I've just finished a week where Son and Daughter DAILY complained about every single meal put in front of them. That's right folks - this blogger's children evidently hate their mother's cooking. I went Korean, western, simple, complicated, and every single meal was met with a groan and discontent. There was one evening, when the complaining was particularly obnoxious, I could not even get the words "Leave the table" out of my mouth so I left the table. I walked away and just shut the door of my office. I just didn't want to hear anything they had to say about the food.
Why say this to you? To just encourage you and to just say, that no matter how good or how bad the cook is in the kitchen, there will be complaints about the food. I recently spoke with a mom at Daughters' school who confessed that she cooked (not really) by heating up packaged meals and ready made food. She found it easier to simply give the kids what they wanted, instead of trying to cook for them, because she said,"I take their comments about my food so personally." I understand that. It's painful when you slave over a meal and the audience seems to not care a lick about the effort that went into planning, shopping, and executing a meal for the family. But here is a universal truth - it doesn't matter how GREAT you are at cooking, there will always be complaints. And you just have to let them roll of your back like water, as you try your darnedest to get good food into them.
And then, there are always compliments, some really wonderful and some where you wonder if it's really a compliment at all. The other night at a meal, Friend SH's daughter announced at the table, "Auntie Joanne is the best cook ever!" (this in front of her mother.) Friend SH relayed the message to me and I said, "She only likes the GRILLED BREAD I make!!!! That's why she thinks I'm a great cook." And although the compliment was heartfelt and wonderful, it was also slightly upsetting as the most impressive dish that this cutie enjoyed was one where I literally sliced bread, drizzled olive oil, sprinkled sea salt and tossed the bread onto a panini press. THAT is not cooking, in my book, but to a 5 year old, it warrants "best cook" comments. Go figure.
I was encouraged at the end of the week, when I threw together this soup. I had it on the back of my mind for a while, and I decided at the last minute to throw it together. I had almost everything I needed at home (minus a can of cannellini beans I borrowed from my friend/neighbor) and got it together in less than 30 minutes. The flavors are warm and comforting, the soup easy to make, and Children, for ONCE, just sat quietly there slurping their soup and dipping their bread in. I didn't even bother to make anything else, and kept it simple with just soup for dinner. The soup itself is great, but it might have been the total peace and quiet and lack of grumbling that made it even better. (Having extra "sprinkle your own cheese" doesn't hurt either.)
I'm making it again on Monday. (It's all gone.)
Kale, Sausage, Cannellini Bean Soup
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb Italian bulk sausage, casings removed (the kind that is not precooked. I used spicy for a bit of heat, but you can use sweet if you don’t want the heat at all)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
2 quarts chicken stock (low sodium if you can get it)
1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed, chopped (OR use Trader Joe’s 10 oz bag of pre chopped kale)
15 oz can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
Basil, finely chopped
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shreded
Method
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add sausages and using a wooden spoon, break up into small pieces. Cook until sausages begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add onions and garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook for an additional minute. Add all chicken stock and kale. Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add beans and simmer until kale is dark green and tender, another 3 minutes.
Serve hot with a sprinkle of cheese and basil.
Printable recipe
The soup (with a side of that grilled bread that evidently is my "specialty")
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4 comments:
Made this tonight! Easy, tasty and warm! Yum!! Thanks WOM! - #1
this looks delicious! kids always take their mom's cooking for granted! it took leaving for college for me to realize how wonderful my mom was to make so many varieties of dishes painstakingly with love and care. i just thought that was normal and sometimes wished she was more 'normal' with her cooking and wanted dinners my friends had, like hamburgers and tv dinners (seriously. i thought it was cool). i look back and i'm so glad my mom took the time and effort to culture us and keep us open-minded and healthy. you're doing a wonderful job!
thanks! i made this last night with a can of crushed tomatoes and some cheese tortellini (in place of the beans). i plan to pack it for lunch all week.
I remember being extremely picky as a kid. It was only until I began learning how to cook that my tastes broadened and also had more of an appreciation for my mother's cooking. Your kids will appreciate it later on :)
I've been on a kale kick these past few weeks (it's the only thing my 13 month old son will eat) and can't wait to try this soup!
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