7 Zuppa Toscana

Today E and I rushed out with just 30 minutes to spare to get our Farmers Market Basket.  I haven't gotten one in a while, but a call went out on their Facebook page that reminded me, and so away we went!  I got my small organic which had broccoli, Braeburn apples, kiwi, bananas, tomato, avocado, lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots and red kale.

What I normally do when I get my basket is go through it and plan out what I'm going to do with each item, and the first thing I thought of when I saw the red kale was to make chips like I did back in March with rainbow chard.  However, when I tasted it, it's really kind of delicate, a little spicy and tender.  Spicy...kale...Zuppa Toscana.  For SURE.

You'll need:

1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Russet potatoes, washed and UNpeeled
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
2-3 cups kale (or arugula), sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil for sauteeing

Begin by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the pot.

Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl, and cook the onions and bacon together until the bacon starts getting crispy.

While the onion and bacon are cooking, cut up your potatoes.  Cut them in half, and then half again and slice into 1/4" pieces.

Add the sausage back to the pot, and the potatoes, garlic and pepper.

Pour in your chicken broth and plain water.  I normally use regular canned organic broth, but recently I discovered Better Than Bouillon brand organic chicken base at Costco.  It's fantastic and tastes amazing.  I mixed the appropriate amount of base with 4 cups of boiling water.

Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer/low for at least an hour.  The potatoes should be tender.  Test the broth for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.  This was the only time I added salt, and I used 1 tsp.

When you are close to being ready to eat, add the kale to the pot.

Stir in until it's wilted down.  If some of the ribbons seem too long, use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip them right in the pot.

I thought that the soup was ready to eat as-is, but I wanted to add a little cream to make it authentic.

Ladies and gentlemen.  This soup is definitely being added to my permanent recipe rotation.  It is unbelievably flavorful, and just spicy enough to leave a nice warmth in your mouth, but not too much so that you're constantly reaching for your drink.  Even my little one loved it!

And dare I say, it tastes even better than a certain famous chain restaurant's Zuppa Toscana!

Printable:

Zuppa Toscana

You'll need:


1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Russet potatoes, washed and UNpeeled
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
2-3 cups kale (or arugula), sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil for sauteeing


Begin by heating a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the pot.


Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl, and cook the onions and bacon together until the bacon starts getting crispy.


While the onion and bacon are cooking, cut up your potatoes. Cut them in half, and then half again and slice into 1/4" pieces.


Add the sausage back to the pot, and the potatoes, garlic and pepper.


Pour in your chicken broth and plain water.


Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer/low for at least an hour. The potatoes should be tender. Test the broth for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.


When you are close to being ready to eat, add the kale to the pot.


Stir in until it's wilted down. If some of the ribbons seem too long, use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip them right in the pot.


Add cream, simmer and serve.