Seasonal Kale Soup Full Of Nutrients

For centuries, kale helped get European peasants through the winter. One of the few green vegetables that survives harsh, cold weather, it added essential vitamins to their diet.

Over the years, kale became ignored as more glamorous greens came into favor. Today, however, there is renewed interest in this curly-leafed vegetable for a very good reason: You pay a low price in calories - only 18 in one-half cup of the cooked vegetable - and get plenty of nutrients in return.

That half-cup of kale will provide more than half the daily requirements of vitamin C, a fair amount of vitamin A, and is a good plant source of calcium, magnesium and iron. Kale adds variety to the selection of cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables that nutritionists advise us to eat often because of their cancer-combating compounds.

My favorite kale recipe is a popular Portuguese soup of greens and potatoes.

This tasty soup is not one of those country dishes with numerous ingredients that take all day to cook. This down-to-earth specialty is, in fact, perfect for modern lifestyles. It’s convenient to prepare and serve, and is a good example of a simple recipe with few ingredients.

In traditional Portuguese kitchens, the soup is made with water, not stock, and is simply a chowder of potatoes that are cooked and mashed to thicken the soup. Chopped onion and shredded kale simmer briefly in the soup, which is finished with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

To make the soup more substantial, consider adding some sausage. I sometimes use Polish kielbasa, chicken or turkey sausages or even fat-free vegetarian sausages.

If you’re not adding sausage, you might like to prepare the soup with vegetable or chicken broth.

Portuguese Kale Soup

1-1/4 pounds boiling potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

5 cups water, or vegetable or chicken broth

Salt

3/4 pound kale, stalks discarded, leaves rinsed well

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pepper

Combine potatoes with water and a dash of salt in a medium pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat about 25 minutes or until very tender.

Meanwhile, pile kale leaves on cutting board, halve lengthwise, and use sharp knife to shred into crosswise strips as thin as possible.

With slotted spoon, transfer cooked potatoes to bowl. Peel and mash potatoes. Return to the pan of cooking liquid.

Bring soup to a boil, stirring. Add kale, onion and oil. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until kale and onion are tender-crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

Nutrition information per each of 3 servings: 304 calories, 10 grams fat (30 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 73 milligrams sodium.

Variation: For Portuguese kale soup with either meat or poultry sausages, cut 4 ounces sausage into 1/4-inch slices. Saute in skillet 3 to 5 minutes or until most of fat is rendered. Drain on paper towels, if necessary. Add to soup after cooking kale and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.

With vegetarian sausages, slice sausage. Add to soup after cooking kale and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.