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.

Pasta with Beans and Greens (The Best Light Recipe)

• Salt
• 1 slice bacon (1 ounce), minced fine [House- cured and smoked bacon, brunoised. Trying to practice those knife skills.]
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 12 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinse
• 1 1/2 pounds kale, thick stems removed, washed, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound rotini pasta
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• Ground black pepper
  

Mise en place. I think I'm missing the chicken broth here.


Cook bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp.


Sweating onions, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes until onion has softened.


Add chicken broth and half the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.


Stuffing down the kale.


Cook until its tender, about 10 minutes.


Didn't actually eat this until the next day. It's pretty good though I could probably have dug more bacon and red pepper flakes.
After a few days though, I was almost crazy for meat.