POTATO, KALE & CHORIZO SOUP (CALDO VERDE)

Chorizo. Not the healthiest meat at the butcher, that is for sure. However, in moderation, I see no problem with eating it. For some unknown reason, I have been strangely attracted to chorizo ever since I read the romantic Spanish novel ‘Like Water for Chocolate’. I don’t know how the author does it, but she makes chorizo sausage sound incredibly amorous and romantic. I do eat chorizo occasionally, but I go to lengths to remove as much oil and fat from it as possible. Firstly, always dry-fry chorizo (do not use oil). There is NO need to cook it with artificial oil, due to the plentiful amount of oil in it. Secondly, try to blot the chorizo well with paper towel after cooking to remove the excess oil. Thirdly, don’t eat it too often...let it be a treat for you. This recipe is part one in a three-part Chorizo recipe special! Stay tuned. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 piece of chorizo (around 120g), finely sliced 
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 - 1.2 kg regular potatoes (such as sebago), washed, peeled & roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of kale (cavolo nero), washed and roughly shredded 
• 1 litre vegetable stock 
• 1 litre water 

COOKING 

1. Heat a large, deep saucepan over medium heat and dry-fry chorizo (using no oil) for 2 minutes or until colour has changed to golden red. Remove from heat and place on paper towels to remove excess oil. Blot the chorizo well to remove as much oil as possible. 

2. Heat coconut oil in the same pan over medium heat and all garlic and onion, stirring for 3 minutes or until onion is soft. Increase the heat to high and add the potatoes, coating and stirring the potatoes well for 2 minutes. Add 1 litre of vegetable stock and 1 litre of water to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender to touch. 

3. Using a food processor or a blender, process / blend the soup until it purees. Return the pureed soup to the original saucepan and stir in the cooked chorizo, as well as a pinch of cracked black pepper & sea salt. Cook for 2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in shredded kale and cover with a lid for until 5 minutes or until kale has wilted. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / approx 40 minutes 

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