Fall Fest- Pork, Kale and White Bean Soup

It’s time for Fall Fest. The leaves are changing and the weather is turning crisp and cool.  In other words: soup weather!  This week’s star veggie is kale.  Now I didn’t grow up eating kale, but my husband did. He made the suggestion of making kale soup.  I think it’s important that you know your ingredients, what other veggies go with them and what spices will compliment them so after some research I came across a recipe that called for everything that I had in my fridge and pantry.  Most kale soups call for a sausage like chorizo but I had boneless pork chops which I browned in the pan first. The rest of the ingredients were almost the same. 

I had found a ham bone in my freezer a few days before and had made ham stock from it.  The fat from the ham stock melted into the soup giving it a richer flavor. A great compliment to the kale. But if you don't have a ham bone or ham stock then you can use chicken stock as the recipe below calls for.  But I think the extra effort was worth it.  The result was a hearty, tummy warming, stick to your ribs soup that is perfect for a cool fall night.

After this post check out all the other kale recipes from Food Network’s  fall fest participants. I bought an extra bunch of kale so I can try some out!

To Make Pork, Kale and White Bean Soup you’ll need:

3 medium sized boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat and diced

Olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons paprika, smoked if you have it otherwise plain paprika will work fine

1 cup crushed tomatoes or you can use 4 fresh roma tomatoes, diced. Or diced canned petite tomatoes, drained.

5 cups of chicken stock or 4 cups chicken stock and 1 cup white wine

1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves rinsed and chopped

1 can of white beans, rinsed

In a soup pot cover the bottom with olive oil. Season pork with salt and cook in the olive oil until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and place on a plate. Set aside.  In the same pot add the onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant.  Add the wine (if using) and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and scrap the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken stock, then add the kale and cook until it wilts.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the kale is tender, about 4 minutes.   Add the cooked pork and any juices that have accumulated on the plate along with a can of white beans. Heat until the pork and beans are heated through. Then enjoy this simple, quick and delicious soup. It's even better the next day! Oh yeah and don’t forget the crusty bread!

Now as promised here's even more ways to use kale from the FN Dish Fall Fest bloggers:

Jeanette's Healthy Living:  Kale Kimchi

Bacon and Souffle:    Roasted Carrot Salad With Baby Kale
Feed My Phoebe:  Kale Salad With Bagna Cauda Vinaigrette
Cooking With Elise:   Risotto With Tuscan Kale
Napa Farmhouse 1885:   Kale and Rainbow Chard Salad With Peaches, Blackberries and Pine Nuts
Thursday Night Dinner:   Linguine With Purple Kale and Italian Sausage
FN Dish:  The Rise of the Kale Chip