Starr's Current Idée Fixe

Which for those of you not Frenchified, it is translated as an "idea that dominates one's mind especially for an extended period."

Aka: Obsession.

Here's my current. Portuguese Kale Soup. Well Azores' Kale soup. Damn that Anthony Bourdain and his foodie finding goodness. Seriously this recipe is haunting my dreams. I can taste this soup with a drizzle of olive oil on top and a good crusty bread with butter. Fortunately for me, Mom's Kale has had a great year. Tuesday after picking up the child I am going to go get some Kale and fresh Bay leaves from her garden, hit the Whole Foods market and whip me up a batch of this.


* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion, chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 pound linguica (Portuguese sausage), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
* 1 pound chourico (Spanish sausage), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
* 3 large potatoes, peeled & diced
* 1/4 cup chopped parsley
* 1 (14-ounce) can white cannelloni beans, drained & rinsed
* 4 quarts chicken/beef stock mix (2 of each)
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/3 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 pound kale, well washed, stemmed, and torn into bite-size pieces
* 1 loaf crusty Portuguese bread

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the sausage, garlic and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent. Add the parsley and the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add the bay leaves, thyme, paprika and crushed red pepper. Add the potatoes and kale. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about another 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.


Tell me you did not just start salivating. Go on, I double dare you. I will be dining on this Tuesday night and this will be my musical accompaniment. It works because this soup is made is Spain, Portugal and The Azores.