What’s For Dinner?

Looking into our refrigerator last night, my husband and I pulled out a few things that were starting to pass their prime state of freshness.  Knowing we needed to use them soon, we set out on a mission to find a recipe to incorporate all these ingredients.   We happened across a recipe on foodnetwork.com, and it ended up being so tasty, it will now be a staple in our recipe book, and pairs wonderfully with an acidic white wine such as our newly released Arneis!

Portuguese Chouriço and Kale Soup
Original recipe from Rachel Ray, found here

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound kale, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound diced Portuguese style chouriço
• 1 quart chicken broth

Directions:

Heat oil in a deep pot over medium high heat and add the potatoes and onions, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic, bay leaves, and kale to the pot.  Cover pot and wilt greens 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper.  Add beans, tomatoes, chouriço, and broth to the pot and bring soup to a full boil.  Reduce heat back to medium and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

Serve soup with hunks of crusty bread and butter

Quick note:  I did cook the chouriço before adding to the soup, adding raw meat to a soup always bugs me J

–Lauren Minogue