I’m feeling under the weather. Icky. Sicky. Down in the dumps.
I woke up this way. Eyes matted. Throat scratchy. Mind murky. Stomach reeling.
I just wanted to stay in bed and that is mostly what I did. Cuddled up to my next to my warm cozy; dozing, but not really resting. Waking only to find myself feeling more and more like a lost ball in high weeds. Heavy with fatigue.
On days like this, when my body is ailing and my mind is lagging, I want something hot and comforting to eat. Something that can be served in a bowl and held in between my hands. Something steamy, something brothy, something soothing.
So today I offer up a recipe that is sure to sooth the soul if not the body. With plenty of healing rosemary, garlic, chicken broth and a splash or two of red wine vinegar, the new-found, old-forgotten fountain of youth in a bottle, its a brew for what ails ya’. We’ll call it Witch’s Brew, Get Better Stew.
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground Italian Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups of chicken broth, divided
5 cups, stemmed chopped kale
2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided
1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pour olive oil into to a large Dutch, swirl to coat, and place over medium heat. Add the sausage, onion, carrots and celery and sauté until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is browned. Stir in at least a 1/2 teaspoon salt, minced garlic, black pepper and your preferred amount of dried rosemary and cook for a minute or so.
Stir in 5 cups of chicken broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Once a nice boil has been achieved, cover, reduce heat, and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for a few minutes longer, until the kale is tender.
Place 1 can of cannellini beans and a remaining cup of chicken broth in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add this puree, the remaining can of cannellini beans and the black beans to the stew and increase the heat until it is boiling once again. Then, as before, cover, reduce heat, and simmer on low for several minutes.
Stir in the red wine vinegar and remove from the heat.
Ladle into bowls, serve whilst hot, preferably with fresh-from-the-oven crumbly bread, and invite your family to close their eyes, bow their heads, and breath in the rich aroma of this meal. Oh…and say grace while they are at.
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Discovered on www. myrecipes.com, my meal-planning go-to, I tweaked the recipe to fit my own family’s tastes and to accommodate what was growing fresh in my garden. The original recipe can be found here.
Leona & Alexander 