cloudy
Alabama Slammer
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2004
- Posts
- 37,997
Don't know what it's called, but it's a kale and bean soup with sausage, and I think this is from Portugal.
They say that almost all cultures that grow beans and leafy green vegetables have a version of this soup. You'd think that beans and greens would have nothing to do with each other gastronomically, but the combination is amazingly delicious, mouth-rich, and satisfying. The amounts of the ingredients don't really matter but you want it thick and semi chunky, kind of like a stew. A stoup, actually, I guess. It's ready in like 30 minutes.
Big bunch of kale or spinach, chopped
Two cans of beans, drained, (I like Great Northern, but you can use probably any kind. Garbanzos are very good, kidneys are fine)
Pound of spicy Italian sausage.
Stick of Chorizo (that's the closest I could get to the Portugese sausage we were supposed to use. You can also use Polish sausage or anything garlicky, or even leave the meat out altogether)
Dehydrated chicken or beef or onion bouillon
Chop up the sausage and brown it in a little oil. Add as much water as you want soup (about 4-6 cups over here) and throw in the kale. Don't worry if the kale barely fits in the pot, it'll cook down to nothing in a few minutes.
When the kale's tender, add boullion according to package directions to make a stock. Throw in the beans to warm through.
That's it. Serve with good crusty bread and red wine. No salt or pepper needed.
The soup is very thick, almost a stew; a stoup, actually, I guess. When you use chorizo, the broth is brick red, which looks lovely against the green kale, especially at Christmas. The slight bitterness and crunch of the greens somehow melds with the bland creaminess of the beans and provides this wonderful taste and tactile experience in your mouth, a perfect background for the meaty spiciness of the sausage. It's very primitive and also wonderfully subtle; very earthy. Warms you from the stomach out.
The stoup is also very forgiving. You can do anything you like to it: add onions and carrots, vegetables, hot sauce, tomatoes, potatoes. It also works well as a fish soup. I've seen recipes where they take some out and put it in a blender and then return that to the pot for extra thickness, or you can add milk or cream to make it rich.
I'll have to try this. It sounds wonderful, and chorizo is easy to find here.