Soup Time - Kale and White Bean Soup

I finish this with some grated Parmesan and drizzle of olive oil

Soup is definitely one of my favorite things to eat.  Soup is ubiquitous in the Chinese culture, and I can tell you with confidence that my mom has a soup for every ailment you can think of.  For me, soup is just comfort food.  It's food for the soul. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.  It's fantastic to have a pot of soup in your fridge that you can eat throughout the week.  I was at the St Lawrence Market over the weekend and saw these beautiful ham hocks.  I knew right away they would be perfect for a soup.  I bought one and asked the butcher to cut into 4 smaller pieces. I used one for this soup and put the rest in the freezer for later use.

The mise en place

Ingredients:

Ham hock (1/4 piece, your butcher can cut it for you)

2 carrots - diced

2 stalks of celery - diced

1 medium onion - diced

3 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

2 cups of dried white beans - soaked over night

1/2 bunch of Kale chopped finely

4 litres of water 

1) Heat a heavy bottomed pan to medium-high and add some olive oil. 

Let the veggies sweat but don't burn

2) Sweat carrots, onion and celery - saute until onion becomes translucent, but don't burn the vegetables (about 5-10 minutes)

3) Add ham hock, thyme, bay leaf and beans to the pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.

4) Lower heat and let it simmer gently for 45 minutes

5) Remove thyme stems, bay leaf and ham hock from pot.  Let ham hock cool down on the side. Let soup continue to simmer

6) Remove 1/3 of soup with beans and either puree with a hand blender or through a food processor.  Put the pureed soup back into the pot.

7) Remove meat from ham hock and finely chop this and add back into the soup.  Add chopped kale into the soup and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

8) Season with salt and pepper -Optional - grate some Parmesan cheese on top and serve.

Something to keep in mind is that I don't really measure things out nor do I cook off a recipe.  I do this by feel and when you are making this soup, use some discretion.  Watch and taste your soup.  There should be a good balance between broth and veggies/meat.  I generally like my soup to be 1/3 solids and 2/3 broth when the soup is done.  I also like to give my soup lots of time to simmer and let the flavors build.  That means I will ensure I have lots of liquid to start, knowing that I will let it simmer and reduce.  And finally the only time to season your soup is when its done.  If you add salt early in the process, the soup will just cook, reduce and get saltier the longer you cook the soup.  Season once and only at the very end.

Enjoy!