Tuscan Kale Soup

There are many versions of this wonderful and satisfying soup, with many including a bit of sausage.  The following, adapted from a recipe presented by Clifford Wright in his 2012 Mediterranean Vegetables, does not.  In fact it is a vegan delight, redolent with many flavors of the late season garden.  Be sure to use boiling potatoes as you don’t want the potato chunks to fall apart during cooking.  To make the color of the soup even darker, we opted to use a purple basil.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, in all
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaf
1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaf
1 pound waxy boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” dice
1 pound lacinato kale, washed and cut into ¼” wide strips
½ cup dry cannellini beans, cooked until tender
2 quarts stock
salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté the celery, onion, carrot, and basil  until almost soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Add tomatoes and continue cooking until their liquid has almost cooked out, about 20 minutes more.  Now add in the thyme and potatoes, sautéing them for another 5 minutes.

Add kale and reduce heat to low and cook until wilted, about 10 minutes.  Add the stock and cooked beans, return heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least a hour. 

Serve with toasted slices of bread.

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