Mmm....Cheese

The CSA is back in session - real vegetables - what an improvement over the grocery. So we're making a lot of Kale soup. Trader Joe's spicy Jalapeno chicken sausages make a nice substitute for Chorizo. My recipe is something like:

• Sauté an onion, some carrot, celery, and maybe garlic on low heat.
• Throw in the chopped up sausage, brown it a little.
• Throw in the Kale, mix it around a bit.
• Cover with broth, throw in a few chunks of potatoes.
• Leave it on low and forget about it for a few hours due to a chain of phone calls from work.

We had leftover Parmesan rinds and threw them in the soup - it tasted good, so I'll call that a success.

We also just did a blind taste test between aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, younger Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Grana Pedano. The real parm was noticeably better - I liked the older, Lori liked the younger, but the Grana was not a real substitute. (It's also not much cheaper - only about $3/lb less.)