Kale & Potato Soup
This rich, traditional Portuguese soup—called caldo verde (green broth)—would be a lovely starter to this week’s Italian pasta supper.
Ingredients:
1 bunch Lacinato kale
2 pounds baking potatoes
2 quarts water
Olive oil
Salt
Method:
1. Remove stems from the kale, wash the leaves and cut them into a chiffonade. (You should have about 6-8 cups of kale). Peel potatoes and chop very fine.
2. Bring water to a boil in a heavy sauce pan and add salt. Add chopped potatoes, return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, covered. Add the kale and cook 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and needed. If desired, top hot soup with a splash of olive oil.
Variations: You can pass this soup through a food mill and serve it as a purée; moisten it with chicken stock instead of water; or enrich it with additional vegetables. One excellent variation is to stew sliced shallots and garlic until very soft and caramelized, then purée with the kale and potatoes.
