Portuguese Kale Soup

OK, I know you are thinking "kale soup?" But let me encourage you to give this one a try. I made it a couple of weeks ago as a part of the Portuguese Dinner I prepared for a few friends and I have to say they loved it. I used linguica instead of the chorizo. I found the smoked and fully cooked linquica at my local farmer's market.

I have a happy memory of linguica from my childhood. My mother had a friend by the name of Mr. DiSalvo who made his own linquica and he would often stop by and present us with a few of his delicious sausages. Oh my!


Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 ounces chourico or linquica sausage, diced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups cold water
1 pound kale or collard greens, cut into very fine julienne
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic and half the chourico and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover everything with the water, bring to a boil and lower the heat, simmering until the potatoes are almost done, about 15 minutes.

2. When the soup is cool enough to handle, puree it in the food processor and return to the pot. Add the greens, bring everything back to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and garnish with the remaining cubes of chourico or linguica.