Zuppa of the Evening, Beautiful Zuppa

A cold and rainy day calls for soup. After seeing a friend's post about the Caldo Gallego he'd made, I went to the kitchen, prepared to make some myself. I knew I had kale and potatoes . . . But I didn't have the right sausage on hand--neither the traditional Spanish chorizo nor the Polska kielbasa I usually use. I did have Italian sausage.Zuppa Toscana was the delicious answer. Quick, easy, warming. 

                                      Zuppa Toscana

1 pound hot Italian sausages

        5 strips of thick cut bacon (I used hog jowl which I think lends extra flavor. Also, it's what I had in the freezer)

       1 large onion chopped

       8 cloves garlic minced

        2 cups chicken broth 

        4 cups water

       5 good sized, unpeeled red potatoes,  cubed

      1 tsp. Italian seasoning

       1 cup heavy cream

     1 small bunch of kale chopped ( Black kale is traditional but I just had a half bag of ordinary kale so I added in some frozen spinach. Collards would work too.)

·   Salt and pepper to taste

Here's How 

Cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to the pot. Cook briefly over medium-high heat till it begins to brown.

Remove the sausages from their casings. (This is most easily done if the sausages are partly frozen. Make a long slit down the length of the sausage and peel off the casing.) Then cut or break the meat into bite-size pieces and add to the soup pot.

Chop up the onion and the garlic. When the bacon and sausage are browned, add garlic and onion to the pot. Cook 3 or 4 minutes.Now add the chicken broth, water, Italian seasoning, and potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil than reduce to a simmer.Cook 15 minutes or till potatoes are soft.Finally, add the kale, the cream, and salt and pepper to taste (very little is needed) and cook another ten minutes till kale is well wilted.A little red wine, some crusty bread, and a salad make this a feast for a cold rainy night.