Autumn Soup a la Four Chickens

Ingredients

3 TBL butter, olive oil, or combo of both

1 onion, chopped (leeks would be good here, too)

2 TBL garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 lb ground turkey or chicken (white or dark meat or combo of both)*

1/2 lb-1 lb potatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes (we like Yukon Gold here)

1 1/2 C Great Northern Beans, cooked (you can substitute bean of choice)*

2 QT chicken or veggie stock

1 bunch of kale, collards, or chard, chopped (kale or collards hold up best, but chard is tasty, too)

kosher salt and pepper to taste

*you can use either the meat or the beans or both. I have made the soup with each option and we love them all

-heat butter/oil in large pot

-add ground meat and cook until almost done (if using)

-salt generously

-add onions and garlic and cook until soft

-add potatoes, cook a bit so they are coated with other ingredients

-add beans (if using) and then stock

-add cumin, basil and bay leaf and mix well

-simmer as long as you want--at least until potatoes are soft (a long-ish simmer time melds the flavors of this soup)

-about 10 mins before you're ready to eat, add kale, collards, or chard, mix into soup

-simmer more until greens become a bit soft

-test for salt and pepper--add more to taste

Enjoy!