As I mentioned in my Fall canning post, my daughter Griffin and I spent the whole day in the kitchen. The day went by very quickly and before we knew it, it was dinner time. I walked out to my garden and the only thing available for harvest was curly kale. I picked a bunch and walked back into the kitchen panty to decide what to make. My pantry always has a variety of stocks and grains. My freezer also usually has Italian sausage and ground meats. This soup is a perfect casual Fall or Winter light dinner.
Griffin chiffonade cutting the kale. If you don’t know how to chiffonade, follow the directions below:
- Stack about ten leaves into a neat pile.
- Roll the pile of leaves lengthwise into a fairly tight cigar shape.
- Use a sharp knife to slice across the cigar.
- Fluff the chiffonade with your fingers to separate the shreds.
Fresh Kale, Farro & Sausage Soup
1 cup Farro
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Italian style sausage (remove casings)
2 gloves of garlic, chopped
5 cups chicken stock
3 cups kale
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
salt & pepper
In large stock pot, cover Farro with a few inches of water. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until Farro is tender. Drain.
While Farro is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Cook the sausages while breaking up the meat about 5 minutes until browned. Transfer to separate plate. Cook garlic in pan until golden. Add the stock to deglaze the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked Farro and cooked sausage to the hot stock, add fresh kale, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer until kale is tender.
Serve hot in bowls. I sometimes will add a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly grated parmesan cheese or another favorite cheese. Quick, delicious and EASY!
