Caldo Verde

I've just harvested the first leaves of Portuguese Cabbage. The leaves are huge - 2 of them weigh in at 1 1/2 pounds! This veggie is the star in the Portuguese soup Caldo Verde. Jean Anderson says in her cookbook The Food of Portugal "If Portugal has a national dish, it is without doubt this lusty green soup...". I'll be using her recipe to make it tonight. A google search turns up numerous recipes for the soup that are virtually identical to her recipe. A very informative article by Barbara Damrosch about Portuguese cabbage and Caldo Verde can be found on the Washington Post's website.