ZUPPA TOSCANA

• porsi: 4-5
• waktu aktif: 75 minutes
• total waktu: 90 minutes

Bahan-bahan

120 g streaky bacon', chopped into 1 cm pieces

1 large brown onion, diced

4 garlic cloves*, minced

500 g good-quality Italian pork sausages', meat removed from casings®

2 tbsp plain flour

4 cups (1 litre) low-salt chicken stock*

500 g sebago potatoes*, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes

¼ tsp cooking salt*

½ tsp black pepper

1 cup (250 ml) thickened cream*

2 lightly packed cups (50 g) kale leaves*, chopped into 2 cm pieces

Petunjuk

Cook bacon - Scatter the bacon across the base of an unheated, heavy-based pot, then place the pot over medium-high heat. As the pot starts heating up, the bacon fat will meit - yes, we are cooking bacon in its own fat! Stir for 3 minutes until golden, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.

Cook aromatics and sausage - Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes Turn the heat up to high and add the sausage meat. Cook for 4 minutes, breaking it up as you go, until the sausage meat is cooked and there are some golden bits.

Simmer - Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the stock, potato, most of the bacon (reserve some for garnish), salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir in the cream, add the kale and simmer for a further 2 minutes until just wilted.

Serve - Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon.

Catatan

NOTES

1. If you can't find streaky bacon, or if you cheat yourself into using low-fat bacon, you will need about 1½ teaspoons of olive oil to cook the bacon.

2. The sausage here is key for flavour, so skip the really economical sausages. Look for good-quality ones made with more meat and less fillers. (Tip: read the ingredients label or ask your friendly butcher, aim for 90%+ meat.) I like to use Italian fennel sausages, to be on theme. But honestly I think any sausage flavour will work great here, made of any meat - pork, beef, lamb or chicken!

3. To remove the meat from the sausage casings, just think of squeezing toothpaste out of a tube! Hold one end of the sausage firmly, then squeeze and push the meat out the other end of the casing.

4. While sebago potatoes are ideal, this recipe is enjoyable with any type of potato, whether it's all-purpose, waxy or starchy. (UK: king edward, maris piper.) Don't use sweet potato, it will get too soft.

LEFTOVERS Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months.