make ahead: the kale can be braised, separated from the cooking liquid, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days in advance. reheat it in its cooking liquid over low heat until warmed through. then add the warm greens just before serving the rich lemony soup.

6 -8 servings

for the kale:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

4 medium cloves garlic, minced with 1 tsp. salt

2 pounds kale, chopped and washed (may substitute any sturdy greens)

1 cup chicken stock

for the soup:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

5 cups chicken stock, plus 1 cup water

1/2 cup orzo or rice, cooked in salted water

for the liaison

3 tbsp. lemon juice

3 eggs

miner’s lettuce or fresh parsley for garnish

cook the kale:

combine the oil, onion and garlic in a large pot over medium heat. cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and the onion is almost translucent. add the kale and stir to distribute the onion-garlic mixture. reduce the heat to low; cook for 5 minutes, until the kale begins to wilt.

add just enough of the broth to barely cover the kale. cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until almost tender. remove from the heat.

make the soup:

heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sauté the onions over medium-high heat until they are soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. while the onions are cooking, bring another pot of salted water to a boil and add the orzo or rice.

when the onions are ready, add the chicken stock and water and bring to a bare simmer. when the orzo or rice is nearly done — firm, but mostly cooked — drain the boiling water and add the pasta or rice to the chicken broth. add the cooked kale to the pot. let this cook 5-8 minutes, and then taste the soup for salt.

for the liaison

3 beat the eggs in a large bowl. whisking constantly, add the lemon juice to the eggs. you will need to temper the eggs before you add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup. it takes both hands (or two people!) to do this. with one hand, whisk the egg-lemon mixture vigorously. with the other, slowly pour in a ladle's worth of hot broth. do this at least twice, and you can add as many ladle's worth of broth as you want to the mixture.

then, turn off the heat to the soup. whisk the soup with one hand while you pour the hot egg-lemon mixture in with the other.

serve at once, garnished with miner’s lettuce or fresh parsley.