Before marrying my husband in 2009, I had never tried kale soup. I probably would have gagged at the thought. I'm not big on cooked greens. I love salad, but cooked spinach, kale, etc., no thanks. But when my husband made this recipe, I was hooked! The flavors of kielbasa, linguica, red wine vinegar and broth, along with all of the added flavorings just make this a very tasty soup for those cold winter days! This recipe feeds seven of us for several days. So, of course, you can scale down the recipe or add more if you're feeding a large group of people. Also, we use all organic ingredients because...that's what we like! ;-)
Give it a try!
Ingredients:
2 cans dark red kidney beans
3 boxes (32 oz each) beef broth
2 cups water
1 lb kale (broken up into small pieces)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced/crushed
1 lb kielbasa, sliced
1 lb linguica, sliced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (we use a little more than 1 TBSP...we like the flavor!)
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt (this is completely optional, since the broth can be very salty)
2 cups cubed potatoes
As needed 1 -2 cups water (as needed while cooking)
Directions:
1. In large pot, add onions, sausage, kale, salt/pepper, vinegar, beef broth, and 2 cups of the water.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook gently for 3 hours.
3. Add potatoes and beans (I add the beans later so they don't dissolve during the cooking process) and 1 or 2 cups more water.
4. Continue cooking until potatoes are tender.
And, voila! Your soup is ready!
This can be easily modified to suit your tastes, of course. We love garlic and red wine vinegar, so we tend to use a little more. But, play with the recipe and see what you can come up with that makes your taste buds dance! Perhaps you could add some other veggies, like carrots. Let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it. :-)
