New Pittsburgh Portuguese Kale Soup

The jumping-off point for this soup was a recipe entitled 'New Bedford Portuguese Kale Soup'. Given the modifications that I made and the recent trends in Pittsburgh (increased interest in vegan-vegetarian cuisine, desire for seasonal foodstuffs, ever-expanding farmers' markets, etc.), I rechristened it 'New Pittsburgh Portuguese Kale Soup'.

A few notes. The recipe here is vegan. Even if you are NOT vegan, I highly encourage adding it to your repertoire. As much as I love meat, there is far too much of it in the average American diet and this soup does NOT need the meat. Plus, if you make it vegan, the meat-eaters won't ever even notice and your non-meat eating friends will thank you for it.**

Ingredients

1-2 pounds fresh kale. I like curly leaf for this, but lacinato or other kales would be great too. Wash and chop or tear into bite-sized pieces.

1 large yellow onion, medium chop

3 potatoes, scrubbed clean, cut into bite sized cubes (I leave skins on - better flavor and more nutrition - but they can also be peeled if you must)

1 package Soyrizo. The Trader Joe's is very good for this. Don't forget to remove it from the casing.

8 cups vegetable broth, homemade or from bullion

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 can beans - Canneloni, Great Northern, any white/light colored bean works well. Drain, but don't rinse - the juices will help to thicken the soup to a more stew-like consistency.

3 bay leaves

1/4 - 3/4 teaspoons dried crushed hot pepper (to taste and hotness level - note that the soyrizo is somewhat spicy, so you may want to hold back a bit on the amount of pepper)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1-1/2 teaspoons salt (note: if your broth or bullion has a high sodium content, you may simply salt to taste when the soup is almost finished)

1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes - preferably Muir Glen Fire Roasted (these things rock! I can't get enough of them in the winter when I need a good tomato flavor!), or ones that you slow roasted in the oven and have stashed in the freezer (if you were smart way back in August)

black pepper to taste

Olive oil

1. Saute onions in 2 - 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until they become translucent. Add garlic, hot pepper and paprika. Saute 5 - 10 minutes. Do not allow garlic to brown.

2. Add soyrizo (crumbled - if you decided that you desperately need meat and had to get chorizo instead, slice the sausage and add to the pot at this time) to pot. Saute 5 - 10 minutes.

3. Add vegetable broth and bay leaves, and bring to a low simmer. Add chopped potatoes and can of beans. Bring to a low boil and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are just tender to the tooth (slightly al dente!)

4. Add diced tomatoes and salt to taste. Add kale and continue to simmer on low, about 10 minutes. Soup will be done when kale is tender but still nicely green in the pot.

Note on the Kale: 

If you plan on making this in advance or having a pot on the stove for a while, I would recommend steaming your kale separately until tender, then putting it in the serving bowls and ladling the soup of it. The kale is best when it is not overcooked and still nice and bright green. For that reason, I also recommend reheating on the stovetop rather than via the microwave.

**Seriously, I know that there are some doubters amongst you, but I challenge you to try this soup and then tell me that it needs to have meat in it to make it better. In addition, soup is a great way to hide vegetarian meals that both children and husbands might otherwise turn their noses up at...