Caldo Verde - Getting Your Fiber With Flavor!

A painter sees a flower and is inspired to paint. An architect sees a building and envisions how to build it. A poet experiences a powerful life event and takes pen to paper. I see fresh, available ingredients and think about their peak of flavor, how they work with other ingredients and what recipes make them shine.

Working with my farmers market purchases this week, the next recipe up is going to use the kale I got from the Del Ray market.

Caldo Verde, or Portuguese kale soup, is a delicious hearty dish that's high in nutrients and fiber and big on taste. Served as a first course, or main dish with hearty bread, this verdant symbol of Portuguese cuisine satisfies both cook and consumer due to the ease of preparation and accessibility of ingredients. I first discovered caldo verde when watching an episode of Emeril. The colors looked great and I happened to have a bit of Polish kielbasa on hand and thought "what the heck?". I tried it. I liked it.

Now, I've made caldo verde with chorizo and linguica with tasty results. Being Polish, and having kielbasa on hand much of the time, I've taken to making this soup with smoked Polish sausage. I find the kielbasa seasoning goes a long way in flavoring the stock. In this recipe, I use only 8 ounces of turkey kielbasa, in the name of making this soup as healthy as it is robust.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, diced into half inch squares

8 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

1 lb. kale, sliced thinly into "ribbons" after rib has been removed*

8 ounces kielbasa, chorizo or linguica, casing removed and diced fine

pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a dutch oven or heavy pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and water. Place potatoes into pot and cook at a strong simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Using a potato masher or large fork, break up about half the potatoes to release starch and thicken soup.

Add thinly sliced kale, red pepper flakes and kielbasa. Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer partially covered over low heat an additional 20 minutes to soften kale.

Serving suggestions: Drizzle a small amount of good extra virgin olive oil over individual servings at the table.

* Chiffonade is a cutting technique which results in thin strips or ribbons. Take leaves and pile one on top of the other. Roll tightly like a cigar and cut across the roll to make ribbons. This cutting method can be used for leafy greens and herbs such as basil.

Tucker says "Good soup that's good for you!" In dog speak, of course....

Soup Ought To Be A Food Group- Polish Mushroom Soup

Soup is one of my favorite things to eat and make actually. Sometimes, I wish the bowl were bottomless! It's filling, satisfying and comforting all at the same time. Here's a recipe for a mushroom soup using Polish dried Borowik (king of mushrooms) mushrooms which I picked up here in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has a rather large Polish population in the neighborhood of Port Richmond, were my mother grew up. Polish grocery stores carry Polish products of all sorts. These mushrooms caught my eye and made me reminisce about that earthy soup, usually served on holidays. My mother's version adds potato dumplings and prunes. Tonight, I garnished mine with sherry and a dollop of sour cream.

Ingredients:

1.4 (or there abouts )oz. dried Borowik or dried porcini mushrooms

2 pints white (button) mushrooms

8 cups beef stock

3 cups water

1 carrot

3 stalks celery with leaves

1 medium onion

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup sherry

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water to a gently boil. Add dried mushrooms and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

In a pot (I use le creuset enameled cast iron dutch oven), saute fresh mushrooms in 1 tbsp. butter. Add a pinch of salt to allow mushrooms to release their liquid. Set aside in a bowl.

In same pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add shredded carrots, diced onion and diced celery. Saute gently for 10 minutes. Add beef stock and simmer gently, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Strain beef stock and discard vegetables. Return stock to pot and add sauteed mushrooms and dried mushrooms with liquid. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add half and half and sherry.

Blend in blender or use immersion blender to get desired consistency.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a shot of sherry on the side!

*Don't forget to inspire me with your soup challenge recipes!*

Cheddar Corn Chowder

The corn** from this week's farmer's market haul is white, crisp, juicy and sweet. It's perfect for making one of my favorite soups; cheddar corn chowder. This recipe is Ina Garten's "The Barefoot Contessa".

I think Ina is brilliant. Without any formal training, she built a gourmet food empire, has written books and catered, and has a successful show on Food Network. And, she has to be the best neighbor in the world. What I'd give to pop over her better-than-home-and-garden manse, and be a guinea pig for a new recipe!

I've tweaked the recipe just a bit to make it my own. I feel the additions to her original recipe give the flavor an additional boost. First, here's a link to the recipe. Now, I add a tablespoon of paprika in addition to the turmeric. I think the flavor goes really well and boosts the rich color. In fact, I would say simply skip the turmeric if you don't happen to have it on hand when you want to make this recipe. Second, I cook the potatoes about 10 minutes longer and use an immersion blender to blend about 25% of the cubed potatoes*. This enhances the creaminess. Last, I also add a tablespoon of thyme to accent the corn.

This recipe makes a great deal of soup. I've frozen it before with success.

Enjoy!

* Here's a photo instruction of how to get equal sized potato cubes. Planks, sticks and cubes.

First, place the potato on it's side and cut into 3-4 "planks".

Then, lay each potato half flat and cut into "sticks".

Now, cut across sticks to make "cubes". This makes quick work for cubing 2 lbs. of potatoes.

**To remove kernels from corn, without them flying 2 feet away, get a big bowl and place a smaller bowl, inverted, in the big bowl. Place your ear of corn and slice kernels from top to bottom.