sorel boots. kale soup.

i got a pair of sorel boots in the mail today. i feel like this has thrust me into an entirely different category of 'minnesotan'.

these are my first, ever in my adult life, real winter boots. they are water proof. they are lined with some kind of fur, probably from an animal. they go all the way up to my calf. these boots are not f*cking around. i got these boots because i plan to attempt snow-shoeing for the first time ever in a few weeks, and i didn't think my frye boots would cut it.

also very minnesotan of me is all the soup. oh my god all.the.soup. when you are stuck in a polar vortex, you require warmth in your belly. hot cocoa. warm cider. stews sopped up with warm crusty bread. soup that beckons to your heart and soul. we've been trying to eat at least one, if not two, serving of leafy greens every day around here. this kale soup is pretty delicious, but also a good 'template'. if you want to add in more veggies or different seasonings, the world is quite literally your oyster.

here we go.

kale, white bean and sausage soup

you will need:
* 1 lb. ground/bulk sausage of choice (we did italian sausage. chicken would work nicely, but i'm not afraid of pork.)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 carrots & 2 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped (don't make me remind you about vegetables in soup)
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* seasonings of choice, to taste - tonight i did oregano, parsley, sage and red pepper flake.
* salt and pepper
* 2 cans of canellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 6 cups of chicken broth
* 4-5 generous cups of kale, coarsely chopped

get out your soup pot. if you don't know where that is, something is seriously wrong with you. get 'er nice and hot and drop in the meat (that's what she said?). let it brown until cooked through.

once browned, remove from pan and set aside. go ahead and take a bite while you're at it. yum.

swirl a bit of olive oil into your soup pot, just enough to "grease the skids". once the oil is shimmering, add your onion, carrots, celery and garlic. season with whatever you want, including salt and pepper, and stir it all around. cook until the onion just barely starts to soften, about 2-3 minutes.

dump in your rinsed beans and the broth.

cover and leave it alone for about 20 minutes. things may get mushy, but let's not worry about that today. we have more important things to tackle.

after 20 minutes or so, give it a taste. what does it need? oregano? more salt? maybe some butter? i mean, why not? maybe you should pour yourself a drink while you're at it. throw all caution to the wind! it's your kitchen, and the beauty of that is no one ever needs to know...

get it seasoned to your liking, then grab your kale and start throwing it in. it's gonna seem like a sh*t load of kale, but trust me. kale withers and shrinks as it cooks, so don't be shy about it. get all that kale in there, push it down with your cooking utensil of choice, and put the top back on. let it simmer for about 10 minutes, just until the kale softens and no longer tastes bitter.

we ate this tonight with my homemade bruschetta and it was heaven.

enjoy!

sincerely,
ashley "more leafy greens" rebekah