PORTUGUESE RECIPE : KALE SOUP
SOPA DE COUVES

PORTUGUESE RECIPE : KALE SOUP
SOPA DE COUVES

Serves 8 to 10 in 3 hours
Posted by Ana Patuleia Ortins : 3 March 2006

SOUP / PORTUGAL / Main Dish / Stove / No marination
 

This is one of the many delicious recipes from Guest Chef of the Month March : Ana Patuleia Ortins, famous chef and author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking.

All the recipes I have included in Portuguese Homestyle Cooking have been collected over the years from relatives and friends and are presented as they would be prepared in a Portuguese home.

To standardize these heirlooms, ingredients have been measured and recipes tested carefully.

With the increased availability of traditional ingredients, the dishes can be prepared authentically. Still variations and substitutions have been noted for when traditional ingredients cannot be found. I encourage you to first cook the recipes as presented, then change the quantities of ingredients to your taste : “com gusto”.

Ana Patuleia Ortins

Click and BUY Portuguese Homestyle Cooking

INGREDIENTS

Salpicao is trhe Portuguese equivalent of the better known Spanish chorizo - the Spanish sausage which is spicy and has a strong red color from paprika and hot peppers.

• 1 pound (450gr) dried red kidney beans soaked overnight in water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm)
• 3 pounds (1.35 kg) beef shin bone or lamb shanks,trimmed of excess fat
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 quarts (2.8 liter) water
• 1 1/2 cups (120 gr) yellow turnip, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes)
• 3/4 pound (350 gr) chourico or salpicao sausage
• 3 medium Main, Red Bliss or new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 1 or 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (0.6cm) rounds
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried chili pepper
• 1/4 cup small pasta, like elbows
• 1 bunch(1-1/2 pounds) (675 gr) fresh collard greens,rinsed trimmed of center rib and torn into 1- to 2- inch (2.5 to 5 cm) pieces
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Drain and rinse the beans. Place the beans, onions garlic and bay leaf together with the shin bone in to a large soup pot. Pour in about 3 quarts of water or enough to cover the beef shin by 1-inch. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the beef and beans while occasionally skimming any impurities from the broth, about 1 1/2 hours.
2. When the beans are very tender, remove about 1 cup to a small dish and mash them with a fork, adding some of the broth. Return the mashed beans to the pot. (You can also mash all the beans through a foodmill if you do not like the texture of whole beans or bean skins.
3. Add the turnip if using and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. If you are using salpicao sausage, remove any clips clamped on the end of the casing. Add the sausages with the potatoes, carrots and crushed red pepper. Continue to simmer until the vegetabes are almost cooked, about 20 minutes.
5. Through in the pasta, kale, olive oil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Soup is ready when the pasta is done and the kale is tender.
6. Remove all the meat and sausages from the pot. Trim away and discard any gristle, fat and bone.
7. Cut the meat and sausages in to pieces. For the salpicao, remove and discard the casing before cutting into pieces. Return the meat to the pot or on the side as a separate course. Serve the soup with lots of crusty bread

For more delicious Portuguese Recipes : Buy the book : Portuguese Homestyle Cooking