Cooking with Cannabis: Cannabis Caldo Verde

At the end of every growing season, be it vegetable or cannabis, certain things make themselves very clear: garden chores are finished for the season, there is an abundance of crops, and it’s damn near another growing season already so we had better find ways to use up those garden-grown veggies.

For me as an heirloom vegetable farmer, a kale grower (yeah, that's a thing... right), and professional farm-to-fork chef, the combination of a soup and a stew, a stoup, is incredibly warming for the body and nourishing for the mind, body, and soul. It’s almost custom-made, tailored for that quintessential lazy autumn day indoors or the hot summer day outside after garden chores with the family — basically any time kale is ready to harvest.

Caldo verde, a centuries-old potato, kale, and Portuguese sausage soup, feels both decadent and extremely healthy. The rustic, bold flavors and chunky texture go well with a crusty loaf of artisan bread, and the fresh cannabis leaves add a slight peppery bite to the overall combination of earthy garden-grown flavors used in this one pot meal. The satisfying feelings we all get from eating foods that comfort us, as well as taking the time to make and share these foods, are traditions that should not be lost (see mom, I told you a kale grower was a real thing).

(Read also: Cooking with Cannabis: Bacon Fat and Browned Butter Caramelized Pears)

Cannabis Caldo Verde Recipe

PREP TIME: 15-20 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour
YIELD: 6-8 servings
TOTAL THC/CBD: 165mg CBD and 10mg THC per bowl of stew (increase the dosage by adding more tincture).

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Hand-held immersion blender
• Medium stack pot

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp. neutral flavored vegetable oil
• 1 ½ sweet onions (peeled, medium diced)
• 10 cloves garlic (crushed + rough chopped)
• 6-8 medium white potatoes (medium diced)
• 2 quarts organic blonde chicken stock
• 2 quarts water
• 1 gram water soluble CBD isolate powder (1,000 mg per gram)
• 2 lbs. linguisa sausage (cut into ½-inch rounds)
• 4 tbsp. sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp. red chili pepper flakes
• 2 lbs. organic kale (rinsed + rough chopped)
• ½ quart fresh cannabis fan leaves (rinsed + rough chopped)
• 1 bottle THC tincture (indica or sativa, 1 dropper per soup = 10 mg THC)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In saucepan, sweat onion and garlic in oil (4 minutes), add potatoes and cook 4-6 minutes while stirring.
2. Add the water, stock, salt and pepper, and chili flakes and bring to a boil; simmer 30-40 minutes. When potatoes are done add one big handful of kale and slightly pureé soup with handheld immersion blender.
3. Do not puree all the way.
4. In a separate pan, cook sausage until it has released some of its fat (about 8 minutes), drain and set aside.
5. Add sausage to soup and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
6. Just before serving, stir remaining kale and cannabis leaves into the soup. Simmer 5-8 minutes until greens are tender, now add the CBD isolate, stir well.
7. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve warm in a bowl with a soup spoon.
8. Drizzle drops of the THC tincture and serve with a crusty chunk of bread.