sprinklefingers

i’m having a difficult time believing in summer. try as i might, i just can’t remember what it feels like to be hot. i also can’t remember the last time i put on sunscreen. additionally, i’ve lost all my open-toed shoes. and let’s not even talk about where my sunglasses might be.

because spring can’t even seem to get it together enough to let the sun shine for more than a few hours here in oregon, i’m still in full-on hearty soup mode. sure, i’d like to be getting all springy with my eating, but that’s difficult to do when the temperature still isn’t getting much above 49 degrees. damn pacific northwest.

back to soup: it’s easy for me to get stuck in soup ruts. we have a few we really like, and i make those soups all the time. but the soup i’m about to describe is a total departure from what we’re used to. caramelized onions. black beans. sweet potatoes. kale. all adding up to one delicious soup. in fact, it’s a soup even my kid ate (although he insisted we call it porridge and requested that i call him goldilocks throughout dinner. but, whatever. he ate it. and there were no bears in sight.)

black bean & sweet potato soup with caramelized onion, kale & sausage
serves 6-8 as a main course

you need:

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped small
• 4 small cloves garlic (or 2 large), chopped
• 2 t cumin
• 1 t coriander
• 3/4 t fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 2 quarts homemade chicken stock
• 2 large sweet potatoes (yams!), peeled and chopped into 1/2” pieces
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and cut into thin ribbons
• 4-5 cups black beans, cooked 
• 1 lb bulk mild italian pork sausage

make the soup:

1. melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. when hot, add the onion and cook, watching that it doesn’t turn too brown too quickly, until nicely caramelized - about 22-24 minutes.
2.  to the onions add the garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper, salt and cayenne. stir well and let cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
3. deglaze the pan with a splash of chicken stock. once the brown bits are scraped up and incorporated, add the rest of the stock. 
4. to the stock add the sweet potatoes, kale and beans. 
5. bring the mixture to a simmer and cover with a lid. let cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.
6. while the soup is simmering, cook the sausage (with no added fat) over medium heat until nicely golden and cooked through. do not drain. set aside.
7. once the potatoes are tender, use an immersion blender to blend just a bit of the soup - you can certainly skip this step - i just love the way blending a bit of the soup adds body and texture to the final dish. (you could also simply blend a cup or two of soup in your normal blender and then add it back to the pot.)
8. once you’ve blended a bit of the soup and stirred it all back together, add the cooked sausage AND its pan drippings. stir well so that the drippings and sausage are fully incorporated.
9. let cook for about 10 more minutes to let the flavors meld - taking care to stir gently so that you don’t break apart your chunks of sweet potato.
10. taste the soup and adjust the seasonings - and, done!

i know it’s probably against your better judgement to add the sausage fat into the soup, but you really should do it. it takes a good soup to great.

i like to serve this soup in low bowls and topped with a small quenelle of full-fat sour cream. add a bit of bread and (french salted) butter and you can call it a meal.

it probably goes without saying that this soup freezes beautifully - it will hold in the freezer for up to 3 months. to eat, simply thaw and reheat.