We'll Always Have Italy Vegetable Soup

Pull the kale and chard leaves from the stems and set the leaves aside. Chop off and discard the woody ends of the stems. Slice the remaining stems ½-inch thick.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the sliced stems, onion, celery, carrot and fennel bulb, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the salt, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t brown.

Add the rutabaga and parsnips, sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, and sauté with the other vegetables for about 10 minutes to begin to soften them. Add 2 quarts of water, the tomatoes, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and cheese rind. Increase the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook the soup, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, adding another quart of water during that time, until the vegetables are very soft.

While the soup is cooking, stack about 5 of the kale and chard leaves at a time and roll them into a log. Slice the log in half lengthwise, then slice the log ½-inch thick pieces.

Add the kale leaves, chard leaves, beans (if you’re using them) and another quart of water, increase the heat to high until the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft and breaking down. Turn off the heat. You can remove the thyme, bay leaves and Parmesan rind if you want to; I leave mine floating in the soup.

Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano.