Chicken Soup with Kale

 

This Chicken Soup with Kale includes lotus flower seeds. It is a soup that works well even in the summer. Although in some areas it still seems like blazing July heat,  a heart-warming soup sometimes just makes a body feel good.  Here I have put together a Portuguese soup with Asian influence of lotus flower seed that is said to be high in antioxidants.

Serves 6 to 8

Note: This fusion soup can be made totally vegetarian by using just vegetable broth, eliminating the chicken and sausage altogether. Does it help the cholesterol? The jury is out on the subject so I cannot say they do. However, in soup they taste good, like meaty chickpeas.  I found them at an oriental market.

 

For the Lotus seeds:

For a 4 ounce package of dried lotus seeds, Place the seeds in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Let stand for 2 hours. Drain, rinse and set aside.

For the Soup:

• 4 chicken thighs with bone and skin
• ¼ pound piece of chouriço sausage (opt)
• 8 cups water
• Reserved lotus seeds
• 1 large carrot, peeled, rinsed, cut in small dice
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed of outer strings, rinse and cut in small dice
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, divided
• 1 tablespoon medium coarse sea salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ½ cup medium-grain rice
• 2-3 cups medium chopped curly kale

1. In a 4-quart pot, combine the chicken, chouriço and water, cover and set over medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the meat is falling off the bone tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken and chouriço to a bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. Strain the broth with a hand sieve. Return the broth to a boil. Add the rinsed, pre-soaked lotus seeds, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook one minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the parsley and the salt, white pepper and rice. Reduce to medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes until the rice is nearly done.
3. While the rice is cooking, hand shred the chicken into medium pieces and discard the bones and skin and coarsely chop the sausage.
4. When rice is nearly done, add the kale to the soup, simmer for about 5 minutes, until kale is tender. Add the chicken and sausage back to the pot, adjust the seasoning if necessary and close the heat.   Ladle the Chicken Soup with Kale into soup bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley.