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Portuguese caldo verde is coastal meal worth ladling out. (Photo credit: Doug Young)

The wind is blowing a gale, and it’s finally feeling like November. That means soup season, with an emphasis on clam chowder, our most commonly found coastal soup. For good reason: We have pretty amazing bivalves in our local waters. Our northern coastal friends, however, might beg to differ.

Kale soup, also known as caldo verde, is a staple in Cape Cod kitchens and has been since the early days of Portuguese immigration. Notably offered to hardworking Provincetown fishermen upon returning from sea, this traditional soup is synonymous with coastal winters and made with frost-resistant couves (the Portuguese word for cabbage), potatoes, and linguiça, a hearty, flavorful sausage made with ground pork, garlic, onions and paprika.

Back here on our windswept shores and farms? We’ve got everything those Massachusetts folks have and then some to pull off this imported Azorean dish made with local ingredients.

Pick your favorite kale variety for caldo verde, or sub in a different hardy leafy green in you like. (Photo credit: Doug Young)

Start with the nutrient-dense Kale, which you can find in abundance at local farmstands through Thanksgiving (or at The Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce’s indoor Winter Market beginning Nov. 30 at St. Mark’s Church Parish Hall, 40 Main St., Westhampton Beach). If you have some growing in your garden, now’s the time to harvest, although growers say kale tastes better after the first frost.

After gathering, fold the kale leaf in half and hold the leaves down, leaving the stem exposed on the edge. Using a chef’s knife, slice off the stem where it meets the leaves. If you use flat-leaf Lacinato kale instead, remember it’s a bit more delicate, so remove the rib without folding it by slicing it out on both sides. Whatever kale you choose, large leaf slices of at least one inch will hold up nicely in this soup. If you have a die-hard, non-kale eater at your table, a swap out for milder, sweet collard green or escarole as a delicious alternative.

Peconic Prime Meats owner Steve Colabella makes dozens of homemade sausages at his Southampton shop. (Photo credit: Amy Zavatto)

Most markets will sell Spanish chorizo sausage, but linguiça keeps the traditional flavors. We recommend checking in with Peconic Prime Meats chief butcher and owner, Steven Colabella, a third-generation butcher who carries over 125 flavors of house-made sausage. Although pre-packaged linguiça may be available at his market, Colabella frequently takes special orders for blends and guarantees all of his meats are all-natural, with no added hormones or antibiotics, and humane certified. 

Now, all you need is the fisherman sweater when serving, some good crusty bread (Newlight Breadworks is always a good choice), and a glass of crisp Portuguese vino verde ! 

Saúde!

Portuguese caldo verde

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12 oz linguica or chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/4 tso salt
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 lb kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 16 oz can cannellini or kidney beans, rinsed (optional)
  • 2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Transfer sausage to bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and pepper flakes and season with pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, broth and water.
  • Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Transfer ¾ cup solids and ¾ cup broth to blender. Add kale to pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chorizo (and beans if using) and continue to simmer until greens are tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
  • Add remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to soup in blender and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat and stir pureed soup mixture and vinegar into soup.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with crusty bread.
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