Berzas con patatas / Kale and potato soup

[Terechu]

Ingredientes para 4 personas: berza, 4 patatas medianas, chorizo, morcilla y tocino/lacón

Enrollar y cortar en tiras las hojas de berza
Hervir en agua con sal unos 10 minutos para quitar el sabor a celulosa
Retirar del fogón y escurrir agua
Añadir 1 chorizo, 1 morcilla y un trozo de tocino o lacón
Cubrir con agua fría, echar una pizca de sal y poner a hervir
Bajar a fuego medio y cocer unos 20 min.
Añadir las patatas cortadas en cachos grandes
Cocer todo junto otros 20 min. o hasta que la berza esté tierna
Probar de sal
*(hacer incisión con cuchillo y luego romper el trozo para que no quede un corte liso y se desprenda almidón, que engordará el caldo)

En olla exprés: Se echa todo a la vez y se cuece 15 min. en el 3




Ingredients for 4 persons: 1 kale, 4 medium size potatoes, 1 chorizo, 1 morcilla (blood sausage), fresh bacon or salt pork

- Roll up kale leaves and cut in strips
- Boil in salt water for about 10 minutes to get rid of the cellulose flavour
- Remove from heat and drain water
- Add 1 chorizo, 1 morcilla and and fresh bacon or a slab of salt pork (soak in milk a couple of hours before if it’s too salty)
- Cover with cold tap water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil
-Continue cooking at medium heat for about 20 min.
-Add potatoes cut in large chunks (*)
-Cook another 20 min. or until kale is tender
-Salt as needed

(*) make a deep cut with the knife, then break off the piece of potato, so that it can release the starch and thicken the broth.

[Bob]

Thanks Terechu. That recipe sounds wonderful. I'm going to try it as soon as we get cooler weather. It has been well over 90 degrees F (32 C) here for the last three days.

A word of warning to our members in the EEUU however, what is sold here as salt pork in the US is extremely salty, and may need to be soaked longer or in several changes of water or milk.

[fjc]

Coño! No sabia que los asturianos tambien comian caldo galego.

Heck! I didn't know that asturians also ate galician caldo.

PS -- You can get good salted pork from galicia or portugal in Newark, NJ if you are in NYC.

[Terechu]

Querrás decir que el caldo gallego ye una versión probe del cocido de verdura/berces asturianu.
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You surely mean that the Galician kale soup is a poor man's version of the Asturian kale and potatoe stew.

[fjc]

No, no. El asturiano es una copia del galego (y eso que soy asturiano pero con padre galego).

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No, no. The asturian is a copy of the galician (although I am asturian I have a galician father).

[Terechu]

Pues va a ser que no, porque el gallego lleva grelos y aquí ya sabes tú que no comemos el "tucu" de les berces. Además, las berzas, el repollo y toda la verdura se cocina prácticamente igual en todo el norte de España, si no pregunta a los cántabros y a los leoneses. Hasta en Alemania, jawohl! sólo que allí se hacen rollos de carne picada y los envuelven en hojas de berza o repollo. Está buenísimo.
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No way, because Galician soup includes "grelos", and you know that we don't eat the stalks of the greens over here. Besides, the kale, the cabbage, the greens are cooked virtually the same way all over the north of Spain, just ask any Cántabro or Leonese. Even in Germany - jawohl - they make tiny meat loaves wrapped in cabbage leaves. They taste great!

[Barbara Alonso Novellino]

Wow Terechu!

This brought back many memories of my childhood in Moundsville, West Virginia. My Grandmother made Berzas very often. Why is it that when you are a child you don't appreciate things like that. Of course, I am speaking for myself. My Grandmother also made a soup the same way but with cabbage.

I can remember coming into her house and smelling that wonderful smell...and also fresh bread baking. What a meal that was...

When my Grandfather died in 1942 my Grandmother came to New York to live with us. There were times when she made this for us. I still wasn't too happy with it.

NOW...I would just love to have a nice plate of my Grandmother's Berzas with a hunk of fresh bread.

Thank you for bringing back that wonderful aroma...