Ruth O'Donnell's Portuguese Kale Soup
From Yankee Magazine — January 2010
Vegetables Recipes | Soups, Stews, Chowders Recipes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ruth learned to make this Portuguese kale soup from her mother, who in turn learned it from her adoptive mother. "My mother always used white beans or dark beans, whatever she had," Ruth explains, "but probably 50 years ago, I started adding the 'Bean with Bacon' soup instead of beans. It's what gives this soup its flavor." In addition, what makes this recipe distinctly Portuguese is the linguica–a spicy sausage available in markets on Cape Cod, on the South Shore, and around Boston, but sometimes hard to find elsewhere. If linguica isn't available in your area, use hot sausage or kielbasa.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 medium-size onions, chopped
- 1 pound linguiça, sliced, slices halved
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound fresh kale, washed, stems discarded, shredded into small pieces
- 1 can Campbell's "Bean with Bacon" soup plus 1 can water (or substitute 1 can white beans plus 2 cups chicken broth)
- 2 large potatoes, peeled, cubed (russets or your preference)
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add oil and cook garlic, onions, and linguiça slices until onions are soft. Add 4 cups chicken broth and kale. Cover, and let kale cook down, stirring occasionally.
Add bean soup and water (or substitute beans and broth); simmer about 5 minutes. (Add more water if the mixture's not dilute enough.) Add cubed potatoes. Simmer, covered, 20-30 minutes longer, till potatoes are soft.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread.
Reviews by Readers
This kale soup was easy to make and tasted fantastic. I definitely will make it again. – Reviewed by Dan Charron
Canned soup? you\'ve got to be kidding. – Anonymous Review
Great. Linguica available at Stop and Shop. Use canned small white beans and four slices of cooked chopped bacon rather than the can of Campbells soup. This soup deserves better! Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Have made it twice and will do again on this cold weekend. – Anonymous Review
The best and really easy!!!! – Reviewed by Anne Slater
This was wonderful, very flavorful and a new family favorite!! – Anonymous Review
My husband is from New Bedford, Massachusetts and is Portuguese. His sister showed me how to make Kale soup, but I revised the recipe to our liking. I make it with all of the leftovers of a boiled dinner made with a smoked shoulder ham, including the broth. There is cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions and orange turnip in my boiled dinner. My hubby takes most of the meat off the bone and I soak kidney beans in the broth for an hour or so. I chop up a whole bunch of fresh kale (if if can't get fresh kale, frozen will do, or collard greens works well, too). Then I boil the beans & kale with the bone until the beans are almost soft. I then chop up all of the leftover vegetable into bite-sized chunks and add them to the pot. Then I add about half of a link of linquica and one piece of chourico, which is another kind of sausage that the Portuguese people eat. Lastly, I add some of the meat from the smoked shoulder and when it's almost boiling, I shut it off and let it set until it's just the right temperature for eating. We serve the soup with some Portuguese bread. – Anonymous Review
I've made this soup several times and can't get enough of it! Ruth is right about the Bean with Bacon soup. There is a reason Campbell's has been in business for over a hundred years. I tried it without the B&B soup and it just wasn't as good. – Anonymous Review
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