Provincetown Portuguese Cookbook

Soups Sopas   Calde Verde | Tillie's Kale Soup | Edith's Kale Soup | Holly's Kale Soup | Jane's Kale Soup | Dot and Bill's Kale Soup | Lenny's Portuguese Soup | Portuguese Soup-The Moors Restaurant | Corn Chowder | Mussel Chowder Or How Paris Changed Chowder | Fish Chowder | Real New England Clam Chowder | Macaroni Soup | Squid Stew | Squid and White Bean Soup | Portuguese Kale Soup

Tillie's Kale Soup Clotilda Medeiros Steele Clotilda "Tillie" Medeiros Steele was my mother-in-law. One of 18 children, she learned at an early age how to cook for a crowd and do it economically. She always used salt pork in her kale soup. The salt pork can be rendered to sauté the onions or just added all at once to the pot with all of the ingredients and removed when the soup is cooked. It imparts a flavor to the soup that is unique. My husband, Duane Steele, Tillie's son, can always tell if I haven't used salt pork when I make kale soup.   1 to 2 bunches fresh kale 1 lb. linguiça, sliced 1 lb. chouriço, sliced 4-5 large potatoes, like Yukon Golds which hold their shape. 1 small piece of salt pork, about 2-inches 2 large onions, sliced 1-15 oz. can shell beans   Render the salt pork and sauté the onions. Add the linguiça, chouriço and kale. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the kale is tender. Add the potatoes and cook them until tender. Add the beans and heat through. The soup is still excellent if all of the ingredients, except the potatoes and beans, are placed in a large soup kettle covered with water, brought to the boil and then simmered until the kale cooks down. When the kale is tender, add the potatoes and beans. When the potatoes are done, the soup is ready. Kale soup is best served the next day, but it smells so good that most people can't wait. Serves 6-8.