I haven't been here forever!! But I just made my own spin on the traditional Portuguese soup (caldo verde) and it's too good not to post. What makes it awesome are these tiny Korean Berkshire sausages. There are a few brands out there and I cannot seem to find a picture of the one that is my favorite, but it basically looks like this:
The sausage I prefer has a happier cartoon sausage on it but they're about the size of Vienna sausages. I like them because the skins/casings are really crisp and have a great snap when you bite into them. Sometimes it's easy to also just pan fry up half a package. No oil needed, just a hot pan over medium high heat - shake the pan until the sausages brown.
Portuguese Kale Soup
Serves 4 as main course
2 Tbps butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bunch kale, curly or lacinato, shredded
2 large russet potatoes, quartered lengthwise and 1/4" sliced
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 package Korean Berkshire pork sausage, cut into 1/4" coins
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, with a large pinch of salt, stirring occasionally.
Once the onion is translucent and sweated out, add kale, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring a few times. As the potatoes cook down, they'll break up and make the soup creamy.
Add sausage and heat through (should only take a couple minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Substitutes:
* vegetable broth and omit sausage to make this vegetarian
* use any sort of garlic-y sausage, diced into 1/4" cubes
