Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Rainy Nights & Turkey Soup

I always keep a couple packages of ground turkey in my freezer. It’s one of my go-to foods. But there are times when I just can’t take another meatloaf or crock pot full of meatballs. So there I was the other night staring at some just-thawed turkey when my sweet little Le Creuset French oven beckoned me … yet again!

It was raining. I needed a break from too much work. I needed sustenance. So I foraged through my cupboards and discovered that mustard and balsamic vinegar are keys to an ambrosial broth. I savored the smell of soup simmering for a few hours, then ate a bowl while watching “Elevator to the Gallows,” which I had rented because its improv Miles Davis soundtrack is my favorite CD of all times ... and who doesn't love a brooding Louis Malle film on a brooding stormy night?

Turkey Soup with Mustard and Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
- 6 shitake mushrooms, diced
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 1 soup spoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- A few splashes of sherry
- A few big splashes of balsamic vinegar
- 1 can S&W white beans
- Garlic powder
- Herbs de Provence

Directions:

1) In the French oven (soup pot), heat vegetable broth, mustard, sherry, and vinegar

2) Saute celery, pepper, and mushrooms in olive oil. Add to broth.

3) Saute ground turkey in olive oil, keeping it in big chunks. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Add to broth.

4) Add white beans to broth.

5) Add Herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper to taste.


2 comments:

Janet Brown said...

Kim, only you would have the talent to be cozy in L.A.
What a wonderful image.

Kim said...

When it rains in LA it pours, which makes those rainy nights all the more precious.