Day Sixteen - Portugal

Ola! Welcome to Portugal, the first part of the Iberian Peninsula that we will be visiting on this month long trek around the world (Spain will be visited soon).  My parents are actually planning on visiting this country before they head back from their stay in Europe, so I'm interested to see if my cooking stacks up to what they try there.

I got tonight's recipe from Melissa Godet, a great friend from college with a Portuguese heritage. I was hoping to actually make this soup for her when she recently visited North Carolina, but unfortunately, her visit took place while I was on hiatus from the Global Grub Month (and seeing people in general for fear of infecting them).  Sorry Melissa (but thanks for the recipe!).


Portuguese Kale Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
6 ounces chorizo
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
6 cups beef stock
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
10 ounces potatoes, cut into quarters

To start, I heated up the oil in a large stock pot, and then added the chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic.

 

I cooked the veggies for about five minutes, and then I added the chopped chorizo and chopped kale, along with the parsley, bay leaves, and thyme.

I mixed all of this well, and then added the beef stock, beans, and diced tomatoes.  I set the soup to boil and then let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

The result...

...was flippin' fantastic.  Elizabeth and I really enjoyed this recipe, and it's one that I am absolutely going to make again.  We served it with some artisanal bread and olive oil, and on a cold winter's night it was exactly what we needed. The chorizo provided just the right amount of spice to the soup, and it was rich without being over powering.  The vegetables were tender but not mush, and the flavors all complemented one another. I should have made another pot, because I am sure that we will go through the leftovers of this one very quickly.

Melissa's recipe shares it's foundations with the "national dish of Portugal," caldo verde.  However, this is her family's recipe, which is what I was really going for when coming up with what to cook for this blog.  There's something about the little variations that we make to recipes that brings out our history and helps to give our family their identity.  Melissa said that even within her family, there's debate about how this should be served (her grandmother is old school and says pureeing it is the way to go, while Melissa enjoys it the way I made it tonight).

I'd like to try the caldo verde version at one point, but this is going to be hard to top.  Elliot's going to grow up being a fan of this one.