This is a Portuguese recipe (and we all know I love all things Portuguese), but I am embarrassed to say that the best Kale soup I have ever eaten was in America and not Portugal. Come on Portugal, you need to improve your national dish, hee hee!!

This is a very simple but deelicious soup. You need 2 things to make this work: kale (no shit I hear you say) and a smoky sausage, like Chorizo or Kielbasa. If you don’t have a smoky sausage then add a dash of smoked paprika to the pot – I do this anyway. If you don’t have both, don’t panic, your kale soup will just be your version of kale soup.

Most normal people will add a bunch of kale, but we have a supplier and we have kale by the kilo load. My in-laws plant enough to feed a small village and fortunately we are greedy and manage to eat most of it ourselves. Should you not be so lucky, use whatever amount you have available.

White beans are the more traditional beans to add to a Kale Soup, but I tend to put in what I have in my store cupboard. Knock yourselves out and use whatever you like to eat! I find the kale in Europe is “tougher” than the kale in America, so cook it a bit longer if necessary.

A traditional Kale Soup always has potatoes in it, so I am adding it to the recipe. However, if you are on a low carb diet, then simply leave them out. There are of course carbs in beans, so don’t forget to count those into your daily allowance.

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 4)

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp oil, I use olive oil
1 litre good beef or chicken stock
4 smoky sausages, (about 500g) (chourico / chorizo / kielbasa) chopped in bite size pieces
500g – 1kg kale, chopped in bite size pieces
1 bay leaf, optional
1-2 tins beans, white beans or kidney beans or chickpeas
1 tin tomatoes, chopped
3-4 potatoes, cubed (see above)
Salt and pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika, optional

METHOD:

1. Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes to soften. Add the stock, sausages, bay leaf if using and kale. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the kale is softened.

2. Add the beans, tomatoes and potatoes and cook a further 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the flavours have mingled nicely and that the kale is nice and soft too.

3. Check the seasoning and add smoked paprika (if using), salt and pepper to taste.

4. And you are now ready to enjoy a deelicious Portuguese speciality with an American helping hand!
Enjoy!!