Tuscan Kale and chickpea soup to warm your soul

Who doesn’t love a warming bowl of home-made soup in winter? This Tuscan Kale and chickpea soup won’t disappoint in the comfort food arena. I mean it. It’s so good it will have you going back for more. Put simply, it’s a heavenly, heart melting bowl of goodness.

Winter, great at first but it does tend to drag on. One thing to keep the blues at bay is to keep a batch of home-made soup ready in the freezer, perfect to reheat for a hearty lunch or dinner. Like this delicious taste sensation, featuring chicken broth, fresh mixed vegetables and the stars of the show: Tuscan Kale and chickpea. It will warm your soul with its deep flavoured goodness. Its base is home-made chicken stock, and the chickpeas give a protein hit and add some texture to the overall soup.

What is Tuscan Kale anyway?

Also known as Cavolo Nero – or black cabbage, is an Italian Kale variety with long, dark green leaves and a wrinkly appearance. Its leaves are quite thick and robust, so it needs a bit of cooking.

To cook, first remove the stem that runs up the middle. I do this all at once when I buy a bunch, then store the leaves in the fridge in a container or veggie bag and use them up within about a week.

With that deep green colour, it is rich in vitamins and is to serve as a side vegetable as well as in soups and braised dishes.

Another serving idea

Finely chop up the leaves, then sauté in olive oil with garlic and chilli and a little white wine. Finish with some lemon juice and toss through pasta. Yum.

Can’t get Tuscan Kale?

Easy. Just swap it with standard curly kale that’s more commonly available in supermarket veggie departments or local fruit and veggie stores. And if you can’t get any kale at all, you can use spinach leaves instead.

Vegan or not – it’s up to you

Although I make my soup with chicken stock and add chicken meat to the mix, you could easily make it entirely vegan by using a tasty vegetable stock. You also wouldn’t add the chicken. So to all you vegans – this one’s also for you!

Tuscan Kale and chickpea soup to warm your soul

Recipe by MartiCourse: SoupCuisine: Italian inspiredDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

A hearty vegetable soup enriched with the deep green goodness of Tuscan Kale

You will need

• 1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large brown onion, chopped

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 leek, white part only, washed and chopped

• 2 waxy potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes (about 1 cup)

• 4 cups Tuscan kale, washed, stems/ribs removed and very finely chopped

• 2 carrots, cut into rounds (around 1 cup)

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas (or one tin)

• Shredded chicken breast meat (optional)

• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)

• Juice from 1/2 lemon

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Here’s what to do

• Prepare all the vegetables first.
• Heat half the olive oil in a large soup pot and add the shallot.
• Optional first step, but it adds to the final flavour:
• Sauté until softened and add the kale. Stir to coat and ladle in 1/2 the wine and about 1/4 cup chicken stock. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated, then remove from the pan. Set aside.
• Wipe the pan out and add more olive oil.
• Add the onion, garlic and leek. Sauté five minutes until tender, then add the potatoes and carrots. Cook a further two minutes, stirring.
• Add the wine and then the remaining chicken stock.
• Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are becoming tender.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
• Finally, add the chickpeas, kale and chicken (if using).
• Simmer for a further 15-20 minutes until all the flavours are fully infused.
• Pour in the lemon juice – this helps to remove any bitterness from the kale.
• Allow to cool in the pot before putting in the fridge overnight. Or simply ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Tips and tricks

• This soup is best made the day before to allow all the flavours to develop.
• Make a vegan version with vegetable stock and leave the shredded chicken meat out.