I’ve been needing some silly brightness these days to counteract the disintegration of things I once saw as solid. I channel the chaos into my soup pot — hoping an alchemy will occur to provide some healing. Or as my nana would say, some Jewish penicillin in a pot.
I offer you this soup to creatively embrace the season of leftovers. As I sat there, checkout cart waiting, I wondered, “How exactly do 2 people eat 16lbs of turkey?”
I had missed our window for getting a smaller bird and so I have planned to skip the traditional leftover turkey noodle soup and instead embrace bright flavors to bring some light into my darkness.
Creamy-Lemony-Herbaceous Turkey Farro Soup
1. Take leftover turkey parts and bones and throw in a pot with filtered water, a splash of apple cider vinegar (optional), any leftover carrots, celery, onions, garlic, ginger you may have and make a rich turkey stock.
(You can also skip this part and use pre-made turkey/chicken stock or veggie stock.)
2. Make Farro (follow instructions on packaging)
Any grain can be substituted here — rice is also lovely in this dish.
3. Shred or cube leftover turkey
For 2-4 Servings:
6-8 cups turkey stock (or chicken or veggie)
2 Cups cooked farro
2 cups shredded or cubed leftover turkey
1/2 Cup sour cream
1/3 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/8 cup chopped parsley (optional)
1. Combine stock, shredded turkey and farro in pot and slowly bring to a low simmer to heat farro and turkey throughout.
2. In a small cup, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, and herbs together. Whisk thoroughly.
3. slowly whisk creamy lemon herb mixture into soup pot.
4. At this point, taste the soup:
– Does it need more salt or pepper?
– Does it need more acid (lemon juice)?
– How is the creaminess factor?
I like to keep this soup really simple with just the farro, turkey, and lemony-creamy-herb mixture, but feel free to add in extra veggies if you need to use them up.
May this bowl bring some sweetness and light to your days!
