Alicia's Caldo Verde Soup

A friend of ours from Portugal who is now one of our favorite Sirens from across the Atlantic brought us a recipe which is considered by most in her native land to be a national treasure. This Portuguese soup is hearty; the broth (caldo) is made green (verde) with lots and lots of shredded kale. This slimmed down, americanized version uses turkey sausage and kale.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet Italian-style turkey sausages (5 ounces total), casings removed and crumbled
Three-fourths pound all-purpose potatoes, thinly sliced
6 cups shredded kale
3 cups water
1-teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce

Instructions:

1. In a nonstick Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, stirring often, until it's golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the crumbled turkey sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage begins to firm up, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and kale, stirring to coat. Add the water and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are falling apart and the kale is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and hot sauce and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

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