What I'm Going to Cook Next: Kale and Potato Soup

My food resolution was to try and cook more meals from scratch (as opposed to ordering in or tossing together semi-prepared goods like pasta sauce and packaged ravioli). Some weeks are better than others, with this week seeming to be a good one so far!

Yesterday I bought a giant bag of kale. Usually I cut up the kale (literally cut up using kitchen scissors), and toss it into a pan with olive oil, minced garlic and ginger, and season with a little bit of salt and lemon juice. Easy and delicious. But I also have some potatoes that need to be cooked, so I found this recipe from New Dream favorite Mark Bittman: kale and potato soup. Perfect for a nasty day like today! As we're trying to encourage you to cook more meatless meals as part of Cater to the Earth, here's the recipe for you to try along with me.

This recipe is taken from Bittman's appropriately titled recipe book How to Cook Everything.

Kale and Potato Soup, Makes four servings in 30 minutes.

• 1 large baking potato, cut into eights


• 1 clove garlic, lightly smashed


• 5 cups vegetable broth or water, preferably warmed


• About 3 cups roughly chopped kale leave (stripped from the stalks and well rinsed before chopping)


• 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or oregano leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried marjoram or oregano


• 1 bay leaf


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the potato, garlic, and 2 cups of the stock or water in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium high.  Cook until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes. (You may prepare the soup in advance up to this point.  Cover, refrigerate for up to 2 days, and reheat before proceeding.)


2. At the same time, cook the kale in the remaining stock or water with the marjoram and bay leaf until tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf.


3. Puree the potato, garlic, and stock or water together; the mixture will be thick.  Stir it into the simmering kale, season with salt and pepper, and heat thoroughly.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!