When I was young,
I spent a number of summers in Massachusetts with my family taking
trips to Boston, Hyannis Port, Nantucket and Provincetown. I still
have some extended family that live outside of Boston, but have not
been out there in years.
I spent a number of summers in Massachusetts with my family taking
trips to Boston, Hyannis Port, Nantucket and Provincetown. I still
have some extended family that live outside of Boston, but have not
been out there in years.
Those trips are a nostalgic touchstone to my
childhood in that bitter sweet good and bad way that time and age
create and have often become a thing I daydream about. One of the
clearest memories is always the food, which is a totally unique mix
of flavors and ingredients that is so unique to that area.
We always
frequented the same stops, over and over again on each trip, like a
scheduled tour of sorts, so the places, towns, shops and restaurants
my family visited are firmly etched into memory. I still have an old
and battered copy of The Lobster Pot Cookbook from 1991, the classic
cookbook you could (and probably still can) buy from the famous
restaurant in Provincetown, a place we visited on every trip to the
Cape, and the first place I ever tried Portuguese Kale Soup.
frequented the same stops, over and over again on each trip, like a
scheduled tour of sorts, so the places, towns, shops and restaurants
my family visited are firmly etched into memory. I still have an old
and battered copy of The Lobster Pot Cookbook from 1991, the classic
cookbook you could (and probably still can) buy from the famous
restaurant in Provincetown, a place we visited on every trip to the
Cape, and the first place I ever tried Portuguese Kale Soup.
I recently spent quite a bit of time
talking to and working with a colleague in the seafood industry who
is originally from Massachusetts. We talked about a number of
memorable things, but one of the things we talked about most was of
course food. My friend is of Portuguese ancestry, and when I asked
him “what is your favorite Portuguese food?” his immediate
response was “Kale Soup”. He told me how much he missed having it
and how it was impossible to find here in New York. Coincidentally I
had, in the past year, been making Caldo Verde on a semi-regular
basis in the fall and winter and told him I would type up my recipe
for him to try, and this column is a result of that promise.
talking to and working with a colleague in the seafood industry who
is originally from Massachusetts. We talked about a number of
memorable things, but one of the things we talked about most was of
course food. My friend is of Portuguese ancestry, and when I asked
him “what is your favorite Portuguese food?” his immediate
response was “Kale Soup”. He told me how much he missed having it
and how it was impossible to find here in New York. Coincidentally I
had, in the past year, been making Caldo Verde on a semi-regular
basis in the fall and winter and told him I would type up my recipe
for him to try, and this column is a result of that promise.
This Bourdain-esq favorite takes allday to cook, 5-8 hours cooking time minimum, but is utter simplicity
to prepare. I like to make it on those slow snow or rain days in the
fall where you are trapped indoors. I usually get things started when
I make my morning coffee, adding the different staged ingredients
throughout the day, and generally just keeping an eye on it from time
to time. The actual time it takes to physically prepare the
ingredients adds up to about fifteen minutes of labor, spread out
over the whole cooking process. Alternatively you can use a crock pot
set up in the morning with all the ingredients combined at once and
cook it low and slow, but for the ideal results it is best to take
your time and go through the process with more traditional cooking
methods. My version of this soup is simplified and basic. It relies
on letting the cooking time coax out the flavors from the high
quality but low cost ingredients.
Caldo Verde – Portuguese Kale Soup
You will need:
1lb Dry Great Northern Beans (Soaked
overnight, drained and rinsed)
overnight, drained and rinsed)
1lb+ Smoked Pork (Neck bones, Jowls,
Hocks etc)
Hocks etc)
1lb+ Smoked Linguica or Chorizo Sausage
or both (cut into chunks)
or both (cut into chunks)
2 Large Bunches Kale (Stems removed,
cut into strips and washed)
cut into strips and washed)
4-6 Potatoes such as Yukon Gold
(Cleaned, Peeled and cut into a large dice)
(Cleaned, Peeled and cut into a large dice)
1 Medium sized onion (Peeled, cut into
small dice)
small dice)
Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
1 TBSP Sherry or Brandy
Salt and White Pepper (to taste)
1 pad of butter
Water
In a large pot or Dutch oven place thebeans, smoked pork, and a pinch of salt with 6+ cups water and bring
to a boil (uncovered). Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Using a slotted spoon skim off and
remove any foam that forms at the top of the water, repeating as
necessary throughout the cooking process.
remove any foam that forms at the top of the water, repeating as
necessary throughout the cooking process.
Add the Chorizo or Linguica along with
the Kale and simmer another hour.
the Kale and simmer another hour.
Add the potatoes, onion, red pepper
flakes and Sherry/Brandy and simmer for at least another hour, adding
more water as needed to keep all ingredients submerged. The longer
the soup simmers, the better the results. Remove any bones/cartilage
from the smoked pork (discard). Add the butter, salt and pepper to
taste just before serving.
flakes and Sherry/Brandy and simmer for at least another hour, adding
more water as needed to keep all ingredients submerged. The longer
the soup simmers, the better the results. Remove any bones/cartilage
from the smoked pork (discard). Add the butter, salt and pepper to
taste just before serving.
Serve hot with fresh Portuguese bread.
J.Nevadomski
is an accomplished musician, artist, art director and gallery curator
from Rochester NY. He has recorded with musicians from all over the
world for his project “The Fragile Path” and is a veteran artist
whose paintings have been featured in galleries, newspapers and
exhibitions throughout Western NY. In 2012 he was the “artist guest
of honor” at RocCon: Rochester’s Anime, Sci-Fi and comic book
convention. He is on the board of directors for Flower City Comic Con
(FC3) serving as art director, is the resident curator for the art
gallery at Bread & Water Theatre. He lives in the Park Ave area
of Rochester, keeps a yearly urban vegetable garden and regularly
cooks and hosts dinner parties for friends and colleagues.
