cooking with meela - kale and white bean soup

Hello All-

Today I have a recipe that I recently made that I'm in L-O-V-E with! The recipe comes from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook My Father's Daughter.  The title in the book itself is white bean soup: two ways. Version one of this recipe is the one containing kale. The recipe's as follows:

Ingredients:
•  3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•  1 fennel bulb, stems and fronds removed for another use, sliced
•  1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
•  2 large cloves of garlc, peeled and thinly sliced
•  pinch red chile flakes
•  1/4 teasppon dried oregano
•  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•  2 14-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
•  2 pints vegetable stock
•  coarse salt

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. dd the fennel and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion and garlic, turn the heat as low as it can go, and cook for 1/2 hour, stirring here and there.A little color is okay, but you really want the vegetables to get soft and sweet. Add the chile flakes, oregano, and pepper and cook for a minute. Add the beans and stock, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, add salt to taste, and let cook on low heat for 1 hour. Proceed with either version.

version one (with kale)

• one bunch of kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces

•  your best, highest-quality olive oil, for serving

Stir in the kale leaves and let cook for 7 minutes, or until just cooked. Ladel into four bowls, drizzle with your very best oil, and serve.

My variations:

Only because of lack of ingredients, I cooked the soup without the fennel, chile flakes, & dried oregano. I also added more stock (4 pints, organic) and kale (about 2-2 1/2 bunches) and half of a large onion. 

You're probably thinking that it would be horribly bland without those ingredients, but to your (and my) suprise, it was still super flavorful.  Next time I definitely want to add the chile flakes to give it a little heat. I also like to serve it with a bit of breaf or a crusty roll to soak up the yummy juices! I would definitely make this super delicious, super healthy meal again!