Carole's Concoctions-Teresa Tavares' Portuguese Kale Soup

Back in June, Teresa shared her tales of spending her early youth in the Azores and how this recipe was the primary go-to dish in their family, then and now.  This soup is delicious, hearty and packed with anti-oxidants.  What I remember distinctly from her interview was sea salt and garlic are used in almost every one of Teresa's recipes.  Surely the old way of eating has much to teach us.  So happy to have this authentic recipe because Kale is a great winter green and rivals spinach with its nutrient content.  And, the soup also calls for cabbage - I had purple cabbage on hand but a savoy would work nicely as well. The colors in the soup were fantastic and it's amazing that the deliciousness is equal to its nutritiousness!!  This will be one of my go-to winter soups for years to come.  Thank you Teresa!!

Sopa de Couve - Portuguese Kale Soup

Serves 8 

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water

1 quart of vegetable broth

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

Sea salt to taste

2-16 oz of red kidney beans

8 cups of chopped kale leaves washed and rinsed without stems

4 cups of chopped cabbage washed and rinsed 

6 medium potatoes peeled washed and cubed

½-cup olive oil

8 oz of Gaspar’s Linguica cut into ½-inch rounds

Preparation:

In a 4-quart pan, bring the water and broth to a boil

Add onion, garlic and sea salt to taste and simmer for 10 minutes

Add the 2 cans of red kidney beans and simmer for 3 minutes

Add the kale, cabbage, potatoes, linguica and olive oil and simmer on low until cabbage and kale are tender/cooked

Let sit for ½ hour before serving

Best served with Portuguese corn bread (recipe to come after I've made it!!)