Kale and black bean soup

 I set out to make a hearty winter soup this week using a healthy seasonal green, kale. The variety I’m seeing everywhere is known as Lacinto Kale or Dinosaur kale and is literally one of the healthiest foods you can eat (check out this page for the scientific breakdown). I found what appeared to be the perfect recipe for a kale soup and also looked hearty enough to be considered a one-pot meal. It had potatoes, beans, and meat from a ham hock. Unfortunately, all these ingredients added up to a recipe that failed to impress me. I’m sharing it with you because I think a few tweeks are all it needs to be really great, and to inspire you to give kale a try in a soup while we still have some cold winter months ahead.

 The smell of a pot of black beans and a smoked ham hock simmering on my stove had me believing I was headed down the right path. It filled my kitchen with the sweet smell of bacon cooking, which can induce hunger in even vegetarians. Beans, I don’t need to go into how nourishing and healthy those are, are excellent for soups that do double-duty as meals. They are filling and protein packed so even without the ham hock this would soup would be great for non-meat eaters. One thing to note is beans take time, as they need to simmer for about 2-3 hours until they are soft enough to mash. Plan to make this type of soup ahead of time. Do not start at 10:30 p.m. like I did, unless you want to join me in the Vampire Cooking Club I’m considering starting.

Kale, the star of the show, was to be simmered in chicken broth to soften. Afterwards, it is removed (saving the broth), squeezed out, and chopped before putting it back in the broth to cook a second time with the beans, ham and some diced potatoes. It looked so promising. It really did. Although, I couldn’t help but wonder why I couldn’t chop the kale before cooking it and not have to cook it twice, thereby removing more of its nutrients. This would be a change to try for the next kale soup.

If you try this soup with the black beans I think keeping the broth that they cooked in made the soup murky, and well frankly, unappetizing. I was craving a creamy black bean soup consistency with kale, or rather a clear broth with beans. Either way would have been preferable. I also  think using white beans would be nice, more like a Tuscan-inspired kale soup. In the end, I’m glad I made this because although it doesn’t look like a million bucks, it’s nutritious and kale is in season right now, making it tender and delicious. Give it a try if you see some in the market, just use this recipe as a guide, not a formula.

Kale and Black Bean Soup
Adapted from the The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook

1 cup dried black beans
1 ham hock, smoked.
7 cups water
1 bunch of kale
6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup or more)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 potatoes, skinned and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
salt to taste

Soak the beans overnight in water to cover.

Drain the beans, place in a large saucepan. Add the ham hock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 2-3 hours.
When the beans are soft, mash some with the back of a wooden spoon to thicken the liquid. Bone the ham hock and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Simmer the kale in the chicken broth until tender, about 30 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the kale from the broth, reserve broth. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the kale, then chop it.

Heat the olive oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the reserved chicken broth and chopped kale, simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the cooked beans with their broth, the ham, potatoes, parsley and thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes more, or until the potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Tagged as: black bean, kale, one-pot meal, soup