This Kale Soup is Spicy and Satisfying

For this kale soup I use lacinato or dinosaur kale, fresh Mexican chorizo, red mini potatoes and cannellini white beans. It has similar ingredients to Portuguese kale soup or Caldo Verde, but instead of using chourico sausage, I use Mexican-style chorizo, which is crumblier and has a different spice profile.

My Tricks for Making this Soup Extra Tasty

I think a lot about umami, or the 5th taste, to enhance flavor when I am developing a recipe. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about whether or not a recipe fits traditional food combinations or cooking techniques. Instead, I think about what I can do to make it taste fantastic. That is where umami comes in. I add three ingredients to boost umami in this recipe: 1) Worcestershire sauce, 2) tomato paste and 3) a heel of parmesan cheese.   Most people don't realize this, but Worcestershire sauce is made from anchovies, and these little fish make things delicious. If you don't have any Worcestershire sauce you can substitute a little Asian fish sauce, which is also made from anchovies. Either way, all you need is a spoonful to have a flavor impact.   Tomato paste is another umami-rich food that adds great flavor even in small amounts. I buy a tube of concentrated tomato paste and store it in the fridge so I can add a spoonful here and there when I cook without opening up a larger can. I find a spoonful of tomato sauce is often the missing ingredient when I'm thinking "hmmm...what does this need?" Parmesan cheese is also rich in umami. A great way to boost the flavor of soup is to throw in a spent heel of parmesan cheese, which is the rind that is left over after you have shaved off most of the usable part of the cheese. I save these heels in plastic bags in my fridge until I make a soup and then in they go into my soup pot. It is a great technique for adding flavor and to avoid wasting any part of an expensive piece of Parmigiano Reggiano.

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How to Prepare Kale

I used to use scissors or a knife to remove  kale spines, but always found it awkward and laborious. My husband bought me a kale stemmer, which was a piece of plastic with holes in it that you pulled the kale leaf through to stem it. This tool was also awkward and more trouble than it was worth. Finally I learned the best tool for removing kale stems are your fingers. I just grab the stem and tear off the sides of the kale. Don't worry about what the remaining kale pieces look like, they cook down in the soup and you will not be able to tell if you chopped them precisely or tore them unevenly. If you don't mind the texture you can also just leave the stems in. To learn more about kale check out my post here.

The Difference Between Spanish and Mexican Chorizo

Spanish chorizo is more like salami. It is dry-cured and can be eaten without cooking it. It is seasoned with pimenton, or Spanish smoked paprika, which gives the sausage its bright color and smokey flavor. Mexican chorizo tends to have plenty of salt in it so I do not add salt when cooking with it.   Mexican chorizo is a fresh, uncooked sausage that may be sold in bulk or in sausage casings. It is generally made from pork and must be cooked before it is eaten. It gets its bright red color from chile used to season it. When you cook Mexican chorizo it releases a lot of oil. The cooked chorizo must be drained of the oil before adding to a recipe. The oil can be reserved and used to add flavor to other dishes.

Mis en Place vs. Prep as You Go

Mis en place is a French culinary term that literally means everything in its place, but from a cooking standpoint means that you prep all the ingredients in advance of starting your recipe. This technique is very important for some dishes like fried rice and stir-fry dishes that come together quickly, but mis en place is not always the most efficient way to cook. This soup is an example of a recipe that I wouldn't use mis en place techniques. Why? There is cooking time between steps that allow you to prep the next ingredients. When the chorizo is cooking I prep my garlic and onions. When the onions are cooking I prep my kale, potatoes and carrots. In this recipe you actually save time by not prepping in advance.

Make a Double or Triple Batch

This soup freezes very well, so why not make a double or triple batch? When you come home late at night and want something hearty and healthy, you will be grateful for your freezer stash of this delicious soup.

Variations to Accommodate Different Diets

This vegetable soup can be modified to accommodate a variety of diets:

• Vegetarian -- skip the chorizo, substitute mushrooms or soy-based chorizo and add a little red pepper flakes to give it some heat.
• Whole 30 -- skip the beans and the cheese and use sweet potatoes instead of red potatoes.
• Not a fan of spicy pork chorizo -- substitute other sausage or even plain ground turkey or chicken and add a little red pepper flakes to give it some heat.
• Low fat diet - skip the chorizo and use a spicy chicken or turkey sausage instead.

Serve with Cowboy Garlic Bread

Cowboy garlic bread is made with slices of rustic bread, drizzled with olive oil and toasted under the broiler or on a grill. When the bread is toasted, remove from the oven and rub with a peeled clove of garlic while the bread is still hot. You can add a little more olive oil and a pinch of flakey salt if you wish.

Want More Chorizo Recipes?

• Chorizo and Red Pepper Strata
• Paella with Artichokes, Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp
• Chorizo and Potato Enchiladas
• Chorizo and Clams

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