Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Kale Soup

So I'm trying to go meatless a couple days a week at our house.

When this recipe landed in my inbox I decided I would definitely be making it.

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I made a few changes and this reflects them.

Kale Soup
1 TBLS olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 large stalk of celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
3 potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 (16oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 (16oz) can diced tomatoes (unless you have nice fresh ones!)
2 cups finely chopped kale leaves
1 - 2 TBLS red pepper flakes
ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and celery and cook until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes more.
Add red pepper flakes and heat through.
Next add vegetable stock and white wine; stir in the potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme and kale. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cannelini beans and tomatoes. Add black pepper to taste, and simmer, covered, for 30 more minutes.

Enjoy!

And now for the pictures!

I rarely have natural light in my kitchen, but this wicked snowy Saturday I had an abundance. I'm not sure if I like the natural light pics. What do you think?

Anyway... step by step...

Chop your veggies
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(natural light)

Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil.
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(blurry LED light)

Add garlic & red pepper flakes.
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(more LED light)

I ended up adding a good bit more red pepper flakes for a nice spicy kick.

Add veggie stock and wine.
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(more LED light)

Since I don't drink wine, I like to buy little four packs. They're recipe sized so none goes to waste.

That's what I had on hand.

All of the liquid is in there... not very pretty is it?
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(yup... LEDs)

Time for nice fresh herbs.
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(all that natural light reflecting all over the place!)

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(LED)

Nice fresh healthy kale!
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(natural light... but the kale looked so much green than this pic)

You want to wash that really well... I let it soak in cold water to be sure to get all of the dirt out of those curly leaves.

Into the pot with the potatoes.
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(LED)

Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Time to add the cannelini beans and tomatoes and some black pepper.
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(LED)

Take a little taste of the broth. Is it spicy enough for you?

It wasn't for me, so I added a bunch more red pepper flakes.

Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes.

Soup's on!

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(compact fluorescent)

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(regular compact fluorescent light... doesn't that look nicer?)

This soup was a HUGE hit at my house. I've already made another big double batch of it, which is also gone.

It's spicy and hearty and so satisfying. It's also very healthy! Win/Win!

24 comments:

watchmenow said...

This looks fantastic! It's next on my list of soups to make. THX.

Spryte said...

I feel bad, I've been promising to post this for Ericka for two weeks and I FINALLY got to it!

I hope you like it!

theUngourmet said...

Mmm! I love kale. All the fresh herbs are wonderful as well! Very nice!

Bob said...

I've never actually had kale.. I would totally try this though.

The compact fluorescent light shots look great, it doesn't seem as harsh. What kind do you use?

Spryte said...

Hey Bob... do you mean the brand or watts or what? They're GE... and the closest to 100 watt bulbs... I know it's a different scale, but can't remember the actual number.

Ericka said...

Yay! Now I have a new one to try too :)

and, kale is a great vegetable to grow too - really hardy, and easy to freeze for later.

DutchBakerGirl said...

Your soup looks fantastic in all the different lights. I'm experimenting, too, but I think what I really need is a new camera. :( I must buy some kale.

NKP said...

Delicious soup! Hooray for natural light! I am in a semi and get none.. well, hardly any. :)

sandwhichisthere said...

Kale soup without linguica, hmmm sounds pretty good. I've always preferred kielbasa anyway.

teresa said...

oh wow, who needs meat when you have a delicious soup like this!

Bob said...

Spryte: Thanks. It's weird though, when I use a similar bulb the pics come out all green or orange (I'm not sure which, heh). Yours look great.

Spryte said...

@Bob...I use the soft light kind... at first I got the daylight version and it looked like my house was being invaded by aliens. But I swapped them out and everything is great now. =)

Kim said...

I love me some kale! This looks hearty and delicious:D

Claudia said...

I always go meatless a few times a week and love this -love the herbs and all the ingredients - hearty enough for winter. In my future this weekend.

Unknown said...

Ive never had kale...for some reason it intimidates me. your soup looks great! natural light is sometimes such a pain in the butt!!! sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt

rebekah said...

i'm doing the sometimes meatless or meat lite thing too and it is SO HARD for a dedicated carnivore like me. but that soup does look delicious and i have discovered, in the course of my search for vegetarian type recipes, that i adore kale and swiss chards ...

tasteofbeirut said...

That is just the kind of hearty soup I go for! Yummy and so healthy to boot.

Shaheen said...

It must be a seasonal thing: kale in soup. This looks flavoursome and healthy.

Mary Bergfeld said...

I'm a fan of kale when it's properly cooked and your soup looks fantastic. This is my first visit here and I love what I found. I'll be back often.

angelinthekitchen said...

This looks so yummy and healthy! I can feel my sinuses clearing up, just by looking at it!

Patty said...

I love your step by step pictures they make cooking so much easier. I'm going to try this recipe out, wish me luck!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This is a lovely and healthy looking soup. I happen to love kale so it's a natural for me. I found your blog by chance but am intrigued by what I've found here. I'll be back often to see what you've been cooking.

Pam said...

This sounds and looks delicious! I've never had kale soup and would love to try it!

Carole said...

Great that you linked in, thanks. have a good one