Quasi Caldo Verde

Caldo Verdi is a traditional Portuguese soup and one that I remember eating quite often from my childhood.  Granted, back then I still ate chorizo, but now we tend to make the vegetarian version at home.  After the excess of the holidays, we made this soup last week and added some garbanzo beans for protein action and they were an excellent addition.

Quasi Caldo Verde

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 bunch kale (shredded finely)
• 20 oz of garbonzos (cooked – canned or home-made)
• Water (6 cups, maybe more)
• Salt and pepper to taste

To Do:

1. Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onion until it softens (a few minutes) and then add the garlic.  Let the garlic and onions brown and then add six cups of water.
2. Boil the water, garlic and onions and then add the potatoes.  Cook until a fork is able to mash them easily.
3. Puree the potatoes with a hand blender or food processor.
4. Add the shredded kale, chickpeas and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat until the kale wilts and then eat!

Some crusty bread and a salad makes this soup an excellent winter dinner.  Serves 4 large portions

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