A Hearty Bean & Kale Soup

Today it was 65 degrees and gloomy all day in NYC. A slight chill was in the air, a slight chill only soup could solve.  I’ve been on somewhat of a grind to find work, so I’m a little slow in body and mind these days, but still feel happy and pretty hopeful overall. It’s when I step into my kitchen to cook that the most hope fills me up. I’ve made my kitchen my space, the heart of my little home where I hope to remain for a little while longer. When I scan the room with my eyes I see a big burgundy butcher block I built in my last apartment, a peg board inspired by Julia Child - painted a sunny bright yellow and hanging on my white wall - it holds some of my grandma’s and mom’s cooking tools. Then there’s the metal rack I put together last September on what would  have been my grandmother’s 100 birthday. I believe she’d be proud that this is the spot where I honor her; where I make soup on a gloomy day when I’m tired.

After a conversation with my mom about ribolita, I was feeling inspired to use some of the vegetables I had in my refrigerator for a few weeks now. I wrap everything for freshness when I come home from the store, so when I don’t get to use my produce - it lasts - but these carrots, celery and kale were all starting to look lonely. Oh, and ribolita is a tuscan bean and vegetable soup that sings with stale bread as it sops up broth and the soft, salty bread bathes your mouth in every bite. So, some components of ribolita appealed to me, like the kale, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes and beans. I’ve been craving a lot of vegetables lately and this soup seemed like the quickest way to get them inside of me and have a few bowls for the week. I added some smoky pancetta into the mix, making the soup even more flavorful and detailed with texture. What did I skip? The mounds of bread did not make it into this soup, not today. Normally I would break off crusty chunks of bread and submerge them in my soup, but today was all about warming my insides with veggies. And warm my insides I did. This is no classic ribolita - but it is a riff on the Tuscan delight. A hearty white bean and kale soup, I think, more than anything. I used canned beans in this preparation, great northern beans I had in the pantry and half a can of garbanzo beans leftover from hummus I made earlier in the week. Loaded with fiber and flavor, the beauty of a hearty soup is that you can make everything in one pot. A a simple way to get loads of veggies into one bowl and it’s a gift that keeps on giving beyond one meal. Now is the time I begin to line my freezer with options for those late working nights are sure to come.

Enjoy being in your kitchen. Make a soup, start somewhere simple. Free your mind and the rest will follow. Use those veggies, you hear!

XO

Hearty Bean and Kale Soup

  • Non-stick cooking spray

  • 5 oz. of pancetta, cut into cubes *recommend pre-diced Cittero Pancetta

  • 1 large onion, diced

  • 1 T. garlic, minced

  • 4 carrots, large dice

  • 4 stalks of celery, large dice

  • 2-3 small potatoes, large dice

  • ½ of a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

  • 1 tsp. dried oregano

  • 6 cups of water + appropriate amount of chicken  bullion *I use Reduced Sodium Organic Better Than Bullion: Chicken or you may also use chicken stock

  • 15-20 kale leaves, cut into ribbons *I used tuscan kale

  • 1 15 oz can of great northern beans, rinsed  and drained

  • ½ of a 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

  • Note: you can use 1 can of beans or 2 full cans, I simply used what I had in my pantry and what was leftover in my fridge so nothing went to waste from my week of cooking

  • Coat a large stock pot with non-stick spray

  • Add pancetta and render for 3-5 minutes

  • Add onions and garlic, sauteing until onions are translucent - about 10 minutes

  • Add red pepper flakes, oregano, carrots, celery and potatoes - continuing to saute until tender for about another 10-12 minutes

  • Begin to fold in the kale leaves until they are fully incorporated with the other vegetables

  • Add tomatoes and mix

  • Pour stock over the top of your vegetables and bring to a boil; then simmer on low heat for 25-30 minutes

  • Add beans

  • Top with parmigiano or pecorino and serve yourself a hearty bowl of soup


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