have been going to a little place called Cafe Rio for years. About the only thing we ever order there is Portuguese kale soup. I have tried to duplicate the recipe for several years and this is as close as it gets. The linguica sausage is a must.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 1 bunch kale
• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 6 -8 cups chicken stock or 6 -8 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 lb linguica sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 lb red potatoes, diced
• 2 (15 1/4 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil
• coarse salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash kale under running water.
2. Strip from tough stem, coarse chop and set aside.
3. In the food processor, using the medium shredder blade, shred cabbage, drain and rinse beans.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot, add sausage, chopped onion and minced garlic.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is transparent.
6. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Adjust chicken stock as needed for desired consistency.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste, remove bay leaf and serve hot with a coarse bread.

Reviews

[Anacat]

Even though I couldn't find the linguica sausage, this turned out great. Spicy and flavorful!

[NewEnglandCook]

This is one of my favorite soups to make. I have made it now regularly and it keeps getting easier and better each time. I use cherizo instead of linguia. I also omit the beans. I sometimes to cut corners I have used frozen kale which works fine. I also add more red pepper as it is cold here in New Hampshire.Its a really yummy and inexpensive meal. I serve it with crusty bread. It freezes ok (except for the potatoes. Thanks for the great recipe.

[Jaxgal618]

I'm Portuguese from MA/RI and I've been making this soup for over 35 yrs and this recipe is the closest to mine but it's still VERY different. In all my life I've never heard of putting tomatoes in this soup, or using chicken broth like most of these other recipes suggest. Every place I've ever eaten it made it the way I do. It should be more like a stew than a soup and it takes HOURS to cook and ideally should be slow cooked or crock potted and eaten the 2nd day to allow the flavor to mature. There are NO spices added other than salt and pepper to taste. I prefer Chourico over Linguica because it's so much more spicy and flavorful. Linguica is kind of bland in my opinion. My family has always made this soup w/chourico and beef. I'm going to post my recipe right after I finish this review.

For those of you who can't find Chourico and Linguica... I believe you can order it directly from Furtado's or Gaspar's. Anyone who lives in FL.... you can find Gaspar's at Publix. Sorry but there IS no substitute for Portuguese sausage because it's not really "sausage" which is made from ground meat. Chourico is made from chunks of meat and fat stuffed into a casing and is hard.... almost like salami. Spanish/Mexican Chorizo is NOT the same and tastes NOTHING like Chourico. Not even the same texture.

This is supposed to be a very simple, minimal ingredient soup/stew.