Portuguese Kale Soup
from The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash
The Victory Garden was a PBS program that ran from 1975 to 2015. It was a go-to for many young housewives in the 70’s and 80’s who were looking for help with gardening and cooking their bounty.
This soup is really hearty, a little spicy, and very satisfying. Make it in the winter to warm your soul, or in the summer to use up fresh produce from your garden.
1 # Kale
1 # Potatoes
1 # Linguica or Chorizo
1 C Chopped Onions
½ C Chopped Carrots
2 teasp Chopped Garlic
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Qt Chicken or Beef Broth
3 # Peeled, seeded and chopped Tomatoes (or use canned)
1 ½ C Kidney Beans (canned or precooked)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Wash the kale, and strip the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems and cut the leaves into wide slices. (A pound of kale should yield about 6-8 cups lightly packed.)
- Wash, peel and chop the potatoes and keep in cold water until ready to use.
- Prick the sausage and blanche in boiling water to release some of the fat. Drain, and cut into ½” slices.
- In a large saucepan, sauté onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil and butter, cooking until softened – about 5 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and add along with the broth. Simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Slightly mash the potatoes against the side of the pot or puree separately with some broth and add back in. (This will help thicken the soup.)
- Stir in the tomatoes and kidney beans and simmer for another 15 minutes, then add the kale and sausage. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve piping hot.
Diane also likes to sauté portobello mushrooms and add those in with the kale and sausage.
If you can’t find Linguica or Chorizo, use Italian sausage – either hot or sweet.
Diane’s Cheddar Corn Muffins (Or Cornbread!)
Oh, yes, please! Make these muffins (or cornbread) for any time of day! They can be eaten with soup or a salad, a roast or a stew. The cheesy goodness shines through!
Ingredients
1 C Flour
¾ C Yellow Cornmeal
¼ C Sugar
½ teasp Baking Soda
¼ teasp Salt
1 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
½ C Butter, melted (1 stick)
1 C Sour Cream
1 Egg, beaten slightly
Procedure
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together cheese, butter, sour cream and egg.
Stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed.
Spoon into a greased 12 cup muffin pan.
Bake for 18-23 minutes, or until golden brown.
For cornbread, use a greased 9” square baking pan and bake 25-35 minutes.