Portuguese Clam Chowder

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This hearty chowder is easy to make but it is expensive to prepare. That being said, if you can afford it, this is one-pot cooking at its finest and I make it a point to serve it at least once each summer. The chowder is traditionally made with salt cod, though any firm fresh fish can be substituted if you don't want to be bothered with soaking the salted variety. While I have my clams shucked at the fish market, the job can be easily done at home if you put the clams in the freezer and chill them until their hinge muscles relax. If you happen to have a fennel bulb in your fridge, by all means slice and cook it along with the onions. It makes a wonderful addition to the chowder. Another addition, not included in the recipe, is a cup or two of small shrimp or bay scallops. Because I serve this so infrequently, I tend to go all out when I make it and my chowder is light on potatoes and heavy on seafood. I like to serve it with a green salad and crusty bread and I've found the combination to be substantial enough to serve for guests. Here is how it is made.

Portuguese Clam Chowder...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspiredby Emeril LaGasse

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 to 8 ounces linguica, chopped
1 cup chopped onions
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 dozen cherrystone clams, shucked, in their liquid
1/2 pound fresh cod or salt cod, soaked, rinsed and diced
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pan. When oil shimmers, add linguica and cook until it begins to render fat, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions and celery and continue to cook until vegetables wilt, about 3 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes, reserved clam liquid and salt cod. Add chicken stock and white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add clams and parsley, cover, and continue simmering for 3 minutes. Ladle the chowder in a shallow bowl. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

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Caldo Verde - Portuguese Kale Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We managed to visit Provincetown during Bear Week and the sheer mass of humanity strolling from one end of town to the other was amazing, even for summer in Provincetown. The sight of a thousand strong shirtless males, some nicely ripped, moving in near cadence with the crowd convinced me that I'm that I'm just old, not dead. While the voyeur in me enjoyed every minute of the long stroll down Commercial Street, my inner cook was frustrated. Save for sweets and sandwiches had at the Portuguese Bakery, there was no evidence of Portuguese food in a community that I had expected to be teeming with it. There is more Portuguese food to be found on the streets of Newark's Ironbound than in this town that was settled by Portuguese fisherman. It was a disappointment, but one I knew could be remedied once I was home and had my recipes at my fingertips. So, I settled for yet another lobster and continued my discreet viewing of half-clad males. When we reached home turf, I asked my butcher to order linguica for me, so I could make some of the dishes I had pulled out of mothballs. I picked it up today and thought this soup would be  a perfect way to start our trip down (Portuguese) memory lane. This is a simple soup to make and the only way it can be spoiled is to overcook it. Simmer the soup just until the kale and potatoes are tender and you will have a peasant meal of some distinction. Let it go too long and you'll have a watery mess on your hands. From start to finish,  this hearty soup takes about an hour to prepare. Stretch it with a loaf of good bread and an amazing salad and you'll have the perfect meal to share with your family after a day on the water. Here is how Caldo Verde is made.  

Portuguese Kale Soup - Caldo Verde...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Heather and Martha Zschock

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound linguica, sliced, casings removed
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut in 3/4-inch dice
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 quart chicken broth
1 pound kale, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1(15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a 4 to 5-quart soup pot set over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add linguica, potatoes, and onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add 2 cups chicken broth, chopped kale and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until kale wilts. Add remaining 2 cups broth, kidney beans, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, or until flavors have blended and kale is no longer tough. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

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Portuguese-Style Turkey Soup With Linguica, Kale and Potatoes - Remains of the Day for Foodie Friday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Once the dishes are done and the silver and china put away, the work associated with Thanksgiving dinner is nearly done. Among the outstanding tasks is the handling of the remains of the day. The meat is no problem. It will mysteriously disappear and by Saturday the turkey carcass will be picked bare. Some look at carcass and see a skeleton, others see a soup that emerges with little effort from the last vestige of the Thanksgiving meal. I've tasted lots of turkey soups in my day and have never come across a bad one. Just in case you're in the market for something a bit different, I have an atypical turkey soup to share with you. It's based on caldo verde, a Portuguese soup that's made with Linguica sausage, kale and beans or potatoes. Here, however, rich turkey stock takes the soup to another level. The soup uses two kinds of potatoes, one to thicken and the other to flavor and provide some texture to the soup. The kale freshens and adds a healthy component to a soup that normally uses leftover vegetables that are well past their prime. Linguica is a wonderfully flavored garlic sausage that you can find in most large supermarkets. You have all the other components you need to make this in your pantry. If you don't want to use wine in the stock add an additional 2 cups of water and you'll be fine. Here's the recipe. You'll see it's made in two parts. First, the stock and then the soup. The stock can be made in a crock-pot.

Portuguese-Style Turkey Soup with Linguica, Potatoes and Kale...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Stock
1 turkey carcass, broken into several large pieces
4 quarts water
2 cups dry white vermouth or white wine
2 (8-oz. each) baking potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large rib celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled but smashed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
A small bunch of parley sprigs
Soup
6 medium boiling potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound Linguica sausage, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3/4 to 1 pound fresh kale, stems discarded, washed and cut into 1/4-inch strips

Directions:
1) To make stock, place carcass, water, wine, baking potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt pepper and parsley sprigs in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, skimming surface of soup as necessary to remove any scum that forms.
2) Remove potatoes and set aside. Strain stock through sieve into a large bowl. Remove any meat from strained solids and set aside. Discard solids in strainer.
3) Place potato chunks into a blender with one cup of stock. Puree.
4) To make the soup, return stock to a soup pot. Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in potato puree. Add boiling potatoes to pot. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and simmer, until potatoes are tender. Add Linguica and reserved turkey to pot. Simmer over medium-low heat to blend flavors, about 15 minutes. Add strips of kale and cook 5 minutes longer, or until kale is tender. Taste again for seasonings, adding salt and pepper as required to taste. Yield: 3 quarts; 8 to 10 servings.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday