For the Love of Kale

This recipe was inspired by a traditional Portuguese soup served with spicy chourico sausage (similar to spanish chorizo sausage). I’m always looking for new ways to eat more kale in my diet. This is a great healthy winter soup that is easy to make.

Kale Soup with Veggie Sausage

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes (about 2.5 pounds), peeled

1 small onion, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

6 cups water

Salt

2 bundles of fresh kale, stemmed and thinly chopped

Pinch of garlic (optional)

Pinch of pepper (optional)

2 links of Tofurkey sausage (or use your favorite meat-free brand)

Method:

In a large pot, over medium heat, add potatoes, onions, 1 Tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp salt. Cover with water. Bring to boil. Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
In a separate pan, slice Tofurkey links into rounds and lightly brown over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Set sausages aside.

Fill another pot, halfway, with water. Add kale, 1 Tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp salt. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain kale.

Once the potatoes are cooked, use a hand blender to puree. Do not drain the water. Mix kale and potato puree together. Add salt, pepper and olive oil as needed. 
Add Tofurkey slices to soup bowls. Pour soup over top into the bowls. Serve hot. 


Try serving the soup with whole grain or corn bread.

Sourdough Obsession

Nothing compares to the satisfaction of making your own bread. Lately, maybe in part due to my random pregnancy cravings, I became obsessed with smelling bread and that essential sour element, yeast.

So, I pulled the kitchen bible, the Joy of Cooking off the shelf and looked up how to make sourdough starter from scratch. The chapter on breads and coffee cakes is a great primer, especially if you’re like me, and have yet to try growing your own yeast.

On Wednesday night, I finally mixed my first batch after finishing dinner. I chose a quart size wide-mouthed mason jar not realizing that this was too small and witnessed a slow moving volcanic explosion of yeast atop the kitchen counter. After a good laugh, I scraped up the yeast lava and transfered my science experiment to a larger wide mouth mason, holding two quarts. It has been happily content and brewing ever since. I recommend making your own starter, if only once.

Sourdough Starter

recipe from the Joy of Cooking

Step 1. Combine in a large wide-mouthed glass jar (minimum 8 cups):

2 cups lukewarm (85 ºF) water

1 package (21/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

2 cups all-purpose flour

Stir with a wooden spoon (never use metal). Let stand uncovered at 80º-90ºF for 4-7 days, or until the starter bubbles and emits a good sour odor. During this period, stir down once a day; if a crust develops, stir it down also. Use at once, or refrigerate until ready to do so.

To replenish, discard all buy 1 cup of the starter. (Any extra, unless reactivate, may become rancid).

Add to the cupful:

1/2 cup lukewarm (85ºF) water

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Let stand overnight until fermented and bubbling, then use of refrigerate.

To build, add:

1 cup lukewarm (85ºF) water

1 cup all-purpose flour

Step 2. For kitchens rich with yeast spores from previous bread making, follow the directions in Step 1, above, omitting the yeast and using:

1 cup lukewarm (85ºF) milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

To replenish, add these 3 ingredients in these amounts to 1 cup starter.

After the fermentation period, you can use the recommended amount of sourdough starter in European-style breads. You will need to feed the starter with additional flour and water in order to keep the yeast alive.

Feeding the starter regularly is important since microorganisms remember a feeding pattern. Starter can also be stored in the refrigerator for months without feeding it, but note that it will go dormant and a gray liquid (known as hootch) that forms on the top will need to be poured off and some of the starter removed before feeding and becoming active again. You can freeze starter as well, and when you are ready to use it, place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, then at room temperature for a minimum two hours to activate it.

The Yum Factor

Several years ago, I started writing yum next to recipes that I prepared and found especially delicious. It makes it easier to find them again when I flip through the cookbooks months and years later. Now, I can easily find recipes rated with the Yum Factor.