I have written frequently about our unbelievable summer in Seattle.  I am sad to report, that has all changed!  The first day of Autumn left us with pouring rain and temperatures dipping into the 40’s!   I  may stop arguing with Dave about turning the heat on.

The arrival of fall is not all bad.  It means it is SOUP season.  I LOVE SOUP!  You will notice this as we move through the first fall and winter season of my blog.   Keep an eye out for Beef and Barley, Clam Chowder, Spicy Butternut Squash, Chicken Noodle, Avgolemono and a Persian barley soup I finely found a recipe for!

Today I made one of my all time favorites…. Italian Chicken Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup.  There are 100’s of variations of this soup out there on the WWW.  Mine includes a couple of  twists….parmesan rinds and white vermouth!  Give it a try, you won’t be sorry!

Ingredients

1 pound small white beans, soaked overnight

2 quarts chicken stock (or veggie stock, if you want to make this vegetarian)

1 pound Italian Chicken Sausage (or Field Roast Italian style sausage, if you want to make this vegetarian)

1 large onion, diced

5 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 cup diced tomatoes (I still had some from the garden)

5 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced

1 bunch Lacitiono Kale, stems removed and sliced

1 cup Dry Vermouth (the white one)

4-5 parmesan rinds – ask for them at the cheese counter if you don’t see them

Salt and Pepper

Shredded parmesan for garnish

Place the soaked, rinsed, drained beans in a large soup pot.  Add the chicken stock and parmesan rinds.  Bring to a slow simmer, and cook about 90 minutes.

Brown the sausage in a sauté pan with a little olive oil.  When the sausage is browned, add in the dry vermouth.  Scrape up all the browned bits.  Pour all into the soup pot with the beans and broth.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes and garlic to the soup pot.  Let simmer about 45 minutes.  Add the sliced kale and cook an additional 45 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This soup freezes well.

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