Kale Soup with Potato

Makes 4 servings

I love Kale and my bird, Bandit loves Kale.  Hugo, my toy poodle, does not. Oh well, Hugo and I don’t always like the same foods. Funny though, I don’t remember seeing as much kale as that being displayed recently in our markets. Well, I’m glad it’s so readily available because there’s so much you can do with it and Bandit tells me that it’s extremely healthy for you.  Thanks Bandit. Additionally, I’ll tell you that I like kale raw for a salad as well as cooked in various ways as in this recipe.  Even if you don’t like Kale that much, I think that you’ll enjoy it this way.  So, here goes and as usual: ENJOY and Bon Appétit!!!

Ingredients:

1. 1 large baking potato, cut into eighths
2. 1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
3. 5 cups vegetable stock (but you can also use chicken or beef stock)
4. About 3 cups roughly chopped kale leaves (well rinsed and stripped from the stalks before chopping)
5. 1 Tsp. FRESH marjoram (the fresh makes such a difference but dried will do and you can use oregano instead if you wish)
6. 1 bay leaf
7. S&P to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the potato, garlic and 2 C. of the stock in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high.  Cook until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes; cool slightly.
2. While doing the above, cook the kale in the remaining stock (3 C) with the marjoram (oregano) and bay leaf until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
3. Now, I use a potato masher to mash the potato mixture before putting it a blender to puree it. Puree it. The mixture will be thick. Stir it into the simmering kale, season with S&P, and heat through.
4. Serve immediately

Additional versions:

1. Beat 2 eggs with 1/2 Cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese.  Add this mixture at the last minute into your soup.  There will be bits of egg and parmesan in it and it’ll be delicious.  If you just do the eggs, that’s a bit Greek or Chinese. The Parmesan gives it an Italian twist.
2. For a Japanese version, add a bit of soy sauce, sesame oil and a dash of lime.  You can even add a bit of green chili sauce.
3. You can also add some sliced chicken sausage in the soup to make it a bit of the Portuguese version.

 

See how versatile just a bit of potato and kale can be?

 

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help @ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.