Kale and Potato Soup

Here's another simple and delicious soup recipe for warming body and heart. It's from Deborah Madison's The Greens Cookbook, which along with her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, is a great resource for inventive vegetarian cookery. I use these two books a lot.

A bunch of kale (very vague, isn't it? I used 4 very large leaves)
3 Tbs virgin olive oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, diced into 1/2 inch squares
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 small red chili, or 1/4 teas crushed chili
salt
1 pound potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
6 cups water
pepper

1. Pull the leaves off the kale stems and tear or cut into 2 inch pieces. Wash thoroughly
2. Heat olive oil with onion, garlic, chili and salt and cook over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes
3. Add potatoes and 1 cup stock. Cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes
4. Add kale, cover, and steam till wilted. Pour in the rest of the water and simmer, covered, till potatoes are quite soft, 30-40 minutes
5. Use potato masher or back of wooden spoon to break up potatoes by mashing against side of pot. This makes a nicely thicker broth.
6. Taste for salt and add a generous grinding of black pepper. The soup tastes better after sitting for a while, as the flavors blend and become richer.