I love kale.  I think it’s because I never had kale growing up.  Ever.  I really love kale. I can eat it raw, sauteed, boiled, dehydrated, you name it.  However, a lot of people do not like kale. Which I guess is good for me.  Really good for me.  Kale is loaded with vitamins A, C and K.  It’s a great source of iron and calcium and omega 3.  Kale can be grown throughout the year and is super easy to grow in a pot.  We have a few different types growing in the greenhouse right now and it’s about as low maintenance as grass.  I eat so much kale that my daughter gets excited when she sees it.  Probably a result of the daily dose of boiled kale with butter, apple cider vinegar and hot sauce I ate when I was pregnant (I wanted to avoid the newborn vitamin K shot).  I like the flavor of kale; the crisp, bittery, freshness.  I love the velvety smoothness and the crinkly texture of the leaves.  To me, kale just looks and tastes like pure health. Kale is simple, earthy goodness and it should be prepared that way.  I found this recipe for Boiled Kale with a Fried Egg and Toast from an awesome blog named Orangette.  It is awesome, I really mean it, it’s delicious, I could eat it forever and it tastes just as good cold.

So, without further ado:

Boiled Kale with a Fried Egg and Toast

• One big bunch of kale
• 5 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• A pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 4 cups of veggie broth
• 1 cup of water (optional)
• eggs
• bread, thickly sliced (I like to use whatever I have leftover)
• grated parmesan

Remove the tough stems form the kale by holding the end of the stem in one hand and grabbing the leaves in the other and pulling upwards.

Next, clean the kale by submerging the leaves in cold water then draining and spinning the leaves in a large salad spinner then tear the leaves into smaller pieces.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onions and cook until they are translucent.  Add the red pepper, garlic and kale and stir until the kale is wilted.  Add the veggie broth and water until the mixture is covered.  Bring to a simmer.

Cover the pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add salt as needed.

Place a hunk, slice, chunk of bread/toast into the bottom of a soup bowl.  Next, fry the eggs in olive oil, one per bowl.  Add the kale to the bread with some broth and then top with the egg. Top with grated cheese.

Enjoy.

It’s autumn here, which is my favorite season, and the season that always makes me crave soup. I love soup.  I love the simplicity of soup, one meal captured in a bowl, steaming hot, accompanied by a huge hunk of warm bread.  And I also love having only one pot to scrub.  I grew some sorrel this spring in my front yard and it’s still going pretty strong.  I know that sorrel soup is predominantly considered a spring soup however, I did not get a chance to do anything with it until the fall as a result of an onslaught of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and squash that were all desperately vying for my attention and counter space in the summer. To be honest, the only reason I ever made this soup was because I felt that if I planted it and grew it, I should do something with it, otherwise what’s the point.  I am so glad that I did. I’ve made this sorrel soup twice so far and it never fails to deliver.  I think I should get one more harvest out of it before I start a fresh batch in the greenhouse. The first time I made it I used my potatoes that I had just dug up that very day, so it was all the more satisfying knowing it traveled only a few feet from the garden to the table.

Sorrel or sheep sorrel is a weedy herb that has detoxifying and antioxidant effects, plus it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals, like B, C, D, E, K and P and calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and beta carotene.  It is tart and tangy and pleasantly bitter. It loves cool weather so it can be grown in a greenhouse through the winter and in the early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. It is incredibly easy to grow, you just plant it and harvest it, nothing more.  I think the tender, baby leaves taste the best but I use a mixture of both and haven’t noticed a difference in flavor.

Now, on to the recipe:

Sorrel Soup

A bunch of fresh sorrel

6 cups of vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound of potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup of heavy cream

creme fraiche

1.  Wash the sorrel and remove any tough ribs from the larger leaves.

2.  In a saucepan over medium heat, add the sorrel and stir it until it “melts.”

3.  Add the veggie stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

4.  Add the potatoes, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes can be pierced with a fork (15 minutes).

5.  Add the heavy cream and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is creamy.

6.  Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of creme fraiche. (sour cream will work in a pinch)

Enjoy.