blue artichoke

Last night I watched two episodes of Dexter, another dark tv show, and dreamed about a group of guys I hung out with in college and one guy I've known since we rode the bus together in middle school. Weird.

Anyway, GC has returned from San Antonio, so I got back into the kitchen to cook a real dinner, Portuguese-style. Yesterday morning was stormy, and after the rain passed, was just cold. A hot soup was in order, and this one, full of sausage, sweet potatoes, beans and kale warmed us up nicely. Using sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes and sweet turkey Italian sausage made the soup surprisingly sweet, in a good way. I halved the recipe, but we still have plenty of leftovers to be enjoyed on another cold and blustery day.

Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Kale Soup

This version of a traditional Portuguese soup uses sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes. For a thicker consistency, coarsely mash some of the beans before adding them to the soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
8 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
5 cups water
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package prewashed torn kale or 2 bunches kale, ribs removed, thoroughly washed and coarsely chopped
1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)

CALORIES 254 (29% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.1g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 14.2g; CHOLESTEROL 27mg; CALCIUM 132mg; SODIUM 797mg; FIBER 6.9g; IRON 2.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.8g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2007