Hearty Vegetable Chowder

This hearty chowder is a meal unto itself.  It warms you from the inside out on a cool day.

Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

6-8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups carrots, 1/4 inch slices
2 cups potatoes, 1/2 inch pieces

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, 1/4 inch dice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups coarsely chopped kale

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped escarole

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped radicchio
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat the stock in a stock pot over medium high heat.  When broth comes to a low boil, add the carrots and potatoes.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.

While carrots are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium low heat, and sauté the onion, garlic, kale, escarole, and radicchio for 10 minutes, stirring.  When greens are tender, remove from heat.

When carrots and potatoes are just tender, add the greens from the skillet to the stock pot.  Heat for a minute, the turn off the heat, and distribute chowder to serving bowls, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Homemade Chicken Stock

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Don't throw out those bones! Savory, flavorful homemade stock is the base for all kinds of recipes. Soups are the most obvious, but it's also useful for adding delicious flavor to vegetable and rice dishes, for braising and poaching. This is my basic method, feel free to substitute other herbs and vegetables.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  3-4 hours
Yield:  8-12 cups stock, depending on the size of your chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 chicken carcass, with bones and skin
1 onion, quartered
1-2 carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, scrubbed and chopped (with leaves)
2 TB peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS
Add all the ingredients to a big stock pot and fill with clean cold water to just cover the bones. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer for a few hours. Let cool, drain through a colander. Now you can discard those bones! Chill the stock overnight, and skim off the fat. That ambrosia can be used right away, or frozen in small containers for the benefit of future generations.

Ribollita

 











Ribollita appeals to my food sensibilities.  Loaded with vegetables, its whole premise is waste-nothing (Stale bread? Chuck it in!), it's a rich stew, and of course it's Italian. Look up comfort food and the first entry should be Ribollita.

This dish made of leftovers thickens and tastes better the next day - sort of leftovers squared.

Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: A crowd

INGREDIENTS
3 TB olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 large carrots, scraped, 1/4 inch dice
4 stalks celery, 1/4 inch dice
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tomato, 1/4 inch dice (or one can diced tomatoes)
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp hot sauce (your favorite)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups whole grain or white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
Shredded Parmesan for topping

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large stock pot and cook the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the tomato sauce, tomato, stock, hot sauce, and thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour. Add the parsley and bread and heat for a few minutes, then serve, topping with shredded Parmesan. A swirl of olive oil is traditional.

A dry red wine is perfect alongside your bowl of Ribollita. It is also appropriate to arrange for snow outside.

Variation: Chopped bacon or diced pancetta are nice additions for the carnivorously-inclined.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Kale Butternut Bisque

 











Creamy rich butternut soup with flecks of deep green. This is the perfect destination for leftover winter squash.

Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 18 Minutes
Serves: 4 (6-8 as an appetizer or side dish)

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch kale
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups cooked butternut
2-3 cups chicken or turkey stock
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Wash the kale and strip the leaves off the stems. Dice the stems, and coarsely chop the leaves (keep them separate). Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat, add the onion and the kale stems, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until stems are soft. Add the leaves and the water, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until greens are soft. Add a little more water if necessary

Add the cooked squash, 2 cups stock, cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper. Process with an immersion blender, adding more stock if necessary to achieve a thick, creamy consistency. Bring to a simmer and serve.

A dollop of sour cream on top is a nice touch, along with the obligatory crusty bread.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Chunky Vegetable & Kielbasa Stew

With the ingredients on hand, this stew is fast and easy.  In my test case of one family, it passed the kid test, too (probably because the chunks are large and easily identified - grin).  Bring this out on a cool, rainy day and you'll see smiles all around.

Prep time:  25 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Serves:  6-8

INGREDIENTS
8-10 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups fresh cabbage (chopped into pieces about 1/2 inch across)
2 cups carrots, 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups celery, 1/2 inch chunks, leaves kept separate
3 cups thin-skin potatoes with peels, 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups cooked kielbasa, 1/4 inch sections
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, bring your stock to a low boil over medium heat.  Add the cabbage, carrots, celery, and potatoes.  Cook at a low boil for 15 minutes or until carrots are tender and potatoes are done.  Add the kielbasa (make sure it is 'fully cooked') and heat for another minute or two.  Serve with crusty bread, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Variations:  Try adding fennel, garlic scapes, and vary the cabbage (try bok choi, or napa cabbage, etc.)  This can easily be made without the kielbasa.  Try adding white beans.  The possibilities are endless.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

New England Cassoulet

Like chili, the definition of cassoulet inspires passionate debate.  For this version, I focused on readily available ingredients.  While there's no duck under the hood,  you'll find plenty of rich flavor in this "New England" homage to the classic dish.  The vegetables are cooked separately and combined at the last minute to preserve their independent flavors.

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 40 minutes (if beans are prepared and ready to use)

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

6 cups prepared white beans, such as cannellini, flageolet, or great northern* 

2-3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons olive oil, separated

2 cups pearl onions or coarsely chopped onions
3 cups carrots, 1/4 inch dice

1 cup sliced spicy sausage, such as andouille or chorizo

1/4 cup purée of oven dried tomatoes, or tomato paste

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat beans in stock pot with two cups broth to a bare simmer.  The objective here is not to cook the beans, but to make them hot for use when the other components are ready.  Reserve the remaining stock to use later if your cassoulet needs the moisture.

While beans are simmering, heat a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat and cook the sausage, garlic, rosemary, and sage, stirring, for 10 minutes or until done.  Scrape sausage in to a bowl to free up your saute pan.

Melt the butter and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat, and add the onions.  Cook for 4 minutes, stirring.  Add 1/2 inch water in the saute pan, taking care not to splatter yourself.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until onions are soft and sweet. Scrape onions and their liquid in to a bowl separate from the sausage.

Heat the olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat and saute the carrots for 4 minutes, stirring.  Carefully add 1/2 inch of water to the skillet.  Bring water to a simmer and cook the carrots for a further 4-5 minutes, or until carrots are just tender crisp. 

Add the sausage to the beans in the stock pot.  With a slotted spoon, add the onions and carrots, reserving the cooking liquid.  Add hot sausage and tomato purée.  Now, add enough onion and carrot cooking water, and the reserved broth, to create a thick stew (this is a matter of taste, I usually add all of the liquid because I love the flavor and the soupy consistency).  Heat to a simmer, stirring.  Serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

*If you want to get really serious, Cassoulet Beans (Tarbais Beans) are available through specialty food suppliers, such as Rancho Gordo.

Tip:  If you have multiple skillets or sauté pans and like the challenge of multitasking, you can prepare the sausage, carrots and onions in parallel.  Or, if you have the time and want to minimize the mess, follow the procedure above and cook each component ingredient in turn.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Curried Butternut Broccoli Soup

This hearty cream soup, enjoyed after a cold day outside, was perfect for the occasion.  Prepare extra squash, broccoli, and potatoes a day or two beforehand, and it's very fast prep (not to mention efficient use of leftovers, if you're that type of cook).

Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Serves:     4-6

INGREDIENTS
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups cooked butternut or other winter squash
1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced (about 2/3 cup)

DIRECTIONS
In a deep stock pot, combine the stock, squash, broccoli, potatoes, curry powder, and salt.  Puree with an immersion blender to a smooth consistency.  (Alternatively, prepare in batches in a food processor or blender).  Place the stock pot on your stove over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until beginning to bubble.

While soup is heating, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and saute the onions, stirring, for 5-8 minutes or until they become soft and translucent.  Remove from heat.

Distribute soup to serving bowls, garnishing with caramelized onions, and perhaps with a touch of sour cream.



Variation:  Swap in other winter squash.

Vegetable Stew

 

Fast, satisfying treatment of fresh chunky veggies. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

4-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, 1/4" dice
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 cups carrots, 1/4" dice

4 cups cabbage, 1/4" dice

2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1 can cannellini beans with liquid

Shredded Parmesan to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat the stock in a large saucepan or stock pot over medium heat.  

While stock is heating, heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat and cook the garlic and onion for 2 minutes, stirring.  Add the Italian seasoning and the carrots and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  Scrape the carrot mixture from the skillet into the stock pot, along with the cabbage, heat to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the broccoli, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots, cabbage, and broccoli are tender crisp.  Add the cannellini beans, heat for 30 seconds further, the serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and topping with Parmesan cheese.

Variations:  This simple method could easily be adapted to welcome other chunky vegetables such as bok choi, celery, celeriac, and others.  Add chopped sausage.


Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Cream of Potato Soup

Sometimes the best thing you can find in the fridge are leftovers.  Follow Plato's advice (you know, the chestnut about "necessity is the mother of invention")!

Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 18 Minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS
3 TB olive oil
1 small onion, 1/4" dice
4-5 fresh sage leaves, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3-4 cups stock
2-3 cups cooked potatoes with peels on, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Cooked bacon to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and sage, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Using an immersion blender (or a food processor in batches) process the onions with 2 cups of the stock, the potatoes, and the salt and pepper.  Add more stock to achieve the consistency you like. Heat soup over medium-low heat in the saucepan, stirring.

Serve, garnished with the bacon.  Talk about comfort food.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Turkey Leek Soup

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick









This simple soup is a tasty destination for leftover turkey or chicken.  It is also, by the way, a good antidote for a cold.

Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes (not including turkey cooking time)
Serves:  4-6

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large leeks, cleaned, dark green parts removed, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground thyme
5 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken meat, cut into 1/2" chunks
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a stock pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat and saute the leeks and the thyme, stirring, for 4 minutes.  Add  the stock, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.  Add the rice and the turkey, heat for another 5 minutes, and serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Kale Bean Soup from Beyond Salmon

I like Beyond Salmon because of author Helen Rennie's passion for terrific ingredients and attention to method.  Kale Bean Soup makes great use of CSA ingredients, and includes a side dish of culinary philosophy.  (Photo is by Helen Rennie.)

Turnip Green Soup

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick









We should have a flavor tag that says "Tastes Green".  Turnip Green Soup would be first on the list.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Serves:  2 - 4 as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS
2 strips bacon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large bunch turnip greens, washed, stems separated from the leaves. (3-4 cups chopped)
 2-3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pine nuts to garnish (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook the bacon in the bottom of a stock pot.  When done to your liking, remove the bacon to drain and decide whether to use the bacon fat for cooking, or to pour it off and use olive oil.

Turn the heat under the container you used to cook the bacon to medium, can cook the garlic and stems for 2 minutes, stirring, or until the garlic begins to tan.  Add the turnip greens, stir, and cook for 1 minute.  Add the chicken stock, thyme, and cumin.  Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until greens are tender, stirring occasionally.

Using an immersion blender or a countertop blender, process the soup to the consistency you like.  Distribute to serving bowls, garnishing with pine nuts and crumbled bacon.

Variation: Add a cooked potato or a dollop of yogurt for a thicker, creamier soup

Grilled Vegetable Soup

 











This rich, velvety soup of eggplant, zucchini, & tomato is a meal unto itself. Oven dried tomatoes add concentrated flavor, but fresh tomatoes will also work fine.

Prep time: 60 minutes total: 30 minutes unattended (salting/purging the vegetables), then 20 minutes (not including oven dried tomatoes)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS
2 large eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
2 large zucchini, scraped and cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
1-2 onions, thickly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
About 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, and oven dried, or fresh tomatoes, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup fresh basil and parsley, chopped
4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock

DIRECTIONS
Layer the eggplant and zucchini in a large baking dish, salting each layer, and set aside for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, rinse and dry the slices. Preheat the grill. In a large bowl, turn the zucchini, eggplant, and onion in the 3 TB olive oil. Grill vegetable slices for 6-8 minutes, turning once, or until they are soft and blackened. Return to the bowl to cool. When they are cool enough to handle (about 5 min) coarsely chop them to facilitate processing.

Place grilled vegetables, along with tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, and 4 cups chicken stock in a large stock pot. Process with an immersion blender to a smooth consistency, adding more stock if necessary. Bring to a simmer, and serve. Toasted nuts are a tasty topping for this rich creamy soup.

Tips: Thick onion slices are less likely to fall through the grill! A blender or a food processor can also be used in place of an immersion blender, although you'll want to process the soup in batches to avoid explosions.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Cream of Butternut Soup

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










Thanksgiving leftovers can transform into something even better than the original.

Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 18 Minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS
3 TB olive oil
1 small onion, 1/4" dice
2-4 cups turkey (or chicken) stock
1 - 2 cups cooked butternut squash
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
Pine Nuts or toasted sliced almonds to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onions are browned and soft. Process the onions with 2 cups stock, squash, potatoes, cumin, and red pepper with an immersion blender, blender, or food processor. Heat soup over medium-low heat in the saucepan, stirring. Add more stock if necessary, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, garnished as you like, with bread, salad, and a glass of light bodied red wine. Life is good.

Tip: start with 2 cups of stock, and add more to achieve the consistency you like.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Everything Powisset Crock Pot

This delicious potluck dish was created by Christiane Oberli for Powisset Farm.

Prep time: 20 Min
Cook time: 6-8 hours unattended
Serves: 6-8

1 smoked ham hock
1 lb dried beans mix washed and sorted
3 carrots sliced
2 parsnips sliced
1 celeriac cubed
1 large red onion roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic skinned
1 tbsp salt
4 fresh sprigs parsley
3 fresh sprigs thyme
2 cloves
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp ketchup
water
4 peeled potatoes cubed

Place all except potatoes in crock pot and fill with water (allow beans to expand). Turn on low for 6 to 8 hours. Add potatoes 2 hours prior to serving. At time of serving, cut up ham hock and return all (bone included) to the pot. Enjoy with crusty bread slices.

Creamed, Spiced Collard Soup

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick











This dish proves the saying about something being greater than the sum of its parts. Make this from fresh, or use leftover cooked greens.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS
3 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch fresh collards, rinsed and coarsely chopped, stems separated from leaves
4 cups chicken stock
2-3 leftover boiled potatoes
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat and saute the garlic and collard stems, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the garlic begins to turn light brown. Add the kale leaves, turn heat to medium low, cover and cook, stirring, for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the leaves and stems are tender. The leaves will release water that will help cook the collards, but if necessary add a little more water to prevent leaves from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the collards are tender, use an immersion blender or a food processor to process with the stock, potatoes, red pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper (Doing this in batches might be a good idea).

Pour soup into a saucepan for reheating, and distribute to serving plates, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and topping with sour cream.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Pete's Grilled Eggplant Soup

Photo by Tod Dimmick











This great recipe by Peter Lundberg is from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce (Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition). I admit I was a skeptic until I tried it. And then came back for seconds and thirds.

3 large eggplants
1 cup olive oil
2 large onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
thin, round lemon slices
sour cream

Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick planks. Grill or broil them until moderately charred. Meanwhile, place olive oil, onions and garlic in large soup pot; cook on high heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Dice the charred eggplant, add it to the pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add stock, lemon juice, and spices, simmer 30 minutes. Let it cool a little, then puree in small batches (TD Note: Can you say Immersion Blender?!). The color will be a rich brick hue. You may add salt and additional spices to taste. Reheat the soup when you're ready to serve it, garnishing each bowl with a lemon slice topped with a dollop of sour cream. The soup may also be served chilled in the summer. This is the type of soup you may improvise with, adding other vegetables if you have them.

Cream of Broccoli & Carrot Soup

One of the world's most wondrous inventions is the immersion blender, which enables leftovers to magically transform into soup. In this case, roasted broccoli & carrots, with a few potatoes, and several cups of chicken stock, becomes the perfect satisfying dish. And this is only one of many.

Soup veterans like CSA member Sophie Cannon start by sauteing onions with spices like cumin, turmeric and coriander, then adding the other goodies for blending.

Cooked greens (think kale) are perfect in soups like this.

Cold Cucumber Soup

 

















My friend Paul Wood made this for me as thanks for supplying him with cucumbers. I got the better end of that deal - this is delicious.

Prep time:  15 minutes
Yield:  about two quarts

INGREDIENTS
3-4 good size cucumbers
16 ounces sour cream
16 ounces  plain yogurt
1/2-2/3 quart buttermilk
1 bunch fresh dill
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Peel and de-seed the cucumbers. Pour about 2 cups of buttermilk in a blender or food processor, then add sliced cucumbers. Process to a smooth consistency.  Pour off 1/2 of the liquid into a large bowl, and put in more chopped cucumbers. Pour off about 1/2 the liquid again and add sour cream and yogurt.  Continue until all ingredients are processed.  Stir to mix.

Feel free to play around with the proportions. More sour cream to make it thicker and richer. In general, it's somewhat close to 1/3 of each.

After everything is mixed, pour back about 2 cups into the blender and add 7-8 branches of dill with the garlic and put the blender on high to really blend it. Pour everything together and add a little salt  to taste. At this point you decide if you want more buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt or leave it alone!

It tastes best the next day when the garlic and dill really settle in.

Photo by Tod Dimmick

Hearty Greens & Barley Soup

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick
















Like hearty greens? This is the soup for you. This big batch is one of my tricks for preparing large amounts of summer produce to freeze for the winter. Problem is that it's so tasty I eat much of it before it gets near the freezer.

Prep time: 20 minues
Cook time: 60 minutes
Serves:

3 TB olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 bunch hearty greens, such as kale or other brassica greens, washed, with stems separated and chopped into 1/2" pieces and leaves coarsely chopped.
4-5 carrots, scrubbed, peeled if necessary, and chopped into 1/4" segments
a handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
a 6" branch fresh oregano, leaves stripped & chopped, woody part discarded or reused elsewhere
4-5 3" spears fresh thyme, leaves stripped, woody part discarded or reused elsewhere
2 6" fresh rosemary spears, leaves stripped & chopped, woody part discarded or reused elsewhere
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
12-15 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (vary the amount depending on how thick you like your soup)
1 cup uncooked barley
5-6 cups tomato sauce (or even -shh- a jar of your favorite pasta sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat and cook the onion, kale stem sections, herbs, carrots, and garlic, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, increase heat to medium high, and bring to a low boil. Add the barley and chopped greens, turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until greens are tender and barley is cooked. Stir in the tomato sauce, and return to a simmer. Add more stock or water if necessary to reach the consistency you like.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan and a glass of dry rose' wine. If it's winter when you enjoy this soup, a few spoonfuls will bring you right back to summer. Life is good.

Variation: add chopped cooked chicken, pork, or sausage.