kale-cannellini soup for the soul.

to prep: rinse, peel, roughly dice 4 carrots. peel and dice 1 onion. start crying in the first half; never recover in the second. forsake the second onion through the tears, it was only a suggestion anyway. make no mention of mirepoix: there is no place for celery stalks in this pot.

heat the pot. in the largest stockpot available in the home kitchen. use a heavy-bottomed dutch oven, if available. drizzle in extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat the bottom. study the shimmer, then throw in a few bay leaves for flavor. wait, then scoop handfuls of carrot and onion into the pool of oil. wait, inhale, remember that all good foods begin here.

when softer, start the first layer of seasoning. sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, extra onion powder to compensate. stir. pour water to cover. a simple, salt of the earth vegetable stock.

to obtain: dino kale, ideally organic. stand in the grocery store aisle and wonder why it’s called dino kale. or lacinato kale, or tuscan kale. remark that the long, curly leaves bear no resemblance to ancient reptiles that ruled the earth. perhaps only in texture.

read too many articles about the dirty dozen. plunge the leaves into a bath of water just to be safe. don’t spin them dry, they’re going into a soup anyway. then, strip the leaves off the thick stalks. grasp firmly, and rip. set aside.

to add: crack open two cans of cannellini beans. drain, rinse, dump. allow them to fall apart and melt. consider other characters: a generous hail of frozen corn; potatoes if the craving strikes. tend to the ingredients, coax flavours out of them.

more spices: shower with garlic powder, cumin, coriander, another pinch of salt, three cracks of pepper, paprika, a few red pepper flakes for early spice. consider a parmesan rind for the extra something to bubble away in the vegetal cauldron.

top off with a carton of chicken broth; listen to the puncture of the tetrapak. substitute for extra vegetable stock if vegan. else, bottled broth will recover the lost flavor of the neglected mirepoix. bring to a boil.

to taste: the soup is a little bland now. needs more. tear apart kale with gentle violence. submerge the leaves deep into the boil. watch as they wilt to an emerald green, held together by the memory of fibers. notice how the kale adds sweetness, but imparts extra liquid. another dash of salt for balance. stir. taste now, nearly there.

separately, boil a pot of water. salt generously. add pasta, the curlier the better. cascatelli is superior. a rotini or fusili would suffice. at eleven to twelve minutes, it is fork-tender. drain. do not compromise the integrity of the pasta in the larger soup. this is the ingredient that is forbidden from falling apart. taste once more. grow excited, eager to witness convalescence.

to assemble: mugs are the perfect portable vessel. scoop pasta at the base. then ladle soup. scoop everything: the kale, corn, cannellini, carrot. more pasta, for even distribution. more soup. make note of the liquid level. top off with just the broth.

complete with a generous drizzle of olive oil, extra virgin. shake of red pepper flakes. small snow of parmesan. soup spoon.

to eat: drink. devour. return for seconds.