Our family does a lot of cooking at home and though we have many favorites, this one holds top position for my kids. It’s loaded with kale which they’ll only eat if it’s in this soup. It’s comforting, nourishing, and still somehow light. A perfect fit for winter. This soup will help you build the habit of saving your parmesan cheese rinds. Adding the rind while simmering lends a creamy, rich flavor with no cream at all. It’s a non-negotiable. Serve with some crusty bread lathered in butter or with a favorite cheese broiled on top for a real treat.

Ingredients:

• Ground pork – 1 lb
• 1 tsp fennel seed/caraway seed
• 1 tsp celery seed powder
• 1/2 Tbsp ground paprika
• Big pinch salt
• 1 tsp oregano or italian seasoning mix
• Olive Oil
• 2 yellow onions – sliced lengthwise along the curve.
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped.
• 1 fennel bulb (optional)
• 5 medium potatoes any kind works, we usually use red. cut into 1/4″ half or quarter moons.
• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 parmesan cheese rind
• one to two bunches of lacinato kale. curly works too but you’ll only need one bunch. Stripped off of the stem, and torn into small pieces.

To begin, season the pork. I always buy plain ground pork so I know exactly what is in it. There are far too many questionable additives in the pre-flavored “Italian Sausages” at most stores. So, unless you have a brand or butcher you know and trust, best to season at home. Add the fennel or caraway seed, paprika, oregano, and salt and mix well. Heat your Dutch Oven or large deep but wide pan for cooking the soup to medium, and add a long dash of olive oil. It shouldn’t smoke but should be hot enough for the meat to sizzle when added.

Brown the pork and before it’s totally crisp, add in the sliced onion. I like to slice long ways so there are little slivers about 1/4″ thick. Saute with meat until translucent and beginning to caramelize but not quite. Add the fennel if using, and the garlic cloves, chopped finely. And finally, add the potatoes. When everything is fully tossed and seasoned, but the potatoes not yet cooked, add the chicken broth. Use the best you have. There’s nothing like homemade stock and in the fall-spring we roast a whole chicken almost weekly so we can have a regular supply of chicken broth as well. But store bought works too. Add the bay leaves and the cheese rind and bring to a gentle boil. From here, allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. The potatoes will soften and the flavors will deepen.

After this time, season with salt to taste. Don’t be afraid to give it enough to make a difference. Your broth type with change the amount you need greatly. We don’t salt our homemade broth until we use it and will add only to the soup, which means quite a bit of salt is added. However, a store-bought broth with already have salt added so proceed accordingly. Taste as you go! And when you get the *zing* of wow that’s so good, you have hit the sweet spot. Stop there. Finally, add the stripped and torn pieces of kale. They will soften into the soup in only about 5-10 minutes. Allow it all to cool just a bit and serve immediately. Tastes so good day one and even better reheated the next day.