White Bean Caldo Verde Food

CALDO VERDE (PORTUGUESE GREEN SOUP)

Steps:

• Start by cutting the collard greens. Just stack three leaves at a time and roll them like cigars. Cut them crosswise into very thin strips. Proceed with the rest of the leaves until all the collard greens are done. Reserve.
• In a heavy bottomed pot, add the peeled potatoes, the quartered onion, the minced cloves of garlic, the olive oil and the chicken broth. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to medium low and cook until the potatoes are tender and ready to be mashed (about 20 min).
• Mash the potatoes and bring them back to the pot.
• Using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth. You can also use a regular blender and blend the soup in batches.
• Add the collard greens, stir, and keep cooking for 15 more minutes.
• In a large skillet, fry the bacon and the sausage until the bacon is browned.
• Add the bacon/sausage mixture to the soup and cook until the soup boils again.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve hot with extra olive oil.

CALDO VERDE (PORTUGUESE GREEN SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes more. Pour in water, bring to a boil, and let boil gently for 20 minutes, until potatoes are mushy.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook sausage until it has released most of its fat, 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mash potatoes or puree the potato mixture with a blender or food processor. Stir the sausage, salt and pepper into the soup and return to medium heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir kale into soup and simmer, 5 minutes, until kale is tender and jade green. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve at once.

CALDO VERDE (PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE KALE SOUP)

Steps:

• Slice sausage into 1/4-inch rounds. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and saute until sausage begins to turn brown and renders some fat, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a dish. Reduce heat to medium-low; add onions and pinch of salt salt. Stir and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer potatoes to pot. Sprinkle in 2 teaspoons salt. Pour in chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• When potatoes are tender, carefully mash them in the broth with a potato masher until broken up or completely mashed. Add kale, a handful at a time. Transfer browned sausage to soup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until greens are tender, about 45 minutes.

WHITE BEAN AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH GARLIC OIL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the garlic and cook, stirring carefully, until it just starts to crisp and turn slightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the garlic to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon and set aside the garlic oil.
• Halve the avocados lengthwise, pit them, then slice each half lengthwise into two pieces. Peel the avocados, then cut into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the beans, cilantro, lemon juice and reserved garlic oil. Gently toss to coat, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide among 4 shallow bowls or plates. Garnish with lemon zest, fried garlic and a sprinkle of paprika, if desired.

CALDO VERDE

Steps:

• Take whatever greens you are using and stack several leaves on top of each other. Starting at the wide side, roll the stack up into a tight cylinder. Slice across the cylinder with a very sharp knife to make thin, hairlike shreds. Repeat with remaining leaves. Set aside shredded greens.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large kettle over medium high heat. Add sausage slices and fry until lightly colored and fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot with slotted spoon and reserve. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot, then add onions and salt and pepper. Stir well, then cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook one minute until its aroma is released. Add the potatoes, turn the heat to medium high, and saute 3 to 5 minutes until onions and potatoes begin to color. Add the water, cover, and simmer over low heat until potatoes can be mashed easily against side of pot with a wooden spoon, about 25 minutes. When potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and use a potato masher to thoroughly crush and blend. Add the sausage, turn the heat on to medium, and simmer 5 minutes to bring the flavors together. Stir in the greens and cook 5 minutes until bright green and tender. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve.
• This soup, literally Green Soup, could be called the national dish of Portugal. It is traditionally made with a type of flat green cabbage called couve gallego.
• The method of slicing leaves like this is called a chiffonade in the French lexicon. Important to get them thin enough that they will cook quickly.

WHITE BEAN CALDO VERDE

Steps:

• Place the onion in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onion from sticking to the pan.
• Add the garlic and cook for another minute,.
• Add vegetable stock, potatoes, kale, and cannellini beans and cook, covered for 25 minutes.
• Season the soup with salt and pepper and cook, uncovered for another 5 minutes.

WHITE BEANS AND CAVOLO NERO

Steps:

• In a medium Dutch oven, combine the white beans, sage, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 6 cups water (bottled preferred). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 1 hour 20 minutes, stirring occasionally; the beans should be just tender all the way through.
• Add the kale, salt and red pepper flakes to the beans and stir to combine. Cover the pan and simmer until the kale is wilted and tender, an additional 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and the cheese to finish.