Potato and Kale Soup

from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Kitchen
Or as I like to tell Helen S who is a big fan of this book over the company's more serious work, this book is America's Test Kitchen for Dummies.

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 4 ounces chorizo, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces
• 1 onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (4 to 5 medium), scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
• 12 ounces kale, stemmed and leaves sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• Salt and pepper

Since this is ATK for Dummies, the recipe doesn't care if you use Mexican or Spanish chorizo when there is a world of difference between the two.  Since I'm a gourmand I sprung for the expensive dry-cured expensive stuff.

Man, I want to be able to make this some day.

Whole Foods: Shame on you for not carrying any type of chorizo.

I was supposed to cook the chorizo until browned, but I didn't think the dry-aged stuff was going to get there.  I gave up when I figured that enough fat had rendered out.

Again, the mise en place in process.  I weighed out the chorizo on my scale, but when it came to the kale...  I just stopped once that bowl was full.

After transferring the chorizo to a plate, soften the onions in its beautiful fat.

Add garlic, cumin, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.  Stir broth, potatoes, and chickpeas.  Bring this all to a simmer and cook until potatoes are almost tender.

Add chorizo, kale, and the fresh oregano here (I used dried so I'm pretty sure I added that in with the broth) and cook until the kale and potatoes are tender.  Crush some of the potatoes against the sides to thicken the soup up a bit...
And what can I say?  I'm kind of a sucker for brothy soups with good flavor and veggies.  Immensely charming dish.