White Bean and Sausage Soup with Savory

From the garden

• 1 tbsp fresh summer or winter savory, leaves chopped, plus a whole sprig
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups kale or chard, chopped (optional)

From the pantry

• 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 cans canned white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high. Brown the sausage, breaking it into bite-size pieces, 6–8 minutes until well colored and cooked through with no pink remaining (160°F). Scoop it out, leaving the fat behind.
2. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt 6–8 minutes, until softened and picking up the browned bits. Stir in the garlic for the last 30 seconds.
3. Return the sausage with the beans, stock, bay leaf, and the whole savory sprig. Simmer gently, partly covered, 20 minutes so the flavors knit together.
4. Fish out the bay leaf and savory stem. Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot to thicken the broth, then stir in the chopped savory leaves and the greens if using; simmer 3–4 minutes until the greens are tender.
5. Season assertively with salt and black pepper and serve hot. A drizzle of olive oil over each bowl is traditional and worth it.