Wash greens and chop.  Heat the oil in a soup pot.  Wash sesame seeds and drain in a fine mesh strainer.  Add the seeds to the pot along with garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and onions.  Sauté, stirring often, until seeds are golden brown.  Add 8-10 cups water or stock, bring to a boil, turn down flame and simmer 5 -10 minutes .  Add escarole and simmer 10 - 15 minutes more. Add Soy sauce and mirin or wine to taste.  Sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano cheese or Rice Parmesan cheese.

Tips from Deborah

For a heartier soup, add organic sausage or vegan sausage, sliced and added when you sauté the herbs.

Add a can of rinsed organic cannellini beans instead of the sausage.

You can use endive or any hard dark leafy green instead of escarole or a combination.

Instead of soy sauce, you can use 4-5 tsp. miso.  Chickpea Miso is nice in this soup.

Grate ginger on the small holes of a grater in a circular motion.  Grating it back and forth causes it to get stringy.  I have a ginger grate which is a small dish with sharp prongs.  I grate the ginger, then pour a little of the soup stock over it to get it out of the dish (or off of the grater).

High quality soy sauce made the traditional way has health benefits when used  moderately and in cooking only.  Traditionally made soy sauce is a good source of amino acids and glutamic acid.  Because it is fermented it contains enzymes that benefit digestion.