Caldo Verde

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Caldo verde is  Portuguese for “green broth” and it is also the name of a popular soup in Portuguese cuisine.

regiao_do_minhoCaldo verde originated from the Minho Province in northern Portugal. Today, it is a traditional national favorite that has spread across the nation and abroad, especially to places where a largef811abec93b161685b6126e87c91f216 community of Portuguese immigrants have settled such as Brazil, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. References to the soup appear in several novels by Camilo Castelo Branco ( 1825-1890).

In Portugal, caldo verde is typically consumed during Portuguese celebrations, such as weddings, birthdays, and other popular celebrations such as  the St. John festival, in Braga or Porto. It is sometimes consumed before a main course meal or as a late supper.

The dark green cabbage traditionally used in this Portuguese  soup is not widely available beyond Portugal’s borders. Modern recipes have adapted for the soup to be made with tender kale, potatoes, and chouriço  or linguiça sausages. But given your geographical location and the availability of fresh produce,  collard greens can  be substituted for the kale. Other basic ingredients also include olive, salt and  garlic or onion may be added. In terms of serving, the soup is usually accompanied by  a crusty Portuguese broa de milho  for dipping and sopping up the delicious juices in your bowl.

Broa is a type of cornbread traditionally made in Portugal and Galicia. In Brazil,  it isbroa traditionally seasoned with fennel. Unlike the cornbread typical of the southern United States, broa is made from a mixture of cornmeal and wheat or rye flour, and is leavened with yeast rather than baking powder or baking soda. The name Broa comes from the Gothic word ‘brauth’ that means bread. This yeast bread has the rustic flavor and texture that suitably accompanies soups, especially caldo verde.

And one more thing, don’t forget the final flourish of olive oil. It will perfume the soup, making a perfectly delicious soup to serve on a  cold winter’s day.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1/2  pound chorizo, linguiça or kielbasa sausages
3/4 pounds kale or collard greens
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
3 or 4  Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 or 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 to 7 cups water or chicken stock
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Directions:
Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Prick the sausages with a fork and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the sausages to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, slice them.  Note: You may discard the sausage-flavored water or reserve it for making the soup.

Rinse and drain the greens, then remove any tough stems. Working in batches, stack the leaves, roll up the stack like a cigar, and cut crosswise into very, very thin strips. Set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the potatoes and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the water and salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Scoop out about 2 cups of the potatoes and mash well with a potato masher or fork. Return them to the pan, add the sliced sausages and simmer until the sausages are cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add the greens, stir well and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook; the greens should be bright green and slightly crunchy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving evenly with extra-virgin olive oil.

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Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme

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2000px-Picardie_in_France.svgThis simple French country dish hails from the Picardy region of France. Picardy is a French region stretching north from the suburbs of Paris and vineyards of Champagne to the beaches of the Bay of Somme on the English Channel. Regional capital Amiens is a university city known for its Gothic cathedral, the floating gardens on its canals and Jules Verne’s former home, which is now a museum.

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The Picardy region definitely knows how to take the most of its landscapes; offering a hearty, varied food thanks to local crops. Markets in Picardy are really popular and attract the foodies from Paris who look for gourmet products like the pâté de canard (pâté en croute) from Amiens or the Flamiche leek pie. The delicious gâteau battu or the famous “chantilly” whipped cream is from the town of Chantilly.

Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme is loosely translated as Good Woman Chicken Casserole .It is basically  a casserole that features roasted chicken with bacon, onions,  and potatoes. Occasionally, mushroom and carrots can be added as a variation. This recipe is also suitable for either a whole chicken or chicken portions, but I opted to use Cornish Hens. For a special occasion, a dry white wine can be substituted for the chicken stock, or half wine, half stock could be used. Traditionally, this dish is served with Petits Pois a la Francaise.

This recipe is perfect for a Sunday dinner with the family.

Enjoy !

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon
4 Tablespoons butter
Three  1 ¼-pound Cornish Hens
15 to 25 peeled white pearl onions
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 to  4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (made with 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme tied in washed cheesecloth)

 

Directions: 
Preheat an oven to 400 º F.

In a oven-proof casserole, saute the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

Add the mushrooms to the same casserole and saute the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes in 1 tablespoon of the butter until lightly browned. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

Rub olive oil on the outside of the hens and season with salt and pepper.Place the hens in a roasting pan and cover with foil and roast for 30 to 35 minutes.Remove the hens from the oven and pour the fat out of the pan into a measuring cup and set aside.

Reduce the oven at 350 º F.

In a separate saucepan add water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.Drop the onions into boiling, salted water and boil slowly for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Next , peel the potatoes and cut them into uniform ovals about 2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain immediately.

In the casserole, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter until foaming. Add the potatoes and roll them around over moderate heat for 2 minutes to evaporate their moisture; this will prevent them for sticking to the bottom of the casserole. Spread potatoes in the pan. Add the hens placing them breast side up in the casserole. Add some of the pan juices and pour in the stock and stir to blend .Add the bacon and onions on top of the potatoes and hens; add the bouquet garni and carrots. Baste all the ingredients with the butter and juices in the casserole, lay a piece of foil over the chicken, and cover the casserole.

Transfer the casserole to the oven and roast for an additional 3o to 35 minutes , basting the hens every and 10 minutes with butter until the juices run clear and the thickest part of the hens legs registers 165 to 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. If using mushrooms, add these 10 minutes before the end of cooking time.Baste once or twice with the juices.

Discard the bouquet garni and adjust the sauce for seasoning.Removed the hens from the casserole, cut into serving portions and arranged on a hot serving platter, surrounded by potatoes and sauteed vegetables

The sauce can either be poured over the chicken and the whole dish sprinkled with parsley, or the hens can be sprinkled with parsley and the sauce served separately on the side.

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor


Zuppa Toscana

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I love the Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana.

I loved it so much I decided only recently to make it home. This creamy concoction has Italian sausage, hearty potatoes and just a hint of heat with the crushed red pepper flakes. The ingredients are a perfect combination if there ever was one, not to mention the velvety-rich broth that warms us from the inside out. The ingredients list is budget-friendly and, while it tastes indulgent, there is also a hefty amount of leafy greens, making this soup one of the healthiest dishes out there.

 

 

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into wedges then halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large white onion, finely chopped
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups kale or Swiss chard or baby spinach, rinsed, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove an drain on paper towels and set aside.

Leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the sausage in the bottom of the Dutch oven, stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven over the onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the kale into the soup just before serving. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor