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Monday, November 19, 2012

PORTUGUESE COUVES




The smell of this soup is in every Portuguese household. It brings to mind big bowls of soup on a fall or wintery day. Lots of loud noise around the table and a big platter of french bread sliced with lots of fresh butter applied. 

In the summer it's a soup used for lunch or dinner. Add vegetables to create your own version. I love Renee's version by the addition of sweet potatoes. It is so good for you and so easy to make. It freezes well too!
Ingredients:
  • 2 beef short ribs or 1 beef shank
  • 2 bunches Kale leaves, broken into small pieces or sliced in strips
  • a few cabbage or Chinese cabbage leaves (optional) broken or sliced
  • 1 cup of packaged frozen baby lima beans
  • 1 Portuguese linguicia sausage sliced diagonally about 1/4 inch wide
  • 4 or 5 medium white potatoes
  • 2 or 3 sweet potatoes cubed
  • Sea Salt to taste
  • (the sweet potatoes are Renee's addition, not traditional)

Directions:

1.     Brown the short ribs or beef shank in a little hot oil, then add about 4-5 quarts of water and boil the meat until tender (a couple of hours, at least). Salt to taste.

                   2.    When the meat is tender, add prepared kale leaves to the water; also add about a                            cup of chopped cabbage (optional).              

3.     Add more water if necessary; boil for at least 2 hours.

4.     While the kale is cooking, Cook the linguicia in a fry pan until tender and then slice. Peel and cut up potatoes; boil to partially cook them. Keep the potato water.

5.     When the kale leaves are tender add the partially-cooked potatoes, the sliced linguicia sausage, the rest of the cabbage leaves, and a cup or so of frozen lima beans. Cook until tender.

6.     If the soup needs more water, add some of the potato water.
Adjust seasonings.

7.     At some point, take out the beef bones; break the meat into small chunks if necessary.

8.     When the lima beans are cooked, the soup is done.

Source: Renee Goularte

*I think you could do this in a crock pot too. Put in the beef and water (on high) then about 1/3rd of the way through the cooking process, put in the rest of the ingredients (on low). Dinner at 6! If you try the crock pot way let  me know how it works for you.



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