Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup

Last week I was given some produce from La Nay Ferme Farm of Provo, with the challenge to come up with some recipes and photos. As I explained in a previous post, my “challenge bag” included kale, spinach, arugula, spring mixed greens, thyme and oregano.

Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup is a fast and flavorful way to use kale, as well as some of the oregano and thyme that also came in the bag. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, you can use  dried.

This recipe comes from my cookbook, “Soup’s On!”  It only takes about 30 minutes to make.  If you decide to use dried beans instead of canned, you’ll need to soak them overnight or boil them for at least an hour before adding the rest of the ingredients.

When you first add the 3 to 4 cups of kale to the soup, it looks like way too much. But, the kale shrinks a lot during cooking, and the bright green color really perks up the looks of this soup. Since the ham is already salty, don’t add any extra salt to this soup while it’s cooking. Just before serving, taste and add salt if needed.

For those who have received oregano in their CSA share, you can sprinkle it in both Mexican and Italian dishes.  I use thyme in a lot of my soup recipes, because to add a little more complexity of flavor.  You don’t want to go overboard with it, though, or the soup will taste bitter.  I think a half-teaspoon of dried or 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme is plenty for a pot of soup.

If you’re not sure that you’ll like the flavor of thyme, oregano, or any other herb, just ladle out about a cup of the soup or stew you’re making and stir in a pinch of the herb. Let it sit for a few minutes for the flavors to mingle before tasting it.  If you don’t like it, you’ve only wasted a cup of the soup, not a whole pot.

TUSCAN BEAN & KALE SOUP

Prep time: 25 minutes

Makes 6 1 ½-C. servings

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2/3 C. fresh chopped onion

2 stalks sliced or chopped celery

1/2 cup sliced or. chopped carrot

2 C. diced ham

2 15-oz. cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and well-rinsed (about 2 1/2 C.)

2 14-oz. cans chicken broth (or 4 cups homemade chicken broth, or 1 32-ounce box chicken broth)

1 C. water

1 Tbsp. garlic powder, or 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil (or  2 teaspoons dried basil )

1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)

1 1/2 teapoons fresh chopped rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary)

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano)

Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste, optional

3 to 4 C. chopped kale

1. Place oil in a stockpot over high heat, and swirl the oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, celery and carrots, and stir occasionally while they cook, for about 5 minutes.

2. Add ham, beans, broth, water, seasonings, tomato paste (if using) and kale to pot. Bring to a gentle boil and cook about 15-20 minutes, or until celery and carrots are tender.

3. Taste, and add more seasonings, salt or pepper if desired. If broth seems a bit salty, add an extra 1/2 C. water.

4. Makes about 6  1 1/2-cup servings.

Options: For a heartier soup, add two cups of frozen diced hash brown potatoes with the kale.