Zuppa Toscani

**Update: The recipe, adapted from Stephanie's Kitchen, is below.**

Sometimes a little good food is worth the loss of a limb. Or part of a limb. Or a fingertip.




In a hasty rush to slice onions to add to a soup I took off part of my fingernail and a little flesh. This presented a huge dilemma for this family with a bit of me in the onion. Brooke hates to waste anything. I hate contamination of any kind. I threw out the onion and she probably sweated a little but didn't say anything.

The soup was great. It was an imitation of Zuppa Toscani from The Olive Garden. Say what you will about the Olive Garden, but it's about as close to Italian as you can get in Ogden. This soup is my favorite part.



Recipe:

1 lb Italian sausage (we used mild because Brooke gets heartburn easily these days)
2 large russet potatoes, sliced in half and than sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices (we used 5 smaller potatoes because we wanted the soup a little thicker)
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 32-ounce cartons chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 bunch kale, chopped (the other recipe called for 2 bunches, which was way too much)
freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Brown the sausage in a large soup pot. Remove the sausage and set aside. Add garlic to the pot and brown until it is fragrant. Add the onions and soften for a minute or two. Then add the chicken broth and potatoes, and bring the pot to a boil. Simmer about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cream and sausage to the pot and warm through. Add the kale right before serving. Then top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.