Just a quick – for me – post for you today. A simple, but deeply nourishing and seasonal soup to warm you up on this ‘bonnie, bricht bit awfie cauld’ day. Translation: ‘beautiful, bright but awfully cold’ day.
I am slipping into old Scots vernacular for a reason. Tomorrow, the 25th of January, is the birthday celebration of Scottish national bard (poet), Robert Burns; he who gave the world Auld Lang Syne – sung around the world as one year slips into the next – and many well-loved poems.
Many Scots around the globe will gather together tomorrow to feast, sing, dance and drink plenty of whisky in his honour. If you ever get an opportunity to attend what is usually a quite raucous gathering to commemorate his life and works, take it. You will be in tears from both laughter and touching sentiment, and I promise you will never forget it. The moment anyone sings “My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose,” I melt. My father-in-law sang it at my wedding to Andrew, his deep baritone trembling with emotion. We married on New Year’s Eve.
I have made this simple soup to start off the evening. More common soups – or brose – would be traditional cock-a-leekie and cullen skink soups – both tremendously fabulous soups. But I am just throwing this in as a very simple and vegan alternative (the former is with chicken and the latter with smoked fish). Kale is something that was fed only to our cattle for many centuries, or was ‘poor food.’ Now we know better and grow this intensely nutritious vegetable for ourselves.
I have been asked to contribute this soup to Scotland.org as part of their Burn’s Night celebrations (the website has some interesting twists on traditional Scottish dishes). I have also been asked to take part in Swap Your Old January To An Aldi January (#AldiChallenge), flagging up the fact that you don’t have to spend a lot to eat well and deliciously. And with this easy, budget-friendly recipe, you certainly don’t have to spend a lot.
Slàinte. 🙂
Creamy Kale and Potato Soup with Salt n Sauce Kale Crisps
1 tbsp butter or rapeseed oil (Scottish preferred) – Aldi’s vegetable oil is 100% UK rapeseed
1 small onion or medium leek (white only), peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes, cubed (about 3 cups)
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (plus extra for serving if liked)
2 bay leaves
800ml (28 fl oz) vegetable stock – Aldi has 18 cubes for 39 pence
120g (3 packed cups) kale, spring greens, cabbage greens, collard or turnip greens, washed and chopped
The Kale Crisps
These healthy crisps are a nod to my adopted hometown of Edinburgh, where chips are ordered with ‘salt n sauce’. The brown sauce – otherwise known as HP sauce even though it is mostly generic brands used – is diluted slightly with vinegar and shaken over hot, freshly fried chip shop chips/fries, often with fried fish. A delight.
Cupped double handful of chopped curly kale + 1 tsp rapeseed oil + 1 heaped tsp brown sauce/HP sauce or A1 steak sauce
Special equipment: blender, immersion (hand) blender or food processor
1. Slowly sweat the chopped onion or leek with the oil for five minutes over a low-ish heat. Add in the bay leaves and nutmeg and sauté for a further minute then add the stock and potatoes. Bring to the boil then turn down to simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 15 minutes). Add the kale, turn off the heat, and let the greens wilt in the heat until softened – about five minutes. Fish out the bay leaves.
2. Transfer the soup to your blender or food processor and blitz until completely smooth. My Optimum 9400 blender renders these chunky ingredients into “green velvet” (quoting my daughter, who loved this soup) in seconds but most blender will cope with these ingredients very well.
3. Make the crisps while the soup is cooking by placing the kale in a large bowl, adding the oil and brown sauce, then massaging it gently. Pop it onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes at 140C/285F. Or until crispy and light. Serve some crisps crumbled onto the soup and some kept whole on the side.
Tip: when making bigger batches of soup I use a minimum of stock to cook the ingredients, blend the soup, then add the remaining stock. If I will be transporting it I add the stock once I reach my destination as this saves a bit of the worrying about it spilling in my car!
Disclosure: I was compensated for ingredient costs by Aldi.
This is my latest Jumpstart 2105 recipe. Here are some more blogs knocking up some lovely healthy grub and great healthy eating tips for this January event.
Tinned Tomatoes (Latest: Fridge Vegetable Soup)
Ren Behan (Latest: Beetroot & Kale Soup + Kale & Almond Crumble)
Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary (Latest: Juices, Soups, Smoothies: Week 2)
Smarter Fitter (Latest: Pumpkin Soup with Homemade Curry Powder)
Utterly Scrummy Food For Families (Latest: Beetroot Smoothie)
Veggie Desserts (Latest: Beet, Cranberry & Ginger Smoothie)
Franglais Kitchen (Latest: Jumpstart 2015 With Healthy Eating Tips)
Maison Cupcake (Latest: Roast Tomato & Pepper Soup)
London Unattached (Latest: Low Calorie Creamy Leek Soup)
My Custard Pie (Latest: Overcome the Fear of Green Smoothies)
And I’m sending this simple and economical recipe over to a couple of round ups and challenges:
Credit Crunch Munch – fuss free flavours & fab food 4 all
No Croutons Required – lisa’s kitchen & tinned tomatoes
Sounds like a delicious soup for a cold Edinburgh day, Kellie. I’ll keep this is mind for when winter descends on us Down Under.
Ah yes, not quite hot soup and oven weather for you! Thanks for commenting and sharing, Christine. I appreciate it. 🙂
Aaahhhh! I get the sentiment totally as I was also married on New Years eve and there are certain things that send me into a tearful state. A song. A place. A smell. A look….
Nice little story. X
Thank you Louisa. I hope you enjoy many happy years together. Eating kale crisps 😉
Ps. Love kale chips!
I love kale chips but never thought to try them in a soup before, great idea!!! Will have to try this.
I sprinkle them on just before serving and top up as I go along! It’s great to have a texture contrast. And helluva healthier than fried croutons. Although those would be gorgeous too 😉
Perfection in a bowl as usual Kellie! Shared and tweeted!
Thanks so much, Susan. 🙂
We grew some kale and I made kale chips (Yum!)… love the idea of your soup. Nourishing and delicious too! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks, Liz. It is such a cinch to grow in cooler climes but I know there are strains for hotter weather. I wonder if they taste the same. Hmm
I eat Kale nearly everyday. 🙂 Love it!
Me too, Sandy! Usually kale chips are eaten straight off the tray in the kitchen. Other ways with kale are eaten more politely. Thanks for stopping by from Twitter 🙂
Oh your so welcome! Good to know there are other Kale lovers out there, it is so very good for us! 🙂
well done – deeply delicious – The origin of this recipe is Israel – Middle East Brings such healthy and powerful cultural food!
Perhaps mirrored cultural traditions. All of these ingredients are grown and used extensively in Scotland. I didnt know kale was ‘a thing’ in Israel. I am suitably intrigued. I will look into this connection, Mihran. Thanks for the comment and info. 🙂
Looks lovely, Kellie! We have soup for dinner every Sunday and this one looks like it would fit the bill perfectly. The husband doesn’t like kale in soups but I think if it were blended like this he’d change his mind. Putting this one on the must make list!
That soup sounds so delicious Kellie! Looks gorgeous too
I melt at My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose too, your wedding must have been amazing.
Wish I had eaten this for Burns Supper last night but we went trad.
I’ve tried to get into kale, as it seems to be the current vegetable phenomenon, but I just don’t really like it. Mind you, the soup looks so glorious and inviting, maybe that’s the way in?
The soup looks so thick and creamy! Gorgeous colour too. I’ve only had kale chips once and I didn’t enjoy them – but, they were a shop-bought packet, which I think was probably the problem. I must try making my own!
What a vivid and cheerful looking soup that is! I adore Kale crisps, but have never made my own so i’m def going to be having a try and your recipe. I’ve had the most unhealthy January on record with the all the craziness of organising a relocation, but I feel determined to start changing my ways this week, so this is a good place to start!
Hi! We made this soup over the weekend…..and now it’s all gone!
Absolutely lovely, thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Wow, thanks for the great feedback. I am so glad you tried it and let me know. It’s so easy, isn’t it?
I love kale and can’t believe the backlash against it by people who think it’s not nice. It is, as you have just proved. I think it is the tough texture that puts people off but there are ways to avoid that and soup is effect as are the moreish sounding kale crisps. What great soup Kellie!
I think some people are put off by a) the smell (I can understand that), b) the taste – some are super-tasters and it is so bitter to them, c) it is too damn trendy, d) texture, as you point out, and e) it is green. Whoever started the kale craze is a genius. But with genius comes backlash. I am a true fan and as I am so old, don’t care whether it is fashionable or not. You aren’t old, I know, but you know a good thing when you see it and taste it. It is incredibly versatile, but Idon’t think I will be making brownies out of it any time soon. Thanks for commenting, Laura.
Another triumph! And I have a load of kale in the fridge, threatening to pass its use by date, so I really will try to make this tomorrow. Stumbled and pinned.
Brilliant. Any surge in Pinterest/ SU for me I will credit to you. I bow down to your social media prowess. 🙂
Yay! I have made it in various iterations, but this is easily the easiest and my favourite. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Admittedly, I’ve only tried kale once – raw in a green smoothie. It was vile. Perhaps I’ll have better luck eating it cooked like this soup? Beautiful styling!
Gracious. If that soup wasn’t just fine enough, serving it up with kale crisps is simply perfect. Thanks for sharing with NCR.
What a beautiful and healthy soup – love the kale crisps too! Thank you for a fabulous #creditcrunchmunch entry:-)
The color to the soup is so beautiful. It is so helpful that you make your recipes easily converted to vegan!
I love the color of this soup… and if it can keep you warm in Scotland, I’m sure it can do the trick during this freezing American winter!
This was really good. Thanks for sharing this. Top marks.
Simon