Grünkohlsuppe (Denglish Kale Soup)

In Northern Germany Grünkohl or Kale comes to the table quite often in winter. (I was eating Kale WAY before Kale was cool). People will even make a Grünkohlfahrt (giggle), which is a strenuous hike followed by a traditional meal of Kale. My mother’s kitchen was German, that meant WE ate a lot of Kale too. But I grew up in Southern California at a time when shopping for a lot of German products required a road trip. My mother was undaunted! She just made substitutions using the “next best thing”, and kept on cooking German food. Her Grünkohlsuppe is a classic example. Instead of Mettwurst, she would use smoked Polish Kielbasa sausage. And it works. The soup is hearty with potatoes and sausage, but “healthy” because it’s loaded with Kale. And the broth…. mmmmmm.