Smoky Potato Kale Soup

Over the last year, my husband and I have come to enjoy and crave the taste of some really good kale. I've sauteed kale and used it in soups, each time realizing more and more how wonderfully taste-absorbing this leafy green can be.

So last week, on a cloudy cold day, I decided to make Smoky Potato Kale soup. The "smoky" flavor comes from three small smoked ham hocks. You can find this at your local grocery store in the meat department by the pork or beef section or better yet your local butcher shop. In addition to the hocks I also used some bacon ends to add that distinct buttery fat flavor to the soup. Bacon is an aphrodisiac in this household, it's what enhances our love for each other on chilly days.

So here's how you can enhance your love:

8 cups of water
3 small Ham Hocks 
2-3 oz of Bacon, 1 inch pieces
3 medium sized Red Potatoes, quartered, skin on
1 1/2 bunch of Kale, washed, stem removed, rough chopped
1 large onion, quartered
2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons of Chicken bouillon powder or Veggie bouillon (picture here)
1 teaspoon of salt, adjust to your taste
1 teaspoon of black pepper
A couple hearty dashes of Parsley Flakes

• Bring 8 cups of water to boil. Add ham hocks and let boil on medium heat for about 45 minutes or until ham hocks are tender.

• While the ham hocks are boiling, fry bacon over medium heat until bacon is crispy. Add all contents of bacon fry pan into the pot of ham hocks immediately.

• Add potatoes, onions, garlic powder, bouillon, parsley flakes, salt and pepper. At this time you can also cut up the soft ham hocks into bite sized pieces and put back into the pot. 

• Once potatoes are tender, add kale and serve soup once kale is tenderized. A deep dark green is a great time to serve it, unless you like your kale super soft.

Serve with warm wheat, rye or pumpernickel bread.