I love when the weather turns cooler and dryer and it is so lovely outside you don't want that time just before the sun sets all the way gone to end. I had a horrible summer plus I live in the deep south so cool non-humid weather is such a relief, I'm giddy. Suddenly, I want to walk, run, ride a bike, roll in the grass. My husband is eating again, so it's been a pleasure to cook again. He still doesn't have all his tastebuds back, so some things he always loved, just don't taste good. But thankfully, my favorite soup did taste good to him. I made it last week and this week. I think I'll make it again next week when it's supposed to get actually a little cold and we can light a fire in the fireplace. We have some logs left from a cedar tree we had to cut down last year, so the house will smell wonderful.
After this weekend, which is a big football weekend and we always have a houseful with a big brunch (see Shrimp & Grits) the morning of the game, I have promised myself that I'm going to get the blog thing in order. Like add a profile and pictures and stuff. I started this thing to give me something to do, but got a little sidetracked with husband being sick.
Bean, Kale and Sausage Soup
Soup is something that gives you options. But that's what makes it so good. Clean out the larder and the fridge.
I like this soup best with white cannelli beans or lentils. I've also used navy beans, which are a smaller white bean. But I like the cannelli beans best. Use what you like. I will use canned if I have to, but I prefer the dry beans. I don't presoak them. I haven't found soaking beans makes them cook faster or taste better, and my Mexican mom and grandmother never did, so I skip that step. The white beans will take about three hours total, the lentils only about an hour or so. Canned, about 30 minutes.
Options in the sausage department too. I've used italian, hot and mild, turkey italian sausage, smoked summer sausage. Again, use what you like. I like italian hot with the cannelli beans and smoked sausage with the lentils. Anduille makes it pretty spicy.
Wash the beans and put them on to simmer using 1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock plus water to cover. Use a heavy bottom pot that will evenly disperse the heat. No seasonings yet. Add water as necessary. Cover with a lid and turn down to low.
Chop two carrots, two celery ribs, half an onion, a big leek or two small ones. Two tomatoes finely diced or a can of tomatoes. Not too much tomatoes though, it's not a tomatoey soup. Mince a couple or a bunch of garlic.
Leeks are usually pretty dirty, especially the organic ones for some reason. Cut the tops off and rinse. Cut them in quarters lengthwise. Rinse and rinse the cutting board and knife too. Chop the leek quarters and put them in a bowl of cold water and swish them around. Pour them out into a colander or sieve and give them a good shake.
Brown a pound of sausage in a skillet. If it's italian, take out of the casings and break it up. If it's smoked, cut each length into quarters and roughly chop. If necessary, add a little olive oil to the skillet and saute the vegetables, except for the tomatoe and garlic, with the sausage. When the vegetables are wilted, carmelize them just a little, you don't want burnt onion pieces in the soup. Then add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook them for a couple of minuts and then add a dipperful of the bean stock and deglaze the pan.
Add it all to the bean pot when the beans are about half-way done. Simmer for a while and give it a taste. That sausage will have given up a lot of flavor by now, so Now you season. Here is a guide: salt, pepper, coarsly chopped basil, a sprig of thyme and more granulated garlic if you like lot's of garlic, a pinch of sugar. For lentil I also add cumin. We like things kind of hot, so I add a whole jalepeno with some slits in it and then fish it out before serving.
Keep simmering and adding water as necessary. This will take about three Heinekin Lights or two glasses of wine.
I've been able to get baby kale this year and let me tell you, it's a lot less scary looking than that curly stuff. Which looks like it's going to get hung up somewhere inside of you. You can add the baby kale right at the end and simmer till it's limp. The curly, more mature kale will need a little longer and need the ribs removed and chopped. See, find the baby kale. After you add the kale, add a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar.
I also got some yellow squash at the farmers market last weekend. This week I made the soup with lentils, so I kept the small ends of the squash. Cut them into bite size pieces, rolled them in cornmeal and fried til crispy and brown and then topped the soup with them. For an appetizer, I tossed cauliflower florets in olive oil, sprinkled with cumin, salt and pepper and roasted them in the oven at 350 on a foil covered pan. While they were in the oven I made a dressing of greek yougart, lime juice, more cumin and chopped cilantro. When they came out I tossed the florets in the dressing, but you can dip them in it instead if it's not a crowd favorite.
Light the fire, put out some bread and relax now.
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