This hearty, colorful soup is perfect for any time of the year. The sun-dried tomatoes add a nice piquancy and chewy texture. If you don’t have parsnips, just add some more carrots.
Portuguese Kale Soup
Recipe type: soup
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried white beans (navy, pea, or Great Northern)
- 2½ cups water or vegetable stock
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 1 potato, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 small carrot, chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 small parsnip, chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1½ cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (1 teaspoon dried)
- 12 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about ½ cup), soaked in boiling water to cover
- 4 cups loosely packed, chopped kale
- Pinch of saffron (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the beans in the water or stock with the whole garlic and two bay leaves; the beans should be tender in 1 to 1½ hours.
- While the beans are cooking, prepare the other ingredients.
- Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the ground fennel and minced garlic, and sauté for a minute.
- Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the potato, carrot, and parsnip and sauté for another minute before adding the tomatoes, stock, two bay leaves, and oregano; simmer for 10 minutes.
- Drain the soaked sun-dried tomatoes and chop coarsely.
- Add to the soup pot with the kale and the drained, cooked beans.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have mingled.
- Add the saffron and salt and pepper to taste.
