Serves 4
Traditional “caldo verde,” Portuguese kale soup, is made with a meaty broth, plenty of greens, thin slices of chorizo, and potatoes. If you want to save a few minutes and boost protein content, as we do here, add canned chickpeas instead of potatoes. Old-school recipes might suggest sauteing the hearty leaves of kale with the onions and garlic. Instead, stir them in at the end to retain freshness and bite and highlight the season’s flavors at their peak.
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
|---|---|
| ½ | pound chorizo, cut into rounds |
| 1 | onion, chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, thinly sliced |
| 1½ | teaspoons sweet paprika |
| 1½ | teaspoons hot paprika |
| ½ | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1 | can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained but not rinsed |
| 8 | cups chicken stock |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | bunch kale, stemmed and cut in half lengthwise |
1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the chorizo, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until the oil turns red.
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2. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes. Stir in sweet and hot paprika, and cumin. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more.
3. Add chickpeas, chicken stock, and salt. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Skim off and discard the fat.
4. Stir in the kale. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, and pepper, if you like.
Karoline Boehm Goodnick
This column offers ways to prepare native ingredients from
the farmers’ market, farm stand, or fishmonger.