Ali's Cassoulet

This is a fall/winter favorite.  It's my take on a cassoulet, and you can tell I concocted the recipe, as very little about it is exact in terms of ingredients or directions (sorry!).  Easily made vegetarian by eliminating the bacon and swapping vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Ingredients:

-1/4 to 1/2 pound bacon
-1 medium onion, chopped
-3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
-3 to 4 carrots, diced
-4 to 5 stalks celery, sliced
-2 cans beans, rinsed and drained
-2 to 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
-1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 to 2 teaspoons thyme, crushed


Directions:
1. Cut or slice the bacon and saute over medium high heat in a heavy cooking vessel (I use my Dutch oven).  When the bacon is crisp, remove from the pot and add the onion, cooking in the bacon drippings.  When the onion starts to become translucent, add the garlic, sauteing briefly (but don't burn the garlic. Yuk.).
-Add the carrots and celery and saute until they start to soften slightly.
-Add the beans, stock, and kale, stir.  Stir in the bay and thyme.
-Simmer 25 to 30 minutes or until the flavors are melded and the veggies are no longer crunchy.

Add parmesan cheese to each serving if desired.