Portugal

 Welcome to Portugal!  I must admit, I knew very little about Portugal (and still know very little about Portugal...).  But what little I know of it, it sounds like an interesting place!  Portugal is the world's top cork producer, and their biggest export (and national drink) is...you guessed it, port wine!  I was looking on a map, and it looks like it's on the same latitude as Napa California, which is also known for wine.  According to Google, the population is about 10 million, and the capital is Lisbon.  Their national dish is...

 

Caldo Verde!

Interestingly enough, as I was getting ready to write this blog, I again looked up the national dish of Portugal, and got a completely different answer: Bacalhau à Brás.  This is a salted dry cod which is generally served in a casserole style dish with egg, potato and olives.  However, when I googled "Caldo Verde", it also said that this was considered the national dish of Portugal.  So, since I had already made the Caldo Verde, we're going to go with that option.  It just goes to show that you can't trust everything you read online, right?  Caldo Verde is a potato soup with lots of greens and sausage.  We thought this would be a perfect meal for the 15 degree weather we were experiencing.  I was going to make Portuguese Sweet Bread to go with it, but didn't have the correct ingredients in time.  And then I just never made it.  Maybe some day there will be an addendum to this entry!  Here's what we did:

CALDO VERDE

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced in half-moons

6 slices bacon, diced

1 onion, quartered
Salt and pepper, to taste

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, chopped

8 cups chicken broth

1 pound kale, stems removed, leaves cut into very, very thin slices

1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil. 
2. Add the bacon, and cook until cooked through. Remove to a plate and reserve.
3. Add the sausage to the pan, and cook until brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.  Remove to a plate (with the bacon) and reserve.
4. Dump the onions into the pot. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
6. Stir in the potatoes, add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. 
7. Reduce the heat so the soup gently simmers. 
8. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender, 10 to 20 minutes. 
9. Remove from the heat, and purée everything in the pot using an immersion blender. 
10. Add the kale to the soup, bring everything back to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 2 to 5 minutes. 
11. Add  the bacon and sausage to the soup and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
12. Serve and enjoy!

(Source: Caldo Verde and Caldo Verde)

 

 The verdict?  It was a very comforting soup.  It was very thick and surprisingly filling!  But with all the potatoes, it's not a surprise.  I think if I were to make the soup again, I would dice the kale rather than cut it into strips - it was tricky to eat with lots of kale strings hanging off the spoon.  It was quite delicious though!

 

ME

Taste of Caldo Verde (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing) : 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Caldo Verde (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

 

Another country in the books!  Join us next time in Bosnia and Herzegovina!