Sausage & Kale Stew with Lentils & Chickpeas

Today I’m posting my dinner. I usually share guilty pleasure items, but you’ll enjoy this one just as much – I promise.

“Only the pure at heart can make a good soup.”

-Ludwig van Beethoven

Did he really say that?! I like it.

Soup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC.^[3] Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers (which probably came in the form of clay vessels). Animal hides and watertight baskets of bark or reeds were used before this. To boil the water hot rocks were used. This method was also used to cook acorns and other plants.

The word soup comes from French soupe (“soup”, “broth”), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa (“bread soaked in broth”) from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word “sop“, a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.

The word restaurant (meaning “[something] restoring”) was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as an antidote to physicalexhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for the eating establishments.

Who knew?!

Kale & Sausage Stew: feeds 4 large portions or 6 smaller

3 TB oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 head garlic, minced

3 fresh red chilis, minced

1/2 bunch green onion/scallions, chopped

2 sausages of your choice, cut into small pieces

1-2 TB (each) cumin, oregano, turmeric, paprika, fennel seeds (or more, add to your liking)

800 ml canned, chopped/diced tomatoes in juice

1,500 ml water

250 ml chickpeas, cooked

250 ml lentils, cooked

150 g fresh kale, chopped (or 1/2 bag, or 4-5 big handfuls)

salt & pepper to taste

-Place the oil in a large pot, turn to medium heat, and saute the onion for 5-7 minutes until they begin to brown.

-Add the sausage and cook until beginning to brown, then add the garlic, chilis, and green onion/scallion and saute for another 2 minutes.

-Add the seasonings, stir to create a sort of paste with the minced ingredients and spices, and cook an additional 2 minutes until you can really smell their scent.

-Pour the tomatoes with their juice & the water into the pot, stir to incorporate, adjust spices (taste the broth, add more spices if you like) and simmer for 30 minutes.

-Add the kale and cook for another 5-7 minutes until all of the kale becomes soft and wilted.

-Once your soup has been adjusted for flavour balance and you’ve added salt to your liking: add the already cooked chickpeas and lentils. You don’t want to add these items at the beginning of the cooking process, as their texture is harder to control and they may end up becoming overcooked and mushy. I add them at the end so they retain their nice mouthfeel.

Share links to your favourite soup recipes/soup inspiration in the comments below!

6 replies on “Sausage & Kale Stew with Lentils & Chickpeas”

Delicious and hearty. Looks wonderful. My husband always says to me that soups are my forte…. I love the quote “Only the pure at heart can make a good Soup”. I will share that with my dearly beloved!:)