History

Caldo verde came to Rhode Island with Azorean Portuguese immigration in the late 19th century, settling around Federal Hill, the East Side and Fox Point. The local linguica from Gaspar's and Costa's became the soup's anchor. Costantino's Venda Bar and Pane e Vino both run Portuguese-Italian fusion versions in town.

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 25 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g Portuguese linguica or chouriço sausage, sliced 1cm thick
  • 1kg waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
  • 2 large yellow onions, finely diced
  • 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 400g tinned white beans (cannellini or great northern), drained
  • 400g curly kale or collard greens, ribs removed, leaves shredded as fine as possible
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil and crusty Portuguese bread, to serve
  • Crushed red pepper, to garnish

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced linguica and brown 5 minutes until the fat renders. Lift out half the sausage and reserve for the garnish.
  2. Add the diced onions to the rendered fat. Cook 8 minutes until soft.
  3. Add the garlic, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute.
  4. Add the potatoes, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes until the potatoes are very tender.
  5. Crush about half the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon; this thickens the broth.
  6. Add the white beans and the remaining linguica. Simmer 10 minutes.
  7. Slice the kale as thin as you can manage; the Portuguese rule is julienne so fine it almost disappears into the broth.
  8. Add the kale to the pot. Cook 5 minutes; the kale should soften but stay bright green.
  9. Taste and adjust salt. Discard the bay leaves.
  10. Ladle into deep bowls. Top with the reserved browned linguica slices, a glug of raw olive oil and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Serve with crusty Portuguese bread.

Tip from the editors. Slice the kale truly thin; a chiffonade so fine it threads through the broth is the proper Azorean cut. Costa's or Gaspar's linguica is the local pick.

Where to eat portuguese kale soup

Portuguese Kale Soup in Providence

Costantino's Venda Bar and Ristorante ★ 4.2

Italian$$$federal-hillMon-Thu 11:30-21:00; Fri-Sat 11:30-23:00; Sun 11:30-22:00

Costantino's Venda on DePasquale Square pairs the 1938 Italian pasta market with a full restaurant. Hand-pressed ravioli, the fountain patio.

Signature: Hand-pressed ravioli, Pasta of the day, Federal Hill seafood pasta

Order: Whatever ravioli is being run from the downstairs market, with a glass off the Italian list.

Tip: Free live music on the plaza patio nightly through summer; the deli takes pasta to-go.

275 Atwells Avenue, Providence, RI 02903

Pane e Vino ★ 4.3

Southern Italian$$$federal-hillMon-Thu 16:30-21:30; Fri 16:30-22:30; Sat 16:00-22:30; Sun 15:00-21:30

Joe and Esther DeQuattro's Pane e Vino, on Federal Hill since 2002, pours Southern Italian cooking and a 120-bottle all-Italian list. Half-price Mondays.

Signature: House-made pasta, Veal Milanese, All-Italian wine list

Order: Veal Milanese with a glass of Aglianico, or a flight of the pasta of the day.

Tip: Half-price wine all day Monday; the Atwells patio is the best seat on Al Fresco Saturdays.

365 Atwells Avenue, Providence, RI 02903

Cassarino's ★ 4.1

Italian$$$federal-hill

Cassarino's on Atwells, opened 1988, is the candlelit Federal Hill room locals book midweek. Northern Italian classics, a marble bar, polished service.

Signature: Lobster ravioli, Veal piccata, Tiramisu

Order: Lobster ravioli or veal piccata; close with the house tiramisu.

Tip: Walk-in seats at the bar serve the full menu; book the booths through OpenTable.

177 Atwells Avenue, Providence, RI 02903

Camille's ★ 4.2

Italian$$$$federal-hillTue-Fri 11:30-22:00; Sun 16:00-22:00

Camille's, in a Bradford Street mansion since 1919, is the oldest continuously operating Italian dining room on Federal Hill. White-tablecloth.

Signature: Veal chop, Lobster fra diavolo, Tableside Caesar

Order: The veal chop, with tableside Caesar to start.

Tip: Book the front-room booths; the Roman Gardens private dining room is the city's anniversary destination.

71 Bradford Street, Providence, RI 02903

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