Soup is always a good idea, especially on a windy, chilly, Chicago day. Typically, Zuppa Toscana has bacon, but Marissa and I decided that the Italian sausage was enough meat for one soup. I’ve added it as an option in the recipe below, so you do you. Another change to the classic soup is my addition of diced tomatoes. I felt as though the soup needed a bit more color and tomatoes are always a win for me.

Zuppa Toscana

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juices
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 bunch kale, tough center stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1 cup half and half
• Cooked and crumbled bacon and/or freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Squeeze the sausage out of their casings. Discard casings.

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, when hot, add olive oil, swill around the pot and then add the sausage. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is lightly browned, about 5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate.

I am typing this on the long flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix. The first flight from Ottawa to Philly was basically a puddle jumper, but this one is getting the best of me. It’s currently 10:00 eastern time (the time zone I’m now adjusted to) and I’ve been typing and formatting recipes for my spring cooking classes for the last 5 hours. I’m going cross-eyed. Actually, I can barely keep my eyes open. But I must! I can’t sleep on planes, so it’s either this or go cross-eyed playing solitaire on my phone. This seems more productive.

We still have 45 minutes left on this flight and then there is luggage to collect and an Uber ride home. My head can’t hit that pillow soon enough!!

That’s the end of my “woe is me” story. How about a yummy recipe? I made this guacamole knock-off on Sunday for our daily “booze cruise” on the pontoon around Deer Lake.

Many months ago, when I first tasted the Kale Guacamole at True Food Kitchen, my hopes were very high. If I remember correctly, someone else at the table wanted to try it.

Then it came and it was a revelation, so good! I looked up the recipe, expecting it to be mostly kale with maybe an avocado or two mixed in, but no, it’s mostly avocado with a little kale thrown in so that it can be called Kale Guacamole. No matter, it’s good and it sounds healthy. The poblano adds a nice little kick but the thing I love most about it is the addition of fresh citrus.

If you’re not sure what “1 grapefruit, supremed” means. Or if you have an idea, but aren’t sure how to supreme (or segment) citrus, go to this LINK and you’ll see how.

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I’m still in Quebec at Kim and Paul’s dreamy lake house. I haven’t been posting regularly because, well, I’m on vacation and because I’ve been obsessed with reading a book I found on the shelves here. I finished All The Light We Cannot See yesterday afternoon. My dreams have been filled with it since the day I picked it up and last night was no exception. Many of you have probably already read it since it came out nearly four years ago. I’m usually behind the curve when it comes to books. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a new read.

Now that I have my nose out of the book and my head out of the clouds, here is the salad recipe I promised you last week. Oh, and there is a mouse update at the bottom of this post.

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One of my favorite Valley chefs, Kevin Binkley, was the teacher at Les Gourmettes this week. I’ve mentioned Kevin and his stellar restaurant, Binkley’s, many times before on this site.

Photo

Kevin was able to do something that no one else has done, make me a kale salad lover – as long as it’s this salad! I could eat it every single day for lunch and dinner and be a happy camper.

Kevin calls it a crushed kale salad. It is the same technique you’ll find all over the internet, only they are calling it massaging the kale instead of crushing it. One thing he does differently is to tear the kale into bite-sized pieces instead of cutting it into ribbons or chiffonade.

In this video, I’m holding the camera with my left hand and only using my right to massage the kale. You’ll use both hands.

So why crush or massage the kale? Because doing so helps break down the very strong cell structure of the leaves. After a couple of minutes, you’ll notice a visible difference as you massage the kale; the leaves darken, they shrink and wilt and become quite silky, and most importantly, palatable. Raw kale is bitter and tough, massaging or crushing is key to enjoying it uncooked.

One big takeaway for me from the class was the way Kevin toasts nuts. Instead of spreading them on a dry baking sheet, like I usually do, he tosses the nuts in a little oil and salt. If you’ve ever toasted nuts before, you know that when they are done, they are dry. So dry that salt, sugar, or spice won’t stick to them. Tossing them in the oil and seasoning before toasting is so much better!

Two points I need to make: You’ll notice the recipe calls for raspberries, I didn’t have any, but they are a beautiful, colorful, and yummy addition to the salad. Also, be sure to buy bunches of kale, not the bagged chopped-up variety. The bagged stuff has the center ribs included, you don’t want the ribs. I used one bunch of dinosaur or black kale and one bunch of curly kale. A mix is a nice way to go.

Oh, and if you’re interested in learning more about Kevin Binkley – enjoy this great documentary.

Binkley’s Crushed Kale Salad

Toasted Walnuts

• 1 cup raw walnut halves
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Egg yolk from 1 small egg (or 1/2 yolk from a large egg)
• 1 tablespoon peeled and diced shallot
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Salad

• 2 bunches kale (a mix of dinosaur, curly, and/or red)
• 1 ½ cups finely shredded Parmesan, divided
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 navel oranges
• 1 container raspberries

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Saying, “Eat Your Kale” is so 2012, but that doesn’t mean Kale is not still King in 2013.

Why?
Because…

• One cup of kale still has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of fat.
• Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef.
• Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers.
• It is high in antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which also help protect against various cancers.
• Kale is great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the recommended daily allowance of omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight against arthritis, asthma, and autoimmune disorders.
• Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.
• It is high in Vitamin A, which is great for your vision, and your skin, as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.
• Kale is high in Vitamin C, high in calcium, and kale is still a great detox food. If you’re someone who really likes to take the time to watch what they eat for the purposes of detoxing in order to maintain or improve their health, perhaps these tips for detoxing your liver will be of interest.

To summarize – Eat Your Kale!

This quick and easy pasta recipe should help get it on your table on any busy weeknight, especially if you use the meat from a rotisserie chicken, as I did.

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Salt and Pepper.
Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Bread and Butter.
Wine and Cheese.
Milk and Cookies.
Gin and Tonic.

Winter and Soup.

They are made for each other! Each is a perfect match made in heaven.

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