A kale soup for cold weather
Slow-cooked version of Portuguese classic is spicy, satisfying,
Suddenly, I have had it with the kale salad.
When I interviewed Kyrn Stein, the new chef at Social who recently moved back to Ottawa after several years working at top Toronto restaurants, I asked him about his impressions of the Ottawa restaurant scene. While complimentary, he added mildly: “There seem to be an awful lot of kale salads.”
It’s true. Supply & Demand has an outstanding one, studded with bacon and crispy crumbs. Natasha Kyssa of Simply Raw Express makes a lively marinated one, with avocado and garlic in the dressing.
Bridgehead has a new kale caesar salad.
I’ve probably made a dozen different kale salads at home over the past year. I’ve loved them, but I’ve had enough.
Now that the weather has turned colder, this soup full of kale and called caldo verde in Portugal, seems much more satisfying.
I first tried caldo verde at a high-end Montreal Portuguese restaurant and was underwhelmed. Same with the first couple of recipes I tried at home. But this one, adapted for the slow cooker so it can be waiting when you get home, and made with Seed to Sausage chorizo, is spicy, thick and delicious.
You can find Seed to Sausage cured chorizo at Farm Boy, The Piggy Market, Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli, the Metro store in the Glebe and Serious Cheese. Better yet, meet its maker, Michael McKenzie, this Saturday at the Locavore Artisan Food Fair (see details page D2) where he and his wife Megan will be selling their chorizo and much more.