Joan's Kale and Potato Soup

Adapted from Joan Gussow's This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader (Chelsea Green, 2001, $22.95),

Ingredients

      2 cups cooked kidney, pinto or brown beans

        4 cups finely cut kale leaves

        3 Tbsp olive oil

        1 medium yellow or red onion, diced

        3-6 cloves garlic, minced

        1/2 tsp chili flakes

        1-2 bay leaves

        1 lb. red or yellow potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

        6 cups water or stock

  Method

Steam kale in a large kettle until wilted and bright green; set aside to cool. Heat oil in soup pot. Add onion, garlic, chili, bay leaves and sauté until onion is soft but not brown. Add potatoes and water, bring to a boil, simmer about 15 minutes. Re-chop kale and add with beans; boil 6-8 minutes.