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As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It’s time to start making soup again.

— Leslie Newman

Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup

Serves 4–6

With homemade chicken broth on hand and canned beans, this delicious soup takes about 30 minutes to make. Obviously, the Italians use Lacinato kale in this soup, but curly kale works just as well.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces Italian-style hot sausage, casings removed

4 cups chicken broth or turkey broth (pages 126–27)

2 cups cooked white beans, or 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 carrots, peeled and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

4 cups lightly packed chopped kale (remove and discard tough stems)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and brown, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks, about 5 minutes.

2 Add the broth, beans, carrots, garlic, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender and the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes. Stir in the kale.

3 Simmer until the kale is quite tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Caldo Gallego

Serves 6–8

White bean soups are found throughout the Mediterranean. This Spanish version also contains hearty greens and potatoes. It is a rib-sticking potage. A French version is known as garbure. Traditionally a slice of toasted bread is placed in the bottom of a wide soup plate, and the soup is ladled over.

2 cups dried white beans (cannellini, navy, Great Northern), soaked overnight and drained

10 cups water

1 pound Spanish chorizo, sliced

4 ounces pancetta or salt pork, diced

1 onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 pound thin-skinned potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced

4 cups shredded hearty greens (green or savoy cabbage, collard greens, kale, or mustard greens; remove and discard any tough stems)

1 teaspoon pimenton (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Combine the beans, water, chorizo, pancetta, onion, garlic, and bay leaves in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

2 Add the potatoes and greens and simmer for 1 hour.

3 Remove about 2 cups of the soup and purée or mash. Stir back into the soup with the pimenton, if using. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Simmer for another 15 minutes and serve hot.

Kitchen Note: Pimenton is made from the same peppers that are dried and ground to make paprika, but these peppers are smoked, which adds layers of flavor. There are many online sources for pimenton, and once it lands in your pantry, you will find many uses for it. If you don’t want to use pimenton, you can substitute very fresh paprika (but avoid using paprika that has languished in your pantry or on the store shelves).

Leek Soup with Carrots and Parsnips

Serves 4

This is a simple soup of few ingredients, so be sure to use the best-quality broth. If you use a vegetable broth, make sure it is neutrally flavored. The carrots and parsnips are cooked just long enough to soften them but not long enough to impart much sweetness to the broth. They should be very finely diced, so each piece is a tiny cube of color against the pale green soup.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (pages 126–27)

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons butter

1 carrot, peeled and very finely diced

1 parsnip, peeled and very finely diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the leeks are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Let the soup cool slightly.