Portuguese Kale Soup

I don't normally share recipes, as I am definitely not a domestic guru. In fact, this is only the fourth time in the 15-year life of this blog. However, my dear friend Jean has been supplying me with Farmer's Sausage from an anonymous Saskatchewan source and shared this soup recipe with me. It tastes so much like my momma's hambone soup that I had to share. The secret is the depth of flavor drawn from the Peri Peri spices and the lemon juice, which adds a high back-note. The beauty of this soup is you can toss in any vegetables, but these are my go-to. Reduce quantities if you don't have freezer space for all the extra, but don't skimp on the spice!

Portuguese Kale Soup
(Makes 8 litres)
Ingredients

1 pkg Bacon (chop finely)
1 large Farmer’s sausage link (remove casing and crumble/chop to consistency of ground beef)
1 large onion (medium dice)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
6 large potatoes (peel, cut bite-size) or use a 1.5 lb (680g) bag of baby potatoes
5 carrots (cut into coins, peel optional)
1 28oz (796ml) can diced tomatoes (not drained)
2 cans 19 oz (540ml) can white kidney beans (drained)
2 bunches fresh kale (remove from stem, slice into thin ribbons or chop small)
4 32 oz (946ml) cartons chicken broth*
3 Tablespoons Peri-Peri Spice** (to taste)
2 tsp. Black Pepper (to taste)
2 bay leaves
Juice of one lemon
*I use Costco’s Kirkland brand organic chicken broth
**Peri-Peri is available at Superstore but I made my own from this link
Instructions:

1. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large soup pot on medium-high heat
2. Sauté onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes, if it gets too dry, add a bit of broth
3. Add bacon and sausage, sauté until browned, stirring often
4. Add potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, kidney beans and peri peri spice
5. Stir to combine and sauté for 30-60 seconds.
6. Add chicken broth and bay leaves, stir and bring to a boil.
7. Lower heat and simmer for 15 min.
8. Add kale. Stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes more.
9. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves and add lemon juice, stir.
10. Serve and enjoy. Great to freeze.