Hearty Kale and Bean Soup with Italian Sausage

This simple soup turned out a great hit at our recent Society lunch. I've never heard so many ravings about a soup before, and being a devoted soup lover myself I'm happy to share the recipe.

To my taste, kale and beans are a perfect match. Red kale and fava beans in puff pastry turnovers. Sautéed green kale and garbanzo beans as a side for grilled sardines. This time it is green kale and cannellini beans in a soup with mildly spicy Italian sausage.

You will need:

• 2.5  quarts/liters or 10 cups chicken stock (can be replaced with beef or vegetable stock)
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 14oz can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you can cook beans yourself if you have time*)
• 1 carrot, sliced into thin circles or semi-circles if it’s too wide or a handful of baby carrots, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Salt,  to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp canola or other oil for frying
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)
• about 1 tsp khmeli-suneli spice mix (buy in Russian/European grocery store or mix your own)
• 1 lb Italian pork sausage

Or for homemade Italian sausage:

• 1 lb ground pork
• About ½ tsp toasted fennel seeds
• A pinch or two of cayenne or hot red chili flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 large or 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)

For the Italian sausage, combine all the ingredients together and mix well.  Add a generous splash or two of water and knead it into the meat mixture to make it lighter and fluffier.  

Thoroughly rinse and dry kale on paper towels. Cut off and discard the lower tough part of the stems. Cut the kale into about 1.5 inch pieces.

Add a bay leaf to the stock and start heating it. In the meantime, heat oil in a pan and add the sausage. Cook, stirring often and breaking the meat into small pieces, until it gets lightly browned.

While the sausage is cooking, in another pan sauté onions and carrots on a medium heat until lightly golden.  Stir in tomato paste, if using, and cook, stirring often, for another couple of minutes.

Transfer the sausage into the simmering stock (or pour the stock over the sausage if you sautéed it in a soup pot). Add beans and kale, bring to a simmer again and let the soup cook for several minutes until kale is almost done. Add the sautéed carrots and onions. Season the soup with khmeli-suneli and freshly ground black pepper and check if it needs more salt (in case the stock was not salted enough). Let the soup simmer lightly for another several minutes and remove from the heat.

I don’t usually like serving soup right away. First of all, it’s too hot. Second, the cooking process is not over yet; while the soup is hot the ingredients are still getting used to each other and their flavors are still blending together. Give the soup 15-20 minutes and only then pour it in serving bowls.

Ideally, I would recommend eating soup the next day. Somehow it gets better when reheated after having spent a night in the fridge.

Instead of sautéing the sausage you can turn it into meatballs (if you prefer this format better). To the meat mixture, add an egg, a handful of Panko breadcrumbs and, optionally grated half of an onion. The latter will make the meatballs less dense. Knead the mixture well and place in the refrigerator for at least half hour (hour is even better). Divide the mixture into small pieces and roll each into a ball between your palms. Keep your hands wet while forming the meatballs. This will make rolling less messy and meatballs will have smoother a surface.

Before putting the meatballs into the stock you may want to brown them first in hot oil. This extra step will add more flavor to your soup, though it is not absolutely necessary.

Since even after browning the meatballs will stay raw inside, let them cook in soup for several minutes before adding other ingredients.

* If you prefer to use raw beans, soak them overnight. Then drain, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil and simmer about 1 ½-2 hours or until tender. 1 cup uncooked beans will yield about 2 cups of cooked beans.