Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Potato, Leek, and Kale soup


Perfect for sharing around the table on a dreary evening, this soup is thick, hearty, easy, and absolutely scrumptious. Trust me, you need to try it.
Although we LOVE bacon, we rarely indulge in it. This recipe we can eat without guilt, however. HOW can you feel guilty when eating KALE?!
Make sure you make enough for leftovers. They are even better. Oh, be sure to use your largest skillet, too.

- 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch kale, ribs removed, and cut into bite size pieces (I do this by cutting out the ribs with kitchen scissors, taking a large handful, and snipping off little bits into a bowl)
- 1 pound bacon
- 5 cups chicken broth

In a large stockpot, boil cubed potatoes in chicken broth until tender.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in your largest skillet over medium high heat until crispy.
Remove bacon, reserving 3 Tablespoons grease, and set aside.
Sautee the chopped kale and leeks in the bacon grease for 8-10 minutes. Your skillet will be VERY full, but it will reduce in size after a few minutes.
Mash a few potato chunks against the side of the pan with your spoon to thicken the broth.
Crunch bacon into small pieces between 2 paper towels. (Or you could snip into small pieces before cooking.)
Stir bacon, kale, and leeks into potato/broth mixture.
Serve piping hot with crusty rolls, and a delicious salad.

Optional: If you happen to have heavy cream on hand, adding up to one cup at the very end makes it deliciously creamy. If you do not have it, do not fret! It is scrumptious either way!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This sounds and looks so yummy. will definitely be writing this one down.

annulla said...

Oh, why didn't I see this post earlier? I was at the greenmarket today and passed on buying a big bunch of kale because I never cook it and couldn't imagine what to do with it.

Now I know.

molly jean said...

I may try an adaptation of your soup today with cabbage instead of kale and humble onions instead of leeks.I am snowed in today (yeah!)so I must use what I have. We have about an inch and a half of snow but that is enough, where it seldom snows, to wreck havoc literally when the young drivers get out and go to school! Of course as relates to snow and ice I consider myself a young driver and very unsafe! Your soup looks beautiful in that cup. I can imagine how it must taste. Come to think of it I don't have bacon so will have to use ham.... But you have inspired me so thanks. Its soup day!