Category General

Parties That Cook’s New Year’s Day Recipe: Brothy Lacinato Kale and Potato Soup with Tasso Ham

First things first: Happy New Year!
Now that we’ve taken care of business, what are your resolutions for the new year? Eating healthy? Losing weight?? Cooking more?! Hosting more dinner parties!?! I’m going to let you in on a little secret: The recipe below does all of the above! No, this isn’t your average infomercial message — and frankly, I’m a little insulted by your asking. We just want you to accomplish your goals this year, whatever they may be. This healthy, hearty, delicious, easy to prepare, Brothy Kale Soup* is the dish to kick-off 2013. Trust us.

*as not seen on TV

Brothy Lacinato Kale and Potato Soup with Tasso Ham
This recipe can be found in our Soups, Salads & Pastas section!

Ingredients
Soup:
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 2 Tablespoons, divided
1/2 pound lacinato kale, about 1/2 bunch
1 pound small waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
1 Tablespoon kosher salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 oz piece of Parmigiano Reggiano with rind
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, hot
1/2 pound Tasso ham, cut into 1/4 inch dice

Herb Puree Garnish:
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/3 cup (fully-packed) fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/8 cup (fully packed) fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped
10 basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon, zested
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Methods/Steps
Prepare Aromatics: Cut both ends off of the onion and cut onion in half. Peel away the papery skin and discard. Thinly slice the onion into long pieces. Peel the garlic cloves and thinly slice as well. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until soft and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more.

Cut Kale and Potatoes: Using a sharp knife, cut the stems off of the kale. Stack the leaves of kale on top of each other, roll then cut into 1/4-inch strips. Cut the potatoes into ½ inch dice. Add the kale and potatoes to the pot with remaining 2 ½ teaspoons of salt and the black pepper. Sauté vegetables for about 5 minutes more.

Simmer Soup: Add the hot stock to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cut the rind off of the Parmigiano Reggiano and add just the rind to the soup. Reserve the rest of the cheese for garnish. Simmer until the kale and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Sauté Tasso: Cut the tasso into ¼ inch dice. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauté pan. When hot, lightly sauté the tasso until it starts to get crispy on the edges. Do not add into the soup. Set aside until service.

Puree Garnish: Add everything to the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Serve: Lay out all of the soup bowls onto a clean work surface. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top the soup with a spoonful of the herb puree. Divide the tasso among the bowls (omit from vegetarian bowls). With a rasp, grate some parmigiano reggiano on top. Wipe rim and serve immediately.

Serves/Makes
One batch serves 8. While this recipe might make enough to share, delicious flavors might have you fighting feelings of selfishness.

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® | www.PartiesThatCook.com

Parties That Cook’s Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2013

We’ve almost made it through the year. And boy was 2012 a doozy… Luckily, the only thing left to do is sit back, relax, and start prepping for 2013! First things first: Your New Year’s Resolutions. Last year we provided a quick list of our resolutions for inspiration, and this year is no different. Feel free to jump on our bandwagon, and adopt any of the following ambitions, goals and resolutions.

De-clutter Your Life: Less is more. This might be Parties That Cook’s motto for the year. 2013 will be all about cutting back on excess, cleaning out, and making our operations effortless!

Get Healthy: Whether it be in the physical sense (cutting back on wheat and dairy, or drinking more green smoothies) or improving your sanity, work on bettering yourself this year. Yoga, meditating, or just reflecting on the day/week might help, but the key is to NOT spread yourself too thin at work or in play.

Stay Focused: I know we encouraged adventure last year, but it seems a certain PTC Planner took our advice to the extreme. She now recommends actually saying “No” more often. Stay focused and energized for what’s really important in life. Of course you can still have your fun, but in the end it seems to come down to priorities.

Get Active: Don’t forget to make goals that don’t revolve around the office! We’ve got a couple of PTC ladies training for a half marathon, another crazy rock climber, and yet another embarking on an A-Z restaurant challenge this year. Aim high and expand horizons.

Have More Fun in the Kitchen: Don’t look at cooking as a chore! Start a cookbook club (follow ours if you need inspiration), take a few cooking classes, or just perfect your beurre blanc at home. If the cooking process doesn’t excite you, you’re crazy start a food fight at least the results will be delicious!

Continue Learning: This resolution may look familiar – and it should! We resolved to continue learning in 2012, and never want to stop. If it’s not a new skill you’re interested in, try learning about the people around you. Your environment is always changing, even if things may feel the same on the surface. (Note: Teaching can be an equally impressive feat. Try getting your new puppy to sit and stay!)

Paint the Town Green: Start a garden! Try growing your own herbs or tasty veggies like radishes & green beans. Not only will you fit in with the trending farm-to-table movement, but the results will leave you with a rewarding sense of accomplishment. To those in tiny apartments with no yard: I feel your pain, but it can be done!

Practice Fiscal Responsibility: Yet another recurring goal makes an appearance on this list. Just because you behaved yourself, limited your spending and saved some money in 2012, does not mean you can go crazy in 2013. (We all know you didn’t really cut your lunch budget for work days, anyway.) Challenge yourself this year, and actually bring your lunch to work 3 times a week! If I can do it*, so can you.

Give Back: Volunteer at a local shelter, mentor youth, heck, host a Cooking with Kindness event for your company! Get out there and make a difference – it only takes one person (YOU). I promise that the benefits of giving back (joy, fulfillment, warm fuzzies) far outweigh any cost (time, money).

Make Big Moves: At work and in your personal life, you want to come out of 2013 feeling like a champion. It’s not about planning to do something; just do it. Kick butt (can I say that?) in your sales territory, blow your goals out of the water, go on that dream vacation you’ve been craving! Any amount of progress on your goals will feel like a WIN.

*Not saying I did.