Recipe: Caldo Verde (Green Soup) - To somewhat clarify the confusion, here is a very simple recipe

To somewhat clarify the confusion, here is the very interesting introduction and recipe:

CALDO VERDE (GREEN SOUP)
Source: The Food of Portugal by Jean Anderson, 1986. Pp.97-98.

Note from Author:
What makes this potato thickened soup so green are hundreds of hair like filaments of kale -like cabbage. According to Maria de Lourdes Modesto, star of a Lisbon cooking show and author of the dazzling Cozinha Tradicional Portuguesa, what Portuguese women use for making caldo verde is the intensely green Galician cabbage (couve gallego), which has large, flat, tender leaves. At country markets you see women stacking the leaves, rolling them into fat "cigars", then, shaving them into the finest of shreds by whisking razor-sharp knives back and forth across the rolls at breathtaking speed. At more modern markets, like Lisbon MERCADO da RIBEIRA, rolls of cabbage are fed into giant hand cranked shredding wheels, each with a plastic bag at the back to catch the flying bits. If Portugal has a national dish, it is without doubt this lusty green soup, which originated in the Minho Province, but now bubbles on stoves everywhere, regardless of the season or temperature. To be truly authentic, each serving should contain a slice of SALPIC O (cured loin of pork) or Chourico (garlicky sausage). Obviously, because these Portuguese ingredients are often unavailable, some concessions must be made. Collards, kale or turnip greens make a good substitute for the Galician cabbage; spinach may be used in a pinch; even mustard greens, provided you shave them fine enough to cook quickly. As for the sausage, use a Spanish CHORIZO or Italian pepperoni if the Portuguese chourico is unobtainable.

1 large yellow onion, peeled and minced fine
1 large garlic clove, peeled 7 minced
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided use
6 large Eastern potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 quarts cold water
6 ounces chourico, chorizo, pepperoni or other dry garlicky sausage, sliced thin
2 1/2 tsp salt (about)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb collards, kale, or turnip greens, washed, trimmed of coarse stems and veins, then sliced filament thin.

Saute the onion and garlic in 3 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy saucepan, 2-3 minutes, over moderate heat until they begin to color and turn glassy; do not brown or they will turn bitter.

Add the potatoes and saute, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes, until they begin to color.

Add the water, cover and boil gently over moderate heat for 25 minutes until the potatoes are mushy.

Fry the sausage in a medium sized heavy skillet over low heat 10 to 12 minutes, until most of the fat had cooked out; drain well and reserve.

When the potatoes are soft, remove the pan from the stove and with a potato masher, mash the potatoes right in the pan in the soup mixture.

Add the sausage, salt and pepper, return to moderate heat, cover simmer 5 minutes.

Add the collards and simmer uncovered 5 minutes until tender and the color of jade.

Mix in the remaining tbsp of olive oil, and taste the soup for salt and pepper. Ladle into large soup plates and serve as a main course accompanied by chunks of BROA (bread).

I completely agree with dearest June that there are as many interpretations as cooks in Portugal and in the Portuguese immigrant settlers in the United States.