Pork Meatball Soup with Kale

I love meatballs - something about them just makes a meal so much fun!  These little pork meatballs are no exception.  They're spiced up with chilies, garlic, and lots of fresh herbs, and then browned in a hot skillet and simmered in flavorful chicken stock.  This is definitely the time to pull out the homemade chicken stock - there aren't a whole lot of ingredients here, so each one really needs to shine.  Hearty greens complete the bowl - I used dinosaur kale, but any green that can hold up to a little hot chicken stock would be tasty - perhaps chard, mustard greens, or baby bok choy.  Homemade croutons are an optional but absolutely delicious addition to sprinkle on top.

Pork Meatball Soup with Kale (adapted from Tender)
Serves 3-4

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
2 small, spicy chilies (such as serrano), minced
4 green onions,white and light green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 bushy sprigs of parsley, leaves minced
6 bushy sprigs of mint, leaves minced
Salt
Fat to fry, preferably chicken fat (olive oil works too)

For the soup:
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
Salt and pepper
1 bunch dinosaur kale, leaves removed and coarsely chopped
Homemade croutons, optional

1. Mix together the ground pork with the chilies, green onions, garlic, herbs, and a generous sprinkling of salt.  Roll into small meatballs (I got about 24).
2. Heat the fat in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the meatballs until just browned, shaking the pan often, working in batches if necessary.
3. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot, and bring a pot of water to a boil on another burner.  Season the broth well with salt and pepper, and add a good pinch of salt to the pot of boiling water.  Add the meatballs to the pot of chicken stock and the kale to the boiling water.  Cook the kale 1-2 minutes, until wilted, and then drain.  Cook the meatballs 4-5 minutes, until cooked through.  Add the kale, remove from heat, and serve right away, preferably with fresh hot croutons fried in chicken fat.