Sausage & Kale Soup

What You'll Need:
- 4-6 strips of bacon

• adding more is your own preference

- 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, UNCASED

- 4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes

- 6 cloves of garlic (at least, add more if you prefer)

- 1 large yellow onions (1.5 medium / 2 small)

- 6 cups (48 oz) Chicken Broth

• I use a 48 oz can of College Inn Chicken Broth, but use whatever brand you feel most comfortable with.

- 1 bunch of kale

• I usually end up using half when I initially make this soup, and I save the rest of the kale for when I reheat the leftovers. The kale that's left in the soup will tend to get super soggy and disgusting, so it's much better with some fresh kale when reheating.
• You can also sub a bunch of fresh kale for a bag of pre-chopped kale. 

- 3/4 cup heavy cream

- 1 teaspoon white whine vinegar

- Crushed Red Pepper

- Ground Black Pepper

How Long It'll Take: 

I find that this recipe takes me about an hour to prep before I even put the soup all together.  Then, I let it cook together for as long as possible (and no less than 45 minutes to an hour). That being said, this is a good soup to make on a weekend, or a night when you are home early. 

Let's Get Started: 

1. The first step is to clean your potatoes and kale.

• If you have never cleaned kale before, I like to first rinse the bunch really well with running water. Then, I take the leaves off the stems, and put my kale back into a big bowl of fresh water until I am ready to use it.

2. The next step is to get your bacon cooking. Chop your bacon into one-inch pieces and lay in the bottom of your pot over a medium flame. 

• I like to cook all of my ingredients in the same pot that I am ultimately using for my soup. So while I may be unorthodox to cook bacon in the bottom of a soup pot, I find that it's better for two reasons: 1. cleanup's a breeze, and 2. all the flavors from everything being cooked together stay in the pot. That being said, if you are more comfortable using a pan to prep all of your ingredients, go for it!

3. While the bacon is cooking, I begin to chop my onions, potatoes, and garlic. The onions can be chopped however you like - I prefer to keep them sort of chunky, using like a medium chop. The potatoes, however, should be cut in thin round slices - it is important to make sure they're all about the same size. Garlic can be thinly sliced or crushed - your preference.

NOTE: If you are using the bottom of your soup pot, you may have to cook your bacon in batches. You don't necessarily want crispy or burned bacon for your soup, so keep an eye on it.

4. Once all of your bacon is cooked, remove the bacon from the pot, and line your potatoes in the bottom of your pot/pan, using the leftover bacon grease to cook them slightly. I cook the potatoes for 2-3 minutes on each side, and then remove them from the pan. 

• The intention here is not to necessarily cook them completely through, but just to get a nice sear going on the outside of each slice. 

5. Once your potatoes are cooked, it's time to cook your onions and garlic. 

• Start with the onions. If your bacon grease was completely used up by your potatoes, add a very small amount of olive oil to the bottom of your pan before adding in your onions, and cook them until they are translucent. 
• After your onions are cooked, throw in your garlic and mix well. Let the garlic cook only for a minute or two before continuing on to the next step.

6. Add your sausage to the pot to brown. 

• You can do this either with, or without the onions and garlic still in there - that's a matter of preference. 
• As you are browning your sausage, you want to keep mixing it with a spatula or wooden spoon so that it breaks up into smaller pieces, and also so that it cooks thoroughly. The onions and garlic will get mixed in while you do this, and that'll just add to the flavor of the meat.

7. While your sausage is browning, you can add in some crushed red pepper and some ground black pepper. You don't need a lot of either of these, use your judgement. You can always add more later if you feel it needs it.

8. After your sausage is completely cooked, add your potatoes, onions & garlic (if you had separated them), and the 48 oz of chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. 

9. Let your soup boil for only a minute or so, and then lower to a simmer. Cover and let cook for a MINIMUM of 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

10. About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, add your kale to the pot. 

• As I said earlier, I like to use about half of the kale that I have, so that I can save fresh kale for leftovers. If you are expecting to serve your entire pot of soup, then I would add all of your kale.

11. Stir in your heavy cream. Cover the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes.

12. Stir in 1 tsp of white wine vinegar (trust me) right before serving, and enjoy!

Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

What You'll Need:
- 1 Pkg of Sausage

• I like to buy sweet Italian sausage, or a hot & sweet sausage combo pack (usually the package has 6 links)

- 1 Bunch of Broccoli Rabe

- 1 Pkg of Pasta

• I like to use rigatoni, but it doesn't really matter. The brand I always buy is Colavita, but if that isn't available, I'd use Barilla.

- Fresh Mozzarella

• I typically buy Bel Giosioso, and I buy the one that is already sliced
• This can be left out if you are lactose-intolerant 

- Olive Oil

- At least 5 Cloves of Garlic
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Dried Parsley (optional)

How Long It'll Take: 
- Prep time isn't too long with this one. Like most of my meals, I tend to work as I go, but if you're more comfortable prepping everything beforehand, then I'd say this will take about 15 minutes to prep, and another 25-30 to cook.

Let's Get Started: 
1. The first thing I always do when starting this meal is clean my broccoli rabe. I rinse it really well with cold water, cut the hard stems off the bottom, and then put it in a big bowl of water to soak again until I'm ready to use it.

2. In a VERY LARGE PAN (large enough to eventually hold your sausage, broccoli rabe, and pasta), put a little bit of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and set the heat to medium. Wait until the pan heats up, and put your sausage in to get it going.

3. Start your pasta by putting your pot of water on a burner on high heat. Complete the next steps while you're waiting for it to boil.

4. Set up another pot to steam your broccoli rabe. You'll need a medium-sized pot with a cover. If you don't have a steaming basket, just fill about an inch of water in the bottom of the pot, set it to the side for later. DO NOT TURN THE HEAT ON YET.

5. While your sausage is cooking and your water is heating up, you'll want to start prepping your garlic and mozzarella. I like to use a TON of garlic - if that's not your style, feel free to use less. I peel approximately 5-6 cloves of garlic, and then thinly slice them. As thin as you possibly can. Set them aside in a prep bowl. Make sure you are watching your sausage and sporadically turn it as needed. 

6. I then chop my mozzarella into little pieces. If you get the pre-sliced fresh mozzarella (16oz. pkg), take about half of the package and place it neatly in a stack on your cutting board. You can then cut it three times in each direction to make little cubes.

7. When your pasta water is boiling, add your pasta to the pot. I am usually cooking this for two people, and I use a half a pound of pasta. If you are cooking for a family of four, increase the amount of pasta and sausage as needed. Don't forget to salt your pasta water!! 

8. Once your sausage has cooked well-enough (you don't want it to be raw, but it's okay if it's not totally cooked yet, it will still have time to continue cooking), take it out of the pan and set it aside on your cutting board.

9. Drain your broccoli rabe and put it in the pot you have ready on the stove with a handful of your sliced garlic. Drizzle a little olive oil over the broccoli rabe, cover the pot, and cook over medium heat until the pasta is done.

10. In the pan that you were using to cook your sausage, start your olive oil "sauce." Start by putting enough oil to heavily cover the bottom of the pan. Add a dash of salt, a generous amount of black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to the oil, as well as the rest of your sliced garlic. Set the heat on medium-low.

11. Begin to slice your sausage in thin slices. I like to do a slanted cut, so my slices are a bit longer than the width of the sausage, but it doesn't really matter how you slice it, only that the pieces are about the same size. Also, a thinner slice will cook faster if your sausage isn't completely cooked at this point. (NOTE: It should be totally cooked on the outside, this will prevent it from falling apart when you slice it.)

12. In the pot with your oil, your garlic should be browning nicely - NOT burning. Add your sliced sausage to the oil. Continue to stir periodically until you're ready to serve.

13. Right before your pasta is ready, add your broccoli rabe to the pot with the oil and sausage. If there is leftover water in the broccoli rabe pot, do not put that water into your pan. Just the broccoli rabe.

14. When your pasta is ready, scoop it out of the pot with the water and into the pot with the oil. (I prefer this method to straining the pasta and dumping it in, because I like to add some of the leftover pasta water, and I tend to forget if I strain the pasta. If you prefer to strain, save some of the pasta water first.) I use about 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup.

13. Add your leftover pasta water. Mix everything together.

14. As you're mixing, add your pieces of fresh mozzarella, and sprinkle in some parsley.

15. After the mozzarella begins to melt, you should be ready to eat. Enjoy!

Notes:
- All of your sausage should be completely cooked.
- Your broccoli rabe should be tender, but not mushy. If you prefer it to be softer, you should cook it longer, or cook it to taste FIRST before completing the rest of these steps.
- Also, if you've never cooked broccoli rabe before, it's going to reduce a TON. I know using the entire bunch looks like a lot, but trust me it's not. If you're only cooking for yourself, or just two people (who don't have large appetites, or maybe have never had broccoli rabe before, you can try using half a bunch, but it's really not going to yield much.)
- Sometimes I add in a chopped onion to my oil during step 10. This makes the dish a little sweeter, which can be nice and also help switch things up if you make this frequently. I recommend trying that once you're comfortable making the standard dish.
- For a "fancier" version of this, sub the mozzarella for goat cheese, dry parsley for fresh parsley, and add some pine nuts!