Caldo Verde.

If you follow along with my Friday Menu plans, you may have noticed last week that there was a new soup on there!

Caldo Verde.
Aka: Kale and potato soup with chorizo.
Aka: A bowl of smoky heaven.
Aka: My new favorite soup for fall.

A special ingredient in this recipe caught my eye and I just had to give it a try.  Have you ever cooked with chorizo?  It is a Spanish sausage of sorts (I'm not going to tell you what part it's made with...) that is infused with spicy goodness.  Add in some homegrown new potatoes, a few bunches of chopped homegrown kale, mineral rich chicken stock, smoked paprika, and homegrown dried chilis - and friend, you've got a bone-warming, spicy soup that will blow your socks off.

I know I always say this, but truly, this soup is super easy to make.  Because there are such few ingredients, I would recommend using the highest quality ones you can find.  It makes a difference.

Ready to put a little spice in your life?  Let's do this.

Caldo Verde
You will need: 
 - 1 1/2 lbs. of fingerling potatoes
 - 1 tablespoon butter, lard, or reserved bacon grease
 - 1 1/2 lbs. of high quality chorizo (I used half pork, half beef) removed from casing
 - 2 shallots, minced
 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
 - 3 dried chili peppers, minced
 - 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
 - 8 cups chicken stock (homemade is best!)
 - 2 bunches kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
 - 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
 - Salt and pepper to taste

Step One:  In a large soup pot, melt the butter, lard, or bacon grease.  Then, add in your chorizo and cook it thouroughly.  Allow it to hang out in the pot for a little while and release it's spicy goodness.  Make sure the chorizo is warmed and cooked all the way through before moving on.  

Step Two:  While the chorizo is cooking, add the fingerling potatoes to a pot of warm water, bring to a boil, and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender.  Strain the potatoes & hang onto them for just a minute.  Note:  The soup is much prettier with whole potatoes, so try your best to use little ones!

 

Step Three:  After the chorizo is cooked, add in your shallots, carrots, garlic, and chili peppers.  Give 'em a stir and allow them to sweat it out a bit in the pot.   Maybe five minutes or so.

Step Four:  Pour in your chicken broth.  Then, gently add in your potatoes.  Bring the soup to a simmer and allow it to continue simmering for 15-20 minutes (this allows the flavors to mingle!).

Step Five:  Right before serving, throw in your chopped kale and allow it to wilt.
Okay, fine, don't literally throw in your kale - that could get messy.  Gently place your kale...that's better.

Step Six:  Season to taste with salt and pepper, dish up, drizzle with a little olive oil if you desire, and enjoy!

Super flavorful.  Super rich in minerals.  Super delicious.

This is the type of soup that must be served with a delicious crusty bread.  I'm just warnin' ya - you better have some on hand, because you're going to want to dunk something in this beautiful red broth.  Trust me.

And speaking of bread...

...Remember how I said I was thinking about doing a 30 day no-wheat-detox?  Well, that ain't happening.  Instead, I've succome to the desire for crusty bread and I have been baking baguettes like crazy. And guess what? I'm not even using whole wheat.

Nope.  

I'm using store-bought, organic, unbleached bread flour.

And you know what?

It's amazing.  Sorry Sally Fallon & fellow Nourishing Tradition junkies, but it's true.

I've been playing with fermenting the bread, so as to help improve the nutritional black-hole that is non-whole-wheat-flour.  I love the depth of flavor & texture that fermentation bring about in bread - it's extraordinary!  I'm still perfecting the art of fermentation, and if I know my baking ability this "perfecting" will take quite a while, but in the meantime, I've still been enjoying the unadulterated sin of eating baguettes.

Betcha didn't know I was such a rebel, did ya?  And unless I run off with my motorcycle gang or join a protest of sorts, I suppose I'll be back with another mind-blowing post tomorrow...

Happy Caldo Verde making!  

This post part of Real Food Wednesdays.

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Caldo Verde

• 1 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes
• 1 tbsp butter, lard, or reserved bacon grease
• 1 ½ pounds high quality chorizo, removed from casing ((I used half pork, half beef) )
• 2 shallots, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 dried chili peppers, minced
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 bunches kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter, lard, or bacon grease.  Then, add in your chorizo and cook it thouroughly.  Allow it to hang out in the pot for a little while and release it's spicy goodness.  Make sure the chorizo is warmed and cooked all the way through before moving on.  

2. While the chorizo is cooking, add the fingerling potatoes to a pot of warm water, bring to a boil, and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender.  Strain the potatoes & hang onto them for just a minute.  Note:  The soup is much prettier with whole potatoes, so try your best to use little ones!

3. After the chorizo is cooked, add in your shallots, carrots, garlic, and chili peppers.  Give 'em a stir and allow them to sweat it out a bit in the pot.   Maybe five minutes or so.

4. Pour in your chicken broth.  Then, gently add in your potatoes.  Bring the soup to a simmer and allow it to continue simmering for 15-20 minutes (this allows the flavors to mingle!).

5. Right before serving, throw in your chopped kale and allow it to wilt. Okay, fine, don't literally throw in your kale – that could get messy.  Gently place your kale…that's better.

6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, dish up, drizzle with a little olive oil if you desire, and enjoy!