Portuguese Kale Soup

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South Africa for this
food funny about a fellow that reminds me of me.

Lewis' brother decided that he wanted to expand the line of furniture
in his store, so he decided to go to Paris, France to see what he
could find. After arriving in Paris (this being his first trip ever to
the French capital), he met with some manufacturers and finally
selected a line that he thought would sell well back home in the
States. To celebrate the new acquisition, he decided to visit a small
bistro and have a glass of wine. As he sat enjoying his wine, he
noticed that the small place was quite crowded, and that the one
other chair at his table was the only vacant seat in the house.

Before long, a very beautiful young Parisian girl came to his table,
asked him something in French (which he did not understand), and
motioned toward the chair. He invited her to sit down. He tried to
speak to her in English, but she did not speak his language so,
after a couple of minutes of trying to communicate with her, he took
a napkin and drew a picture of a wine glass and showed it to her.
She nodded, and he ordered a glass of wine for her.

After sitting together at the table for a while, he took another
napkin and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and she nodded.
They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured a small
group playing romantic music. They ordered dinner, after which
he took another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing.
She nodded, and they got up to dance. They danced until the cafe
closed and the band was packing up.

Back at their table, the young lady took a napkin and drew a picture
of a four-poster bed. To this day, he has no idea how she figured
out he was in the furniture business.

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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New England has many people of Portuguese descent, especially
in coastal communities in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and
Massachusetts, and every one of them has their own version of
this popular soup. Variously called kale soup, Portuguese soup,
or caldo verde, they all feature garlicky sausage, potatoes, and kale.

Portuguese Kale Soup

2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil
1/2 lb (225 g) garlicky sausage such as chourico,
linguica, or kielbasa, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups (1 L) chicken stock
1-2 lbs (450-900 g) potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb (450 g) kale, thick stems removed, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat and saute the
sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage is lightly browned,
about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a
boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered until the potatoes are
very soft, about 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Jan 24 07:13:09 2006