DAVE'S ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND KALE SOUP

Steps:

• This soup uses kale, but you can use any of the major greens you like. I have alternated in kale, escarole, and it has been reviewed with others using spinach. As the first review of this recipe indicates, using multiple pots can be a pain. However, the only reason to use two pots is if you are actually using kale. Other greens that are softer don't require blanching and as a result you can get away with using just one pot.
• Using two pans, the soup pot and a regular 12 inch sauté pan:.
• Step 1.
• In the soup pot:.
• Rinse the kale well, chopping off heavy stems.
• While the kale is wet just add to soup pot and add about a quarter cup of water. Blanch the kale leaves in pot, reserve liquid and leave in soup pot for now.
• Step 2.
• In the sauté pan.
• Skin the sausage, split lengthwise while raw with knife, and cut into bite sized pieces, so they look like small meatballs.
• Lightly brown the sausage (do not cook through) drain and set as aside.
• Make sure when cooking that you don't burn the sausage as you will be cooking with the sausage grease next.
• Pour out any grease that will easily drip out, but leave a fine coat of the sausage grease on the pan for your next step and set pan aside for now.
• If you burn chunks of sausage to the pan, just use a paper towel to wipe out any black crust but leave some of the fat there.
• Step 3.
• Once the sausage is set aside take the large pieces of kale and chop into bite sized pieces. Return to the soup pot, keeping any liquid in the pot.
• Add broth and tomatoes to the pot with the kale and begin to heat on high.
• Step 4.
• Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper into the slightly greasy pan with the 2 table spoons of butter.
• When onions are slightly translucent or about 3 minutes, add spices to this mixture.
• Step 5.
• Add the sauté pan contents to the soup pot and add the sausage to the soup pot. Bring the entire mixture to a boil. After boiling for about 2 minutes, reduce heat to a medium low heat and simmer for about 1.5 hours.
• Optional:.
• Option 1:.
• If you like, add 1 cup of rice to this and at 8 ounces of water while cooking. Suggest you add the rice to the sauté pan and sauté with the onion mix for about 3 minutes before putting into the main soup pot.
• Option 2:.
• After soup has simmered for about half an hour alone, add a package of noodles of your choice and the 8 ounces of water.
• Option 3:.
• Add 3 Medium potatoes chopped into small pieces while raw, sauté with onions until the potato cubes are soft to the touch. Add to soup pot.
• Add 3 Medium potatoes chopped into small pieces while raw, sauté with onions until the potato cubes are soft to the touch. Add to soup pot.