2. Portugual

Authentic Caldo Verde, Arroz Doce

For our first Christmas dinner as a married couple, I wanted to cook something that was festive but simple. We decided to do Christmas dinner together at our home in between Christmas Eve lunch with Cory's family and Christmas Day festivities with mine... so a warm soup seemed to fit the bill. Any dessert that merges fabric with caramelized sugar sounded like a wonderful plan to me...

Portuguese Caldo Verde 
inspired by Food and Wine Magazine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 t cayenne pepper (or to taste)
6 ounces chorizo, sliced 1/4 inch thick and rolled into small balls
2 quarts water
1 pound Honey Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt and ground pepper
1 pound kale, shredded

Heat the EVOO in a large dutch oven. Add the garlic, onion, cayenne, and half of the chorizo. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned (about 8 minutes). Add the water, potatoes and a large pinch each of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 2.

Bring the soup to a boil. Add the kale and simmer about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining half of the chorizo and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil.

 

The verdict? We actually really loved the soup. I'd never worked with chorizo before, and the recipe didn't specify whether smoked or ground.. so we may try smoked next time (the ground ended up cooking like mini meatballs, which was still fun and yummy!). Kale is a superfood, so it was nice to incorporate such a healthy veggie into a hearty soup.

Arroz Doce (Portuguese Rice Pudding)
from www.patriciafurtado.net - great recipes here!

1 cup short grain white rice
5 cups water
1 slice lemon peel
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt
2 cups hot milk (preferably whole)
2 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
cinnamon for garnish, a doily for tracing

*We didn't have a doily, so we used a good ole' fashioned handcut paper snowflake. Not quite as pretty, but it worked for us!

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil with the lemon peel, butter and pinch of salt.
2. Add the rice and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. When most of the water has evaporated, add the very hot milk. Simmer for 5 more minutes and add the sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks and add a few spoonfuls of the rice mixture to temperate the egg yolks. Then add the now warm egg mixture to the saucepan and stir quickly until even.
4. Serve in a large dish or small shallow ramekins, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon to garnish (may use a doily as a stencil)

Cory and I weren't huge fans of rice pudding -- it was the best rice pudding I've had (although a little sweet - may cut back the sugar!), but something about the texture and heaviness always throws me. This recipe made enough for two huge bowls, so we brought one to Charleston for my brothers to enjoy -- and Pat (who has always liked rice pudding) loved it.

This entire dinner cost around $12 (including buying milk, eggs, etc.. the kitchen was bare), with plenty of leftovers for several meals. Superfoods + supercheap = super perfect light Christmas eve supper on a grad school budget!

From our kitchen to yours, we hope everyone enjoyed a festive and joyful Christmas. Best wishes for a happy new year!