I’ve had a few kitchen mentors, but Nana has always topped the list. Because not only could she whip up a fabulous meal, Nan also had a knack for arranging flowers and setting a simple, yet beautiful table.

She was fussy, but not fussy because, after all,  she didn’t have the time. Nana, whom we lost last week at age 101, ran a successful business into her 70s. So she may not have put in the hours to have mastered the art of French cooking, but everything she made tasted good whether it was her famous chicken and peas served over Portuguese bread, a Sunday pork roast, kale soup or even her favorite “frankfurt” on a grilled bun with beans.

And while her good friend, Jesus, may have taught “man cannot live by bread alone,” Nana could. No meal was complete without “nice bread” and butter — and sometimes that was all she ate!

Sticking to her simple mantra, it didn’t have to be fancy bread, it just had to taste good. Which is why, I suppose, Nan was a fan of sliced white Pepperidge Farm or white bread from the bakery. (I bake that kind of bread now only I call it pain de mie. She would have just called it ‘nice.’)

As a working girl in the 60s and 70s, Nana was a fan of the new conveniences like frozen vegetables. How she loved her Mr. Birds Eye! In fact, sometimes she would use packages of frozen chopped kale in her Portuguese soup which I thought was blasphemous.

“There’s nothing wrong with frozen vegetables,” she shrugged when I asked her about her chilly short-cut. “They’re vegetables,” Nan said, waving her hand in the air as she always did to make her point.

I wish I could share her Chicken and Peas recipe with you, but Nana kept that one under wraps — from me anyway. And it’s a little early for her Christmas Fruit Roll, so I’ve reprinted her Kale Soup (Caldo Verde) recipe below. Do remember to serve it with some nice bread.

Portuguese Kale Soup (Caldo Verde)

2 meaty beef short ribs

1 russet potato, peeled

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into three or four pieces

1 onion, whole

1 piece of linguica or chourico, sliced

4 or 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes

2 lb. chopped kale (I used a 2 lb. bag of chopped and washed kale, but Nana, when rushed, used 2 or 2 packages of frozen kale.)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, place the two short ribs, the potato, carrot and onion. Cover with water at least 2 inches over the ribs and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer for at least an hour. Skim the pot frequently.

After an hour, take the meat and vegetables out of the pot and cool until the meat is easy to handle. Meanwhile, mash the potato and carrot and return to the pot. When the meat is cool enough, tear it from the bone, discarding the fat. Chop and return to the pot.

If you need more water in the pot, add 3 or 4 cups of boiling water to bring the level of water up. (If you add cool water, it will bring the temperature of the stock down.) Add the linguica, chopped potatoes, and kale.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook for another hour or so until the kale is thoroughly cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6 hearty eaters.