I didn't want to call this lockdown soup, but that is where I created it and it brought comfort and rich flamboyant flavour to a difficult day in Melbourne's 4th lockdown.
During the winter, I always have homemade chicken stock to hand. I either roast a chicken every few weeks or I buy chicken bones directly from my organic butcher and make the stock in my slow cooker. I have about 20 recipes that I use the stock into and it adds such a rich, healthy and well-rounded flavour and texture to them all. This is what I used in this recipe.
What you will need (serves 6):
2 litres of homemade chicken bone broth
250g diced bacon (lardons) *organic and free-range
1 red onion - finely chopped
2 medium potatoes - cubed
2 carrots - cubed
1 courgette - grated
1 tin/1 cup (soaked and pre-cooked) cannellini beans
1 tin/1 cup (soaked and pre-cooked) borlotti beans
1 cup frozen peas
6 large sprigs kale (or 1 per person)
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp italian herbs
1 tsp salt (or to taste depending on how salty your broth is)
ground black pepper - to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
(optional) 1-2 garlic cloves finely chopped. I didn't add garlic as I cannot stomach it, however much I love the taste, and I didn't miss it at all.
How to:
Soften the diced onions in olive oil, then add the bacon cubes. Let them cook for a few minutes on a medium-high heat to get them nice and sautéed.
Add in the potatoes and carrots and give them a few minutes to warm up in the pan with the juices the bacon is creating.
Add in the grated courgette, the (drained) beans, peas, chilli flakes, italian herbs, salt and pepper.
Add the 2 litres of chicken stock.
Stir well and let simmer until the potato chunks are well cooked.
Wash and finely chop the kale, then divide it between the bowls so that when you add in the piping hot soup, it warms the kale through (rather than it overcooking in the pan and infusing the soup with its pungent).
Let me know how much you enjoy this!!!!
