February 18, 2013

• Recipe: Zuppa Toscana

  
  This is probably one of the easiest soup to make. It's very comforting during this time of the year with unsavory weather conditions...and perhaps situations, I should know.

   
  Get ingredients ready . Set out a large heavy pot.

  

  I used Italian spicy sausage but you could use chicken sausage instead. I like spicy food so I went with the hot sausage but feel free to use the sweet or mild variety. Kale are normally sold in big bunches with large stems. The stems are often too thick to eat, just strip off the leafy greens from the stems or buy ones that's already been stemmed. Give it a good wash and shake dry. I used two bunches of kale.

  

  Freshly cracked black pepper, salt, nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes. All are completely optional.

  

  Chop up one large onion or two small ones. You'll need 3 cloves of garlic or so, minced. I used about 5 potatoes, you can use any variety you want, I wanted the soup to have a rustic feel so I roughly chopped the potatoes and left the skin on.

  

  I used two cans of chicken broth but vegetable broth is fine too. I also added a few cups of water to dilute the soup. I pretty much just eyeballed it.

  

  Turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break up and crumble the sausage.

  

  Continue to cook the sausage, breaking it up, until it has browned and crisped. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pot and transfer it to a plate or bowl and set aside.

  

  Drain some of the oil in the pot that was from the sausage. Turn pot on medium heat. Add a pat or two of butter, once the butter melted add in the chopped onion and garlic.

  

  Stir with wooden spoon. Sauté the onions and garlic until they are soften. Add the seasonings salt, freshly ground black pepper, and crushed red peppers. Once onions have caramelized, add the cooked sausage back to the pot and stir in with the ingredients. Add the potatoes.

  

  Add broth until everything is covered. Add more water if needed. Allow soup to come to a simmer.

  

  Add the kale to the pot, in batches and allow it to wilt down, it will turn a bright green. Add a pinch of nutmeg at this point.

  

  Season the soup if needed.

  

  Drizzled in heavy cream, it will give the soup a velvety richness. Give soup final stir.

  

  Voila. Serve hot, optional but you can add a couple of drops of brandy per serving.

  Yield: 6-8 servings

  Ingredients:

  • 1 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from casings if there are any
    
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • 2 large bunches of kale, stemmed and chopped
    
  • 1/4 teaspoon or a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 5 small or 3 large potatoes (use the hardy variety such as russet), roughly chopped
    
  • 2 cans chicken broth or stock
    
  • 1 can vegetable broth
  • 2-3 cups water
    
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  Preparation:

  1. Heat a large  pot over medium-high heat. Once the pot has heated through, add the sausage. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage and allow it to cook, until it has fully browned. Remove the sausage from the pot and transfer it to a plate or bowl. Set it aside.

  2. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter or oil and add the onions and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon, and cook until soft and translucent about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Continue to sauté until the onions have caramelized. Add sausage back to the pot. Stir to incorporate ingredients. Add the potatoes. Pour in the chicken and/or vegetable broth and water, bring it up to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are tender and soft. Add the chopped kale in batches, allowing the kale to wilt down as it cooks. Add the nutmeg and stir. Cook the kale for another 3 minutes until it has turned bright green and completely wilted down.
  

  3.  Taste soup and adjust seasonings as needed, at this point you may add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, stir in the heavy cream. Served immediately with some crusty bread.
  

  
  

  • 1:50 pm
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