Cornell Cookbook #24: Portuguese Kale and Vegetable Soup

1/22/2021 6:55 pm

Parent Jennie Dorman submitted this recipe. She recommends this recipe because it is simple yet the resulting soup is somehow more than the sum of its parts. It's hearty and satisfying and her kids like it. Thanks Jennie! For more, visit the Cornell Cookbook. 

Based on a traditional Portuguese soup from "Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin, Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1986. Adapted further by David L. Kaufman, and still further by Jennie Dorman.

NOTE:  The proportions are very forgiving, so don’t worry if you don’t have exactly these amounts, which are offered simply as a guide.

• 14 oz can kidney beans, rinsed 
• diced tomatoes with their juice  - one 28 oz can or two 14 oz cans
• 10 cups of chicken stock or vegetable soup stock 
• 3 medium sized potatoes (not russets), diced into ~1” chunks
• fresh kale (1 or 2 bunches)
• I usually make this soup completely vegetarian, but you could add sausage (e.g., Portuguese Linguica, or whatever you fancy)
• olive oil (at least 2 tablespoons)
• 3 large onions, diced into ~1” chunks
• ~4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (smoked sweet paprika adds a mysteriously scrumptious note)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Salt to taste (may not need it if stock is salty)

Serves about 6 as a main course.  I often double or triple the recipe.

1. In a large stockpot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves and cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Onions should be translucent and soft, starting to brown but not yet really brown. 
2. Add the stock, tomatoes and juice, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt (if required), pepper, and kidney beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a lively simmer and cook for 20 min, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile clean the kale by dunking in a large bowl of cold water.  Remove leaves from the stems & discard the stems. Coarsely chop or tear the leaves into bite size pieces. You should have 8 to 10 cups. More doesn't hurt if you have room in the pot.
4. Add the potatoes and kale to the soup and cook until the beans and potatoes are tender – about 30 minutes. If the soup is too thick add additional stock. (Add the Linguica -if it is fully cooked-about 10 to 15 minutes before the end.) Remove the bay leaves and discard them.

Enjoy!