Portuguese Clam Stew with Chorizo & Kale

Clams enhance this classic Portuguese soup.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Portuguese
Keyword: chorizo, clams, cooked, cooked shellfish, kale, soup
Servings: 4
Calories: 505
Author: Peter Hoffman

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 onion large, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • ½ lb chorizo cut in rounds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 sprigs thyme fresh, chopped
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 12 clams littlenecks or topnecks
  • 1 cup chick peas dried, soaked overnight
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 2 tbsp parsley roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp cilantro roughly chopped

Instructions

  • The night before making the soup, cover the chickpeas with at least 4 inches of water and soak overnight.
  • Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil in a soup pot.
  • Add the chorizo, bay leaves, thyme and pepper flakes.
  • When the onions are nicely softened and some of the oils are being released from the chorizo add the clams and cover. You may want to splash a bit of water in at this time to get the clams steaming open.
  • When the clams are open, remove them from the pot and hold. Add the chick peas to the pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer.
  • While the stew is coming to a boil remove the clams from their shells. After 40 minutes of simmering, taste the chick peas. They should be no longer hard in the center but still al dente. If they still have a hard center cook further. Otherwise add the kale, starting with the stems so they can soften. Cook for 15 minutes.
  • Add the kale leaves and cook for another 15 minutes.

Video

Notes

Peter Hoffman chef/owner Savoy and Back Forty Restaurants, in New York City, and past chair and board member of Chefs Collaborative prepared this recipe for the Romancing the Clam live cooking event held in 2009 in Savannah, Ga.
Photo Credit: Julie Bidwell

Nutrition

Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 748mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3809IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 5mg
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