345 g (12 oz, 3 sausages) mild Italian sausage – removed from skin
250 g (6 slices) bacon – cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces
100 g (1/2 cup) onion – diced into small pieces
14 g (1 tbsp) garlic - grated
600 g (2 medium) chayote squash – skin on, thinly sliced medallions (or substitute with cauliflower florets)
1920 g (8 cups) chicken soup or chicken broth
240 g (1 cup) water
140 g (6 cups) kale – removed from stem and chopped
240 g (1 cup) heavy whipping cream or 1 cup full fat coconut cream
1 g (1 tsp) pepper or ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 g (1 tsp) salt
GARNISH:
38 g (6 tbsp) parmesan cheese – grated
60 ml (12 tsp or 1 tsp per serving) olive oil per bowl of soup
80 g (1/2 cup) red bell pepper – chopped into small pieces
DIRECTIONS
1. Fry the bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside
2. Add the Italian sausage meat and cook until crumbly. With the spatula, break up the sausage into small pieces. When browned, push to the sides making a clearing in the center of the pot
3. Add the onions to the center of the pot and sauté until the onions are starting to soften and become translucent. Then add the grated garlic on top and sauté for 1 minute. Stir to combine all the ingredients together
4. Pour in the chicken broth and water into the pot. Add the pepper, the chayote squash slices, and the kale, then bring to a light boil. Cook until chayote slices are fork tender
5. Add the heavy cream, stir and taste. Add salt if needed. Add the chopped red bell pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat
6. Ladle soup with solids into a bowl. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan, then topped with the fried bacon pieces. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil around the centrally placed grated parmesan and bacon bits
By Angela Wilkes
