Tuscan Soup

This Italian-style soup somehow manages to be delicate and substantial at the same time. Really addictive.

16 ounces (455 g) hot Italian sausage links

2 quarts (1.9 L) chicken broth

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

½ head cauliflower, sliced ¼” (6.25 mm) thick

6 cups (120 g) chopped kale

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

First sauté the sausage until done. Remove from your skillet, and let it cool a little while you …

Start heating the chicken broth and cream in a big, heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat. Add both the vegetables to the soup.

Okay, your sausage is cool enough to handle! Slice it on the diagonal, about ½” (1.25 cm) thick. I like to cut each slice in half, too, to make more bites of sausage, but that's not essential. Put the sliced sausage in the soup, too.

Stir in the red pepper flakes and the garlic. Turn the burner to lowest heat, and let the whole thing simmer for an hour, stirring now and then.

Yield: 6 servings

Each with 487 calories; 41 g fat; 20 g protein; 10 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 8 g usable carbs.