Tag Archives: poultry

Apr20

Turkey Meatball Soup & Duxelles

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Just in time for our recent storms and brrrr weather, here’s a two for one column this week.  Enjoy!!!! And as always, Bon Appetit

Turkey Meatball Soup

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 Beaten Eggs

1 Cup Bread Crumbs

4 Tblsp. Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

2 Tblsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley

2 Tblsp. Chopped Onion

1 Minced Garlic

S & P to taste

1 Lb. Ground Turkey

2 Cups Garbanzo Beans (you can use a can; however, I usually make mine fresh.  They are so easy to make and so much better than the canned variety.  Follow the directions on the bean pkg.)

2 Cups of Good Beef Broth

1-14 ½ oz. Can of Italian-Style Stewed Tomatoes

1 ½ Cups of Water

3/4 Cup Sliced Fresh Mushrooms or Reconstituted Dried Mushrooms or Duxelles *

1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning

3/4  Cup Already Cooked Wild Rice Mix and/or Long Grain White Rice

4 Cups of a Combination of Chopped Kale, Cabbage, Parsley, Cilantro, Brussel Sprouts

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients and then add the ground turkey. Mix well and make small sized meatballs (1 inch circumference more or less). In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, brown the meatballs over medium heat (about 8-10 minutes) turning them until evenly browned  (I turned them with two tablespoons) and done.  They will be a bit dark on the outside which is just fine.  Set them aside for the moment.

In a large pot, stir together the next 7 ingredients and then add the meatballs. Then place the pot over medium high heat till the mixture comes to a low boil.  Simmer covered for about 15 minutes.  For the last step, add the vegetables, bring to another boil, reduce to a simmer and cook till the vegetables are tender.

Serve in bowls with some shaved parmesan or Romano on top along with some crusty bread or nice bread sticks.

*More about Duxelles

Thanks to Mark Bittman for my discovery of this:

Here’s an additional wonderful thing to keep in your freezer and have on hand for whenever.  It’s great to put in soups, stews, omelets, etc.

3 Tbls. Butter or Olive Oil

¼ C. Minced Shallots, Scallions, or Onions

1 lb. Any Kind Mushrooms-(stems and all)

S & P to taste

¼ C. Fresh Parsley Leaves, Minced

Place the butter or olive oil in a large, deep skillet and turn heat to medium. Just as the foam begins to subside, stir in the shallots/scallions/onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until they soften—3-5 minutes

Stir in the mushrooms.  Cook, stirring until they have given up most of the liquid, about 10 minutes.  Turn the heat to low and continue to cook stirring until almost all the liquid has evaporated.  Season well, then stir in the parsley.

Use immediately or refrigerate (1 week) or freeze.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share. For comments, questions, and ideas please feel free to email her:margot6@mindspring.com.

Apr19

Whole Chicken Thigh Soup

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The cold virus is going around.  I know because I caught it.  In calling my doctor’s nurse, she said that it would take about 7-8 days to recuperate; that I should rest; drink a lot of fluids, and make chicken soup. That’s exactly what I did and I also looked up on-line to see why that “old fashioned chicken soup remedy” was so good for you.  This is what I found out:

For starters, chicken has been shown to inhibit the production of neutrophils, white blood cells that eat bacteria and cause inflammation and mucus production (i.e. stuffy nose, sore throat, phlegm, etc.). This is important because while neutrophils kill pathogens, their antimicrobial products damage host tissues. Chicken contains cysteine, an amino acid that is thought to help thin mucus in the lungs, making it easier to expel. It sure seemed to help me. Herewith is a recipe that I used. I like it because it has a nice combination of rice, orzo, lentils; the spices seem to meld together beautifully; and it’s a dish that you can taste even when your taste buds are at their worst.   

Whole Chicken Thigh Soup a la Margot

Actual Cooking time 1 hour

3 or 4 Whole Well Rinsed Chicken Thighs (With Skin Preferably)

3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme or ½ Tsp. Dried Thyme

2 Sprigs of Fresh Oregano or ½ Tsp. Dried Oregano

2 Tblsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley or 1 Tblsp. Dried Parsley

3-4 Bay Leaves

½ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (or more if you like)

1 Tsp. Panch Phoron( a Bengali combo of cumin, fennel, mustard, nigella & fenugreek)

Sea Salt & Ground Pepper to taste

2 Tblsp. Butter (I used salt free)

1 Tblsp. Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, Sliced Thin

4 Cloves of Garlic Coarsely Chopped

2 Tblsp. Fresh Cilantro- Coarsely Chopped or 1 Tblsp.Dried Cilantro

3/4 C Rinsed Lentils

¼  C Brown Rice

¼ C Long Grain White Rice

½ C Orzo

4 C. Chicken Stock

6 C. Hot Water

  1. Heat butter and olive oil on medium high. Stir in garlic, onion, and Panch Phoron until garlic and onion are soft (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add hot chicken stock and water. Bring to a slow boil and turn heat to medium.
  3. Add chicken thighs and remainder of spices & cilantro.
  4. After 10 minutes add brown rice.
  5. After 30 minutes add lentils and white rice.
  6. After 50 minutes add orzo.
  7. Total cooking time is 60 minutes.
  8. Before serving, remove bay leaves and sprigs of oregano and thyme if you used fresh ones.

If desired, add chopped fresh spinach or kale to soup about 5 minutes before serving.

You also can add some chopped carrots about ½ way through cooking.

When serving/eating, you can squirt a bit of lemon juice on top or serve with lemon slices for guests to spritz themselves; and/or also  serve or add a bit of freshly grated parmesan as an additional topping.