This is a typical Portuguese soup, here spiced up by the piri-piris. The sausage often contains piri-piri powder and is the same as the chorizo of Spain and Mexico.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large Spanish onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 10 ounces chorizo sausage, diced

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

• 3 dried piri-piri chiles, crushed (or substitute piquin or Thai)

• 8 cups of cold water

Instructions

1 pound kale or spinach, cut into small julienne Salt and pepper to taste In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic, half the chorizo, and the chiles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover everything with water, bring to a boil and lower the heat, simmering until the potatoes are almost done, about 15 minutes. When the soup is cool enough to handle, puree it in a food processor and return to the pot. Add the greens, and bring everything back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and garnish on top with the remaining cubes of chourizo.

This intriguing dish violates at least two laws Americans have concerning steak: never season it heavily and never fry it in a pan. But since the taste of this steak is so remarkable, we’ll forget the rules. Three varieties of pepper are recommended, but it works just fine using only coarsely crushed black peppercorns. Varying the hot sauce used can produce peppered steaks with intriguingly different flavors. Also, experiment by using brown, red, or rose peppercorns.

Ingredients

• 4 sirloin or New York strip steaks, at least 1 inch thick

• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns, coarsely crushed*

• 1 tablespoon white pepper powder

• 1 tablespoon green peppercorns, crushed*

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

• 1/4 cup brandy

* Wrap the peppercorns in a cloth and crush them with a pestle. Grinding them in a peppermill makes the pepper too fine.

Instructions

Coat both sides of the steaks with the crushed peppercorns and the white pepper. Press the pepper into the steak with a blunt instrument and leave the steaks out, uncovered, at room temperature, for at least one hour.

Sprinkle the salt in a large skillet and heat until the salt begins to turn brown. Sear the steaks on each side quickly. Add the butter and cook the steaks for one minute on each side. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the hot sauce and cook another 1 to 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks and the doneness desired. Pour the brandy over the steaks, wait 10 seconds, and then set aflame. When the flame goes out, remove the steaks to a serving platter. Reduce the remaining liquid in the skillet and serve it over the steaks. The steaks should be served rare.

Variation: For a heavier sauce, add 1/4 cup cream after removing the steaks from the skillet.

Serving suggestion: This main dish is excellent when served with a fresh spinach salad and twice-baked potatoes.