Portugese Kale - Brassica Oleracea variety Costata.

Looking for a new and nutritious vegetable to plant in the garden? Try Portuguese kale, also known as Portuguese cabbage or couve tronchuda. It is a common and important food in the Portuguese diet and is found only in Portugal or in regions with a strong Portuguese. It’s different from the traditional round cabbage. Looking more like collards, these plants are leafier, having round leaves with thick, white ribs and grow to 60cm or more across.

Portuguese kale has a delicious, mild sweet flavor. It is an essential ingredient for the authentic caldo verde, a winter staple and favorite soup in Portugal. In most recipes, the broth is thickened with mashed potatoes, beans or pasta, and spiced up with onions and garlic, linguica or smoked pork loin. The large leaves are quite flexible and when blanched are easy to wrap around meat, rice or vegetable fillings.

Because this cabbage forms only a very loose head, it’s convenient to pick only the outside leaves a few at a time. If crowded, it becomes leggy and produces fewer and smaller leaves. The plant can tolerate a coastal exposure so it will grow near the beach or along the cliffs. Adapts to any type of soil and climate. Can be grown all year round.

PURCHASE:

You will be buying 15 packages of "Couve Galega" cabbage seeds with 12 grams / 0.42 oz. Contains over 600 seeds per package!

RECIPE FOR THE SOUP IN IMAGES:

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)

Ingredients (recipe for 6 servings):

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

6 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

2 quarts cold water

6 ounces linguica sausage, thinly sliced

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

ground black pepper to taste

1 pound kale, rinsed and julienned

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes more. Pour in water, bring to a boil, and let boil gently for 20 minutes, until potatoes are mushy.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook sausage until it has released most of its fat, 10 minutes. Drain.

Mash potatoes or puree the potato mixture with a blender or food processor. Stir the sausage, salt and pepper into the soup and return to medium heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Just before serving, stir kale into soup and simmer, 5 minutes, until kale is tender and jade green. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve at once.