Caldo Verde

It wasn't pretty, apparently - not even a shot on goal until extra time ?! - but Portugal beat Croatia to move on in Euro 2016.  My sympathies may have been more with the Croats, but it still felt like an appropriate occasion to try out a new Portuguese recipe from ATK:

Recipe

1/2 lb chorizo, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces
2 c broth
2 c water
1/2 lb collard greens, chopped
1 tsp vinegar
olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper

Lightly brown the chorizo in some olive oil, then set aside.  Next, cook the onion, garlic, red pepper, salt & pepper for a few minutes, then add the potatoes, broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Blend about 1/2 c solids and 1/2 c broth.  In your pot, add the collard greens and simmer about 10 minutes; re0add the chorizo and give it another 10.

Add a couple tbsp olive oil to the blender and process until smooth.  Stir into the soup with vinegar, and serve!

Notes

This actually turned out pretty similar to an old favorite: stewed collards and chorizo.  In a large part, it was because of my lack of a blender - I just mashed the potatoes at about that point of the recipe.  I also used ground chorizo instead of hard sausage - wonder how much of a difference that might make...  Texture aside, caldo verde adds potatoes for a bit more heartiness, but doesn't help the broth quite as much.  It made a couple solid dinners, but writing this, it's pretty clear I need to try again closer to the authentic recipe...