Potato and Kale Soup

This one wasn't planned. Just one of those "hey what have I got?" type nights. Well, obviously, I had potatoes and I had kale. Voila--the Potato and Kale Soup (p146) (though the index reads p147). Very minor change--the recipe calls for a can of great northern beans. I had dried, but didn't want to take the time to prepare them. So I went with a can of "soup beans," which also contained a bit of barley. Couldn't hurt. I probably tripled the garlic too, just because that's how I do things.

Overall, this comes together fairly quickly. While the onions are softening you can dice your potatoes; everything goes into one pot; and about 20-30 minutes before it's ready you add the kale. Easy peasy.

This is a simple soup and there's not a big party going on with the flavors. It can be punched up a bit with the addition of some crushed red pepper, which of course I did. It is MUCH better the second day after everything has had the opportunity to hang out in the fridge. So, it's not the prettiest dish, but it's simple, quick to put together, plain enough for all palates, takes on some heat if you want it, great for leftovers.