Christmas Soup with Kale and Kielbasa

I’ve made this several times for Christmas Eve and always delicious. This was a recipe known as Alton Brown’s Polish Christmas Soup. Served with a good bread and butter, this is a nice light meal to compliment all the holiday appetizers and sweets, and looks festive as a red,green and white soup.

If you keep the sautéed sausage separate from the soup and just layer in individual bowls you serve, this keeps sausage seasoned. And, since there will probably be soup leftover, another meal can be made from freshly sautéed sausage, reheat soup and repeat.

Ingredients

• 1 pound kielbasa sliced 1/4-inch thick on bias (or any pre-cooked sausage links)
• Vegetable oil, as needed
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 pound red or white skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 ounces fresh kale,  about 3-4 handfuls
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the kielbasa in a 7-quart Dutch oven on the stove top until the kielbasa has browned well, about 10-15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.
3. Add beans and chicken broth and cook for 30 minutes, then add potatoes and for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy.
5. Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Distribute the kielbasa in bottom of soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.