Woman Connected to Recipe: Nana
Submitted by Lindsay DiLorenzo
About Nana and her Kale Sausage Soup:
Nana is the mother of our dear friend, Wendy. A Croatian native, Nana raised her three children with her husband, Rick, in Melbourne, Australia. We were so fortunate to stay in Nana’s Croatian summer home on the Adriatic Sea years ago where she hosted our crazy crew of 16.
Her love language is undoubtedly through food as she cooked feast after feast for us every single day. The freshest of fish - caught daily literally in front of her house, produce picked from the local village and of course, Mia’s favorite - Nana’s soup. Often slurped sitting on Nana’s lap. This was the most authentic “farm to table” - before the term permeated our culture. And it was through Nana’s strong hands and sun-kissed smiles that we truly understood the power of food as pure unadulterated love.
INGREDIENTS
Soup:
1 yellow onion
2-3 carrots
1 pound of sausage (we use Kielbasa!)
2 quarts broth beef or chicken
2 cans canellini beans
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 bunches of kale
Salt + pepper
Olive Oil
Croutons (optional, but AMAZING) :
1 stale baguette
Olive oil
Salt
DIRECTIONS
Croutons:
Cut the old bread into 1/2” cubes. If the bread is not stale, let the cubes rest in a colander uncovered for a few hours. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil on deep sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in cubed bread and toss to incorporate. Drizzle some more olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt evenly. Reduce heat to low and cook stirring occasionally until cubes turn golden brown, about 30 min. Add extra salt to taste ** Lindsay and her family like theirs extra salty!**
Soup:
Wash and dry all produce. Remove ends from onion and discard; then, small dice the onion. Cut carrots in half; then, slice into half moons. Mince or grate the garlic. Remove kale leaves from stem and discard stems; then, cut into 1” pieces. Slice sausage into 1/4” disks. Drain cannelini beans.
Heat 3 Tbsp. of olive oil on a large pot/dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook until translucent and fragrant about 3-5 minutes. Add carrots and bay leaf to pot and cook stirring occasionally for another 2-3 minutes
** Be careful not to overcook the carrots! - you want to keep a slight crunch in the carrots**
Add garlic and sausage, sauté for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broth and beans and stir to incorporate. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30-40 min. Remove bay leaves stir in kale, allow 1-2 min for kale to wilt.
Then, remove from heat and serve with homemade croutons.
