The days are becoming warmer but there is still a chill in the air at night.

At this time of year, soup is still a perfect dinner-time meal.

I believe that the kale in my veggie patch senses that the weather is getting warmer.  I have noticed that it is starting to bolt and the leaves aren’t as big as they were when the weather was colder.

As I have not grown kale before, I’m not sure if this is true. But since it is a brasscia and  a cold weather crop, I feel it is not going to be in the patch much longer and will soon make way for another crop – bush beans.

This soup recipe fills the bill for me to use up most of my kale – and it sounds delicious.

When making this recipe I had no chourico (Portuguese) sausage but I did have spicy salsa sausages which I used instead. It was Portuguese Kale Soup with a Mexican twist!

Here is the recipe for Portuguese Kale Soup.

Ingredients

2tbs olive oil

2 medium potatoes, diced

1 medium onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

Huge bunch of kale

1 can of chick peas

1 can of tomatoes

6 spicy salsa sausages, (or any sausages that have a bit of kick to them) Cut these open, use the meat and throw away the casing.

3 cups of chicken stock

Directions

Heat your oil in a big pot, add the potatoes, sausages and onions. Fry until the sausage gets a bit of colour. Lower heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, bay leaves and kale – Cover and let the kale soften. Add tomatoes, chick peas and stock to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the  boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately. 10 minutes till the potatoes are tender.

Serve with some yummy bread and lots of butter!

We were feeling a bit under the weather the night I made this. It was a nourishing soup to eat – I added some chilli to my bowl of soup to add that extra kick to help clear up my sniffles!

What are some of your favourite ways to eat kale? We would love to know! Please share in the comments section below.