Kale & Potato Soup
Posted by: "Suzanne" suziesgoats@yahoo.com suziesgoats
Date: Thu Nov 9, 2006 7:26 pm ((PST))

Kale and Potato Soup
By Cait Johnson, author of Witch in the Kitchen

Kale belongs to the same cancer-fighting family that includes broccoli and cabbage, but its sweetness and superior cold-weather keeping qualities make it a popular autumn ingredient. Kale and Potato Soup, with its moony potatoes and earthy kale, would have made a perfect potluck offering for a recent full moon celebration around a bonfire. It is simple earthy cooking at its best: the kale and tender potatoes combine beautifully with onions and garlic to make a simple soup rich in vitamins, minerals, and pleasure.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large potatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
6 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch kale, rinsed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped
Dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds, optional garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add onion and garlic, and saute, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add potatoes, stirring to coat with oil. Sprinkle with thyme.
2. Add stock and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and continue cooking another 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft and kale is tender.
3. Lightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher and serve soup in warmed bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, if desired.
Serves 6.