A trip to the German Coast farmer’s market yielded a beautiful bunch of black kale for the bargain price of $1.  The black kale went right into a soup, with white beans, andouille, carrot, celery, onions, and garlic.  Traditional Tuscan versions of this soup contains no meat, but I am genetically compelled to add a little smoked meat into any vegetable dish.

Black kale & white bean soup

1/4 lb andouille, casing removed, quartered & thinly sliced

2 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup of dried great northern white beans

water

1 bay leaf

2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1 bunch black kale, washed, de-stemmed, and sliced into ribbons (about 3 or 4 cups, loosely measured)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp oregano, chopped

1 cup diced tomato (fresh or canned)

3 cloves garlic, minced

Saute sliced andouille in olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan; when it begins to brown, add chopped onion.  Cook until onion is golden brown, then add white beans, bay leaf & enough water to cover beans by several inches.  Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.  Add celery, carrots, kale, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, diced tomato, and garlic.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 hour until beans & kale are tender.  Serve with a sprinkling of grated parmesan.