Greens, beans and sausage soup

Name: Greens, beans and sausage soup
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 3 medium carrots; 2 celery stalks; 1 large onion; 6 garlic cloves; 450 g (1 lb) sweet and/or hot Italian sausage; 125 ml (4. fl oz/. cup) extra virgin olive oil; Kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 185 g (6½ oz/1 cup) French green lentils; 2 bunches Tuscan kale; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 dried bay leaves; 2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée); 1 or 2 Parmigiano rinds (optional); Sherry vinegar, for serving; Buttered toasted crusty bread, for serving; Use half a fennel bulb instead of celery; Minced (ground) pork can replace the sausage; Any type of kale or endive (escarole) can be substituted for Tuscan kale; Use ground cumin to replace cumin seeds; Other small dried (soaked) beans, can be used instead of lentils; cook time may increase (top off with water as needed). Don’t use split lentils, which will disintegrate into the soup; A few thyme or rosemary sprigs can replace the bay leaves

The combination of beans and pork has stood the test of time and Carla Lalli Music's soup recipe adds a new dimension to the relationship

21 November 2024

Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Lentil and Bean

This soup sums up my whole soup-making philosophy. It starts with a thoroughly cooked soffritto, which is a pedestrian but powerful mix of vegetables that provides the backbone of the dish. Your soup would be watery and thin-tasting without it. Once that step is done, I add all my other favourite things: a pork product, beans, greens, a couple of Parm rinds that I’ve been hoarding in my freezer, and plenty of salt. To make this vegetarian, omit the sausage (obviously!) and the Parm (it contains animal rennet), and add an extra 2 tablespoons olive oil when cooking the soffritto.

This recipe is extracted from ‘That Sounds So Good’ by Carla Lalli Music (Hardie Grant).

Recipe notes