I recently flew my mom out for a week (bless you Airmiles program!) to help me get ready for baby #2. Because of my pelvic girdle pain, I'm often very limited in my movements and can't be on my feet for long periods of time. My mom came to cook, clean, and watch Lily while I tried to organize around her.
Cinderella and her little helper polish the bassinet...
Trouble is, I'm a bit of a control freak in the kitchen (ok, that might be an understatement) and would barely let her cook anything. She did make batch after batch of muffins when I was at work - these will come in very handy when I'm starving in the middle of the night from breastfeeding and need a quick snack to get me through until morning - but her plans of making spaghetti sauce and other meals were squashed.
Despite my mom's intentions to make food for our freezer, I was pleased that I had a chance to do some cooking while she and Lily played. I made a large batch of this soup and couldn't have been happier with the results. I've made it a few times before but this was the best version yet. The original recipe has been adapted slightly from Chatelaine magazine but fear not, this is honestly a quick and easy soup to whip up. I used my own stock (I know, I know - I promise to post those instructions soon on making stock...) but store-bought stock will work just fine.
Ingredients:
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
4 large Italian sausages (preferably Spolumbo's)
10 cups chicken broth
2 x 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 x 19 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can tomato paste
1 large bunch of kale, removed from stems and chopped into small pieces
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp Hazelwood Chicken Blend (or each parts dried thyme, oregano, parsley)
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Dice onion and garlic into small pieces.
2. Remove casing from sausage and chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Coat a large soup pot with olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, and sausage until sausage is no longer pink (about 5-8 mins)
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, chickepeas, and enough chicken broth to cover all ingredients (may be more or less than 10 cups). Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and stir in chopped kale along with seasonings.
6. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until kale is soft.
7. Add salt if necessary and stir well before serving. Serve in bowls with grainy bread on the side.
Only three weeks to go...
