Sunday, December 23, 2012

Kale and Sausage Soup



Today in the Bay Area it was chilly with consistent rain pounding the pavement.  The trees were whipping and shaking with the substantial wind.  Winter is here.  The sun never peaked out today and it turned out to be a great day to stay indoors.




Early in the morning, I finished wrapping all of the Christmas gifts and put the final touches on each package.  The holiday cards are in the mail and just need to decide on what to make for Christmas morning.  We do a large brunch menu for the morning, so I think that a big assorted fruit salad with blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, mangos, watermelon, pineapple and a garnish of pomegranate seeds will be just the perfect touch.


Of course, our Christmas would not be complete with out a few appetizers made by yours truly.  This year I am going to bring a parmesan and thyme cracker, bacon wrapped dates and caprese bites.  I can hardly wait to see everyone, especially my adorable four nephews and expressions on their faces when they open their gifts.

Since today was chilly, soup was a perfect addition to warm up our bellies and eat by the fire while watching some holiday movies from Lifetime and Hallmark.  They are so predictable but so enjoyable.  My Kale and Sausage soup is absolutely delicious and the secret is adding a couple parmesan rinds to the soup to add richness to the soup.  Enjoy!


Kale and Sausage Soup

1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Large Onion, small dice
2 T. Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, minced
6 C. Kale, remove any hard pieces
1 Can (15.5 oz) Cannellini Beans
1 Can (15.5 oz) Small White Beans
5 C. Chicken Stock
2 Parmesan Rinds

In a large pot add the sweet Italian sausage and olive oil to the pan.  I use about 5 links and remove the casing then cook and crumble.  Next add the onions and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium.  Add the chicken stock, kale, beans (rinse first) and parmesan rinds.  Cook on high until boiling, then reduce to medium low heat and cook for about an hour.  Serve immediately. 


15 comments:

  1. This is a perfect soup for a cold and stormy evening! I've heard good things about adding a parmesan rind to soup but I've never tried it myself - now you've convinced me! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your soup sounds yummy and it sounds like you are all set for a lovely Christmas - wishing you a blessed holiday from The Café, Chris

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's been dreary outdoors and we've been making lots of soup, too! I adore kale and sausage soup, yours does look divine!

    I'm glad to hear you have delicious plans for Christmas, Lisa! Merry Merry to you and C!

    xo,
    Liren

    ReplyDelete
  4. This soup sounds like just the thing for a rainy (or snowy!) day. Happy Christmas to you and your family, Lisa!! xo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Doesn't get much better than a bowl of sublime soup!!
    All my best wishes for a very Merry Christmas Lisa-look forward to following your blog in 2013;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Merry Christmas, Lisa! Hope your Christmas is filled with love, laughter, and of course, food! Nothing beats a yummy, sunny soup!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This looks so warm and cozy... a great winter soup. And eating it by a fire watching movies sounds even better. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Soup is my favorite way to keep warm, especially with all this rain. Hope you and the family had a Merry Christmas. Looking forward to 2013, can't wait to see what's to come.
    -Gina-

    ReplyDelete
  9. Today is one of those stay at home soup kind of days and this looks perfectly warming to me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't get enough of soup inspirations. Kale is an ingredient I always add to mine. Thanks for a lovely idea, Lisa.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a hearty, but good for you soup. Sounds perfect for a cold day!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Soup sounds so good right now, it's rainy and cold down here today. And this soup looks like a lovely bowl of comfort!

    Hope you had a wonderful holiday Lisa :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I tried this last night and received rave reviews from the Mr.- that is a rare occurrence let me tell you! After so many duds I've tried from blogs its great to finally find you and your tried and true recipes! Happy New Year! Shannon

    ReplyDelete
  14. I tried this last night and received rave reviews from the Mr.- that is a rare occurrence let me tell you! After so many duds I've tried from blogs its great to finally find you and your tried and true recipes! Happy New Year! Shannon

    ReplyDelete
  15. This reminds me of a Filipino soup called picadillo---perfect for the super cold days after returning from Hawaii. :)

    ReplyDelete

It simply makes me smile when I receive a new comment and I look forward to hearing from you!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.