Portuguese caldo verde green soup

This is one of the Portuguese's most known and typical soups. If you go to Portugal you really have to try it.

It is original from the north (Minho) but you find it throughout all Portugal - in the most popular and small traditional restaurants and also in the new and fancy ones.

For those that were in Portugal and didn't tried, those that were here tried it and miss it a lot and also for those that still didn't had a change to visit my country...

I did some research about the recipe and found a lot of different ways to prepare the soup. Depending on the region of Portugal there are more or less ingredients and some times I wonder how it is possible to be the same soup, but it is and that is very interesting because it reveals the usual kitchen's ingredients from region to region.

So I decided to leave you here one of the various recipes so you can try it.

This one is more know in Alentejo, the south of Portugal and is the way my mother does it and how my grandmother did it... enjoy it!

3 large potatoes sliced

• 3 pieces of garlic
• 1 kg of Kale
• salt q.b.
• 2 soup spoons of Olive oil
• extra - slices of linguica sausage

First prepare the potatoes and cook them in a pot with the garlic, salt and olive oil in an half full of water pot. While they cook you can prepare the kale - roll the leaves tightly and with a good knife slice them as thin as possible. Scald then briefly in boiling water.

Once the potatoes are cooked make them in puree - if it's too thick add a bit more of water - and then put the kale in and let it cook for around 10 min.

In the end check the salt and once the kale is cooked then its finished.

If you like the linguica sausage then you can cut some slices and toast them in a skillet. That also works for soya sausage (not so typical, but good for vegans).

Then to serve you put it on bowls with the sausage on the top.

This is a typically Winter soup but it also tastes very good cold in a hot Summer day.