Kale

We have a library patron who is a phenomenal gardener. During the growing season he brings bags of produce to the library staff two or three times a week. We’ve been getting lots of different kinds of lettuce from him. Yesterday he brought kale as well as lettuce. Kale is usually a fall vegetable, but if you get it in the ground early enough in the spring you can have two crops a year. I’m sorry to say that I was the only staff member who took any kale. No one else knew what to do with it. Here’s a great soup that I make for my vegetarian self and another version that I make for my carnivore husband.

Here’s one reason you should eat kale. One cup of kale offers these nutrients:
Vitamin A 5, 963 IU
Vitamin C 80 mg.
Calcium 90 mg.
Iron 1.1 mg.
Cholesterol 0%
Fiber 7 grams
Calories 33

Here’s the recipe. It’s Portuguese. The Portuguese seem to like kale a lot. Smart people.

Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb dried cannellini beans or red kidney beans, washed and sorted
12 cups water
Tsp. Plantaforce or vegetable bouillon cube
2 cups torn kale or collard greens leaves, tightly packed
4 large boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
Salt, about a teaspoon, but adjust to taste
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

Soak beans in 12 cups water in large pot or Dutch oven overnight. Bring beans and water to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are barely tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent beans from sticking to bottom of pot.With slotted spoon, remove half the beans, mash them well with back of fork and put them back into the pot. Sauté garlic in olive oil. Add garlic, kale, potatoes, Plantaforce, salt to taste and red pepper flakes. Return to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Soup is best when allowed to stand several hours. Reheat before serving.

That’s my version. If my husband wants meat in the soup here's what I do. After I’ve added all the ingredients, I divide the soup into two pots. In one of the pots I add 1 pound chorizo or kielbasa sausages cut into ½ inch thick slices. Continue cooking until the potatoes are done. The meat version can be garnished with quartered hard cooked eggs.

Either version can be garnished with grated cheese. I once saw Sarah Moulton on the Food Network make a layered casserole of kale, potatoes, kielbasa and Munster cheese. I’ll hunt for that recipe.