Shannon Phillips

I thought this vegetarian soup was pretty “meh” when I made it last night, but the leftovers today were delicious. The recipe came tucked in our veggie box, with attribution to Cheryl Quantz of San Mateo. I thought I’d post it here for my own future reference, and for anybody who might be interested in a healthy, hearty, and frugal soup (kale is generally $1.99 a bunch at Whole Foods, probably cheaper elsewhere). Cheryl notes, “If possible let the soup sit for an hour or so before serving to allow the flavors to further develop,” but I think it needs longer than that. Overnight is best.

This picture is misleading; we were down to the last dregs of soup by the time I thought to snap a photo, and Robin and I had already slurped out all the kale. So imagine this thickened by lots more greens.

Cheryl’s recipe also says, “The ingredients of this soup supply plenty of flavor, so use water to prepare a simple stock by simmering the stems of the kale.” That’s exactly what I did: I cut up an onion and simmered it along with the kale stems for an hour. I have no doubt that real home-made chicken stock would improve the soup—it improves everything—but that would detract some from the frugality (as well as rendering the soup non-vegetarian, for those of you who swing that way). Anyway, the improvised stock does work.

I think next time I might cut up a little bit of kielbasa and toss it in.

Kale and Potato Soup with Red Chili

1 bunch kale
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 bunch leeks, washed and chopped (the original recipe calls for “1 medium red or yellow onion” but I used a bunch of leeks instead, and I recommend it: potato-leek soup is a classic combo for a reason)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced (I was down to the ends of a head of garlic, so I only had four cloves, and I don’t recommend it. Use all six.)
1 small dried red chili, seeded and chopped, or 1/2 tsp chili flakes (I used the chili; I was worried that it would add too much heat but actually there was no appreciable heat. But chilis, of course, vary.)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 lb potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into bite-size pieces (I used Yukon Gold because that’s what I had, but red potatoes would be nice too)
2 tsp nutritional yeast (the recipe notes that this is optional; I actually did buy and add the nutritional yeast, which is apparently different from regular yeast, but I’m not sure it did much for the soup. Oh, wait, I have Google—I can go see what nutritional yeast is supposed to do. Hmm. It’s supposed to add vitamins and a flavor similar to parmesan cheese.)
Interestingly, I also threw in a couple of parmesan cheese rinds, because I’ve been saving them and they’re supposed to be good in soups. I think if you’re not using “real” stock, and you don’t need your soup to be vegan, this is a good idea.
7 cups stock
Pepper
Crème fraîche or sour cream (optional, and I didn’t use it. It didn’t seem like the kind of soup that would be particularly good with sour cream.)

Tear the kale leaves off the stems and, if you want, make a simple stock with the stems. Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces, wash them, and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat; add the leeks, garlic, chili, bay leaf, and salt, and saute until the leeks are softened but not soggy, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and the yeast (if using), plus a cup of the stock. Stir together, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the kale, stir, cover, and steam until it is wilted (stirring occasionally). Pour in the rest of the stock and add a generous grinding of pepper, plus the parmesan rind if you’re using that. (This is where I’d throw in the kielbasa, too.) Put the heat on high and bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low or low as necessary to keep it at a simmer. Cook until potatoes are soft.

Use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the potatoes by pressing them against the sides of the pot. This will make a unifying background for the other flavors. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Let the soup sit at least an hour and preferably overnight. Serve hot, with a spoonful of crème fraîche or sour cream if you are a braver woman than I.