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Overloading the Machine

Potato Kale Soup

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red or yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
Pinch of red chile flakes
1 lb. Yukon gold or red potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
6 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 bunch kale, washed, stems discarded, leaves finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour enough olive oil into a large soup pot to cover the bottom. Over medium heat cook the onion, garlic, and chile flakes for several minutes, until the onion begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, broth, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the kale, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the kale is tender and the potatoes are soft, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. If a smoother texture is desired, blend with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

We were young and our happiness dazzled us with its strength. But there was also a terrible betrayal that lay within me like a Merle Haggard song at a French restaurant. [...] I could not tell the girl about the woman of the tollway, of her milk white BMW and her Jordache smile. There had been a fight. I had punched her boyfriend, who fought the mechanical bulls. Everyone told him, "You ride the bull, senor. You do not fight it." But he was lean and tough like a bad rib-eye and he fought the bull. And then he fought me. And when we finished there were no winners, just men doing what men must do. [...] "Stop the car," the girl said. There was a look of terrible sadness in her eyes. She knew about the woman of the tollway. I knew not how. I started to speak, but she raised an arm and spoke with a quiet and peace I will never forget. "I do not ask for whom's the tollway belle," she said, "the tollway belle's for thee." The next morning our youth was a memory, and our happiness was a lie. Life is like a bad margarita with good tequila, I thought as I poured whiskey onto my granola and faced a new day.

-- Peter Applebome, International Imitation Hemingway Competition

This page was last modified on 2011 December 20.