• 1 large beef roast (bone in is best)
  • 1 large bunch of kale, washed, stalks removed but kept for stock and greens chopped
  • 1 pound of chourico (Portuguese smoked sausage)3 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Pimento Moida, fresh red crushed pepper, depending on your taste
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less your taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper (your taste)
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 cup small macaroni

Growing up in a Portuguese family in Fall River, Massachusetts, I enjoyed my Grandmother Isabel’s Portuguese Kale Soup, also known as “Caldo Verde” immensely. Portuguese Kale Soup is considered the national dish of Portugal. Knowing how to make an excellent Portuguese Kale Soup is like a rite of passage. My Uncle George is always my go-to person when I’m trying to recreate my grandmother’s recipes. My uncle was extremely close to my grandmother and I know that keeping my grandmother’s legacy alive warms his heart. You may see the pictures of a recent visit to my grandmother’s and my childhood home here. My uncle has preserved her home for the last twenty-two years since her passing. He is now very ill, but still in good spirits, so this post is dedicated to you, Unc. I love you dearly.

This soup has always had a place at every holiday table.

 

With a knife, make tiny slits in the chourico links before placing in the pot.

Place roast, chourico and kale stalks in a large soup pan. Cover 3/4 of the way up with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat a bit and cook for one hour.

Carefully remove the roast and the chourico and cut into bite size pieces. Place pieces of meat and pork back in the soup pan.

Add the white and sweet potatoes, chopped kale greens, salt and pepper, red crushed pepper and garlic and onion powders and cook for an additional hour.

At the last minute, add one cup of small macaroni and cook for five minutes.

Variation: Some folks like to add navy beans to this soup as well. You can either soak some beans overnight and add to the sop the last hour of cooking or use a can of beans and add at the very end.