Two Takes on White Bean and Kale Soup

I was driving across the Bay Bridge with the awesome L.B. riding shotgun and chatting about cooking styles and the upcoming Lenten fast. She mentioned a soup that she had made recently: white bean and kale. Puree a leek as the base, cook white beans, add in chopped kale, and a small ton of black pepper.

The next I realized that the bunch of kale in the fridge was a bit far gone for the making of crispy kale. Sadness ensued...soup was the answer to sadness. And thus began take one.

A smallish leek - about half a pound once trimmed - chopped.
2/3 cup dry white beans, soaked.
bunch of kale, chopped into strips.
carrots, chopped - about 3/4 a cup.
veggie broth
salt

I simmered the carrot along with the leek in vegetable broth until tender. Pureed the two together with a hand mixer. Added the beans, simmered until they were cooked through and added the chopped kale near the end. The spices were pretty simple. Some salt at the beginning, but the soup turned out rich and lovely, if simple from the leek, so I left it be.

About a week ago I realized that I had another bunch of kale turning limp and lonely in the fridge, so I decided on a second round -- this time shooting for a more aggressive flavor.

1 yellow onion, chopped.
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped.
1/2 cup dry white beans, soaked.
1/2 cup carrots, chopped.
1 bunch kale, chopped.
veggie broth
vegetable oil
salt, black pepper, and paprika

Sweat the onions and garlic together in soup pot with vegetable oil and salt. When they're tender, add about a tsp of black pepper and a tsp of paprika. Allow the spices to toast a bit. Add the beans and adequate veggie broth (I think I used a TBSP of Better than Bouillon and 4 cups of water.) Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer until the beans are cooked through. Puree with a hand mixer. Add kale and carrots, and a bit of water if needed. Cook until carrots are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.

In terms of the texture of the soup, I preferred the first with the beans left whole to balance the kale. The flavoring of the second one, with the strength of the garlic and onion would better withstand the introduction of a meat to the party.

The Prodigal Child

Yesterday was the Sunday of the Prodigal Son on the Orthodox Calendar. It was also the first day I read the epistle at a Sunday Liturgy.

I have been, properly speaking, Orthodox for just under a month now. I was received into the Church in January after a very, very long period of exile from my native tradition and life as a refugee in the Orthodox world. There's been a lot of study (and an M.A.) and soul-searching along the way. But I'm home. I'm home as an adult. Committed by choice. And embraced in a way I've never truly felt before.

Even if over half of the yia-yias persist in thinking that I'm Romanian.