Portugal | Caldo Verde

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE I USED

Portugal had a few things I was interested in but I decided to make this soup because I'd never made a soup where the potatoes were blended into a thick broth with an immersion blender and I wanted to find out how that worked. (See also: I have an immersion blender I haven't used often enough to justify the space it is taking up in a cabinet.)

It ended up being an educational experience for me. I learned that:

1. There is a limit to how much kale I want to encounter in a bowl of soup and this recipe exceeds that limit.

2. There is a limit to how much kale I want to wash and attempt to slice into very very thin strips. This recipe exceeds that limit.

3. I thought I liked kale but now I'm not so sure.

4. Linguiça sausage is delicious.

5. I need to use my immersion blender more often. But also with more care so I don't splatter broth everywhere.

All in all this soup (made with onions, kale, potatoes, and sausage) was just okay. It really felt like it was missing seasoning. It does contain salt, pepper, and garlic but none of them really seemed to make a dent in the blandness of the broth.

The amount of kale was an issue. I didn't manage to slice it as finely as the recipe author so that may have contributed to my problems but a pound of kale, thinly sliced, is still a lot of kale.

I have a lot of leftover soup and I will finish it but I will be adding some things to it to make it a more enjoyable meal. Definitely more pepper. And some roasted garlic. Maybe a little bouillon to give the broth more depth. And maybe a dash of red pepper sauce to the bowl.

I don't think I will make this again.