Chickpea kale soup

 Snow, again. It's melting on contact, but still falling. So soup, again.

 Chickpea soup

From Rachael Ray magazine, November 2015

Ingredients
1 bunch kale, center stems removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped small
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups broth
2 cans (15.5 ounce) chickpeas, rinsed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
Grated Parmesan for optional garnish

Method
Chop kale coarsely and add to food processor bowl. Pulse briefly to chop finely. Remove to bowl and set aside.

In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper and some salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Add broth, chickpeas and tomatoes. Transfer half of mixture to food processor to puree, leaving the rest in pot. Add pureed mixture back to pot along with kale and cook another 15 minutes. Serve garnished with Parmesan if desired. Serves 8.

Rating: Fine enough. Best when it's had a few days to blend flavors. Reasonably hearty, It's not a wower, but it's a very pantry-friendly recipe that fills a certain sort of bill in the soup rotation, giving variety amid creamy soups, clear soups and thicker chili. Probably the best thing about it is that I discovered that chopping kale in the food processor really does work, providing you're looking for a fairly fine consistency.