Try this Zuppa Toscana recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 26.1257634932436 g
- Cholesterol 68.5225251719426 mg
- Fat 26.9326999175563 g
- Fiber 1.29338968815346 g
- Protein 26.2760259127397 g
- Saturated Fat 10.9882309457983 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (460g)
- Sodium 23379.4661199065 mg
- Sugar 24.8323738050901 g
- Trans Fat 1.65219036761647 g
- Calories 451 calories
Step-by-step
- Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
- In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
- Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
- Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
- Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
- Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!
When should the dairy actually go into the pot? Cooks ask this precise question halfway through assembling heartier soups, fearing that high heat will curdle the milk solids. Heavy cream contains sufficient fat to resist immediate separation, but adding it too early exposes it to prolonged simmering that ruins the velvety texture. Pour the cream in near the end, bringing the liquid only to a gentle warmth rather than a rolling boil. Sequencing matters immensely in this dish because russet potatoes demand a full thirty minutes to soften completely in the broth. Russets possess a high starch content that naturally thickens the surrounding liquid as they cook, releasing fine particles into the water and bouillon base. Italian sausage carries enough inherent fat that draining excess grease after the initial browning prevents the broth from becoming overwhelmingly oily. Render bacon, onions, and garlic slowly over low-medium heat for fifteen minutes to draw out sugars without scorching the aromatics. Pureed garlic burns quickly under intense direct heat, so keep the pan temperature moderate while sweating the onions until translucent. Kale requires merely a brief exposure to hot liquid to wilt down while retaining vibrant color and structural integrity. Standard pots work adequately for holding ten cups of water plus solid ingredients, though a wide-bottomed Dutch oven distributes heat more evenly across the base during the initial sausage rendering phase. Slice the potatoes uniformly to ensure they soften at the same rate, avoiding raw centers surrounded by disintegrated edges.
