Here it is, May, and in SoCal, it’s been downright cold. So soup was the order of the day.
Since returning from my trip, it’s taken me awhile to catch up on all the blogs I read. I hate to tell you how many. At least 50. And some of them post multiple times a day, like Food52 and AppAdvice. But Dorie Greenspan only posts once in awhile, and when I saw this recipe for soup, it just leaped out of the screen saying “fix me.” Dorie wrote this up in her Washington Post column. So, even though I wasn’t feeling good, or maybe it was really because I wasn’t feeling good (as I’m writing this, I’ve been down sick with a bad cold for about 5 days) anything soup + chicken (or turkey) sounded good to me.
It did require a trip to the grocery store – I needed numerous fresh veggies (I used fresh mushrooms, a bag of baby spinach, and a fresh bag/pack of broccoli, snow peas, and carrots). I also needed fresh ginger and enough shallots to measure 1/2 cup. And, freshly ground turkey and riccotta cheese and Thai rice noodles. Plus fresh mint and fresh cilantro. Actually, that was a lot, but I made it a quick trip in and out.
First you make the meatballs – the ground turkey (the store didn’t have the dark turkey mix, only light), ricotta, ground ginger, fresh garlic (I probably used more than the recipe called for – isn’t garlic supposed to be good for a head cold?). Eggs are added to bind the mixture together, along with some bread crumbs, salt and pepper, fresh lemon zest and the shallots. Dorie recommended using a cookie scoop to make the meatballs because they’re sticky – they do require a little bit of light rolling in your palms to make them round and you drop them into the 10 cups of chicken broth. I used my Penzey’s soup base for the broth, and I also added a little dollop of the mushroom soup base I have in my refrigerator just because it’s full of flavor. I had to cook the meatballs in 2 batches, about 12-14 of them in each batch. They don’t want to touch or they might attach to each other. The broth is kept at a very low simmer, and the meatballs cook in about 10 minutes. Then they’re removed. The broth, at this point, is a bit cloudy from little tiny pieces of things from the meatballs. Dorie suggested you can strain it at this point. I didn’t. Too lazy. Meanwhile, I prepped all the veggies (the bag-packed mixed veggies needed some chopping, the box of crimini mushrooms sliced, the herbs minced). Meanwhile you soak some Thai rice noodles. This was the first time I’d used Thai rice noodles (she recommended Taste of Thai, which I found at the market). They’re soaked for 20 minutes in hot water, then cooked in a separate pot for 4 minutes before being added to the soup.
The only thing I’ll tell you about rice noodles is that they go from cooked just right to sludge in a matter of half a minute. So watch them carefully as you cook them for 4 minutes. Since the noodles are long, I chopped them some after soaking them (to make them mouth-manageable) and I didn’t use anywhere near as much as Dorie did – 8 ounces makes a lot of noodles. Fine for a family with carb-hungry children, but I didn’t want that much. I was in it for the meatballs and the vegetables! I’ve left the recipe below as-is, so you can decide if you want to use that much of the rice noodles.
The veggies are added in (carrots first if you want them to be mostly cooked through) and lastly the meatballs to just heat through. It all came together pretty easily. You serve it with ample fresh herbs (I used cilantro and mint), a drizzle of sesame oil (yum) and you can add some sriracha sauce too, and soy sauce if you’re so inclined. Do taste for seasonings – my soup needed more salt and pepper.
What’s GOOD: the word that comes to mind is FRESH. Loved all the veggies and the little drizzle of sesame oil at the end gave it a lovely hint of Asia. Choose veggies you like – carrots add nice color. The fresh herbs are a must – don’t NOT do that part as they impart lots of flavor. The meatballs are, well, turkey meatballs. Good. Not exactly exceptional, but good. Certainly this soup is super-healthy. The only fat in it is what might be in the chicken broth, the tiny bit in the ground turkey and the tiny jot of sesame oil at the end. Make sure your chicken broth is flavorful, otherwise it will be a bit ho-hum.
What’s NOT: nothing in particular. The meatballs take a little bit of time to make, but only about 15 minutes. If you buy ready-to-cook veggies, it’s pretty easy, really.
Files: MasterCook 5+ and MasterCook 14 (click on link to open recipe in MC)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Ginger, Cilantro and Garlic Turkey Meatball Soup
Recipe By: Dorie Greenspan’s recipe from her column in Washington Post, 2015
Serving Size: 6
2 1/2 quarts low sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese — (full fat) excess liquid drained
1/2 cup shallots — finely chopped, or onion, rinsed in cold water and patted dry
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro — or basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs — plain dried {I used fresh, whizzed in the food processor]
2 cloves garlic — finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger root — peeled, grated
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey — preferably organic (light or dark meat; may substitute chicken)
8 ounces rice noodles — (dried) such as Taste of Thai straight-cut thin rice noodles (you can opt to not use it all)
4 cups vegetables — sliced and/or shredded mixed vegetables, such as carrots, onions, broccoli, sugar snaps or snow peas, mushrooms, cabbage, mustard greens, kale and spinach
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup fresh herbs — chopped, such as cilantro, basil, parsley and/or mint, for serving Sriracha (optional)
Soy sauce (optional)
Toasted sesame oil to drizzle on top (optional)
1. For the meatballs: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low while you put the meatball mixture together.
2. Use a fork to break up and lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, shallots or onion, cilantro or basil, bread crumbs, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, salt and pepper, stirring to blend. Add the ground meat; use the fork and then your clean hands to turn and gently combine the mixture, which will be sticky.
3. Use a medium cookie scoop (one with a capacity of about 1 1/2 tablespoons) — my favorite tool for this — or a tablespoon measure to scoop out 24 to 30 portions. Roll them between your palms to shape into meatballs.
4. Uncover the pot of broth; drop in the meatballs, adjusting the heat as needed so the broth barely bubbles at the edges; cook for about 10 minutes, turning the meatballs over once, until cooked through. (Depending on the size of your pot, you might have to do this in batches.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a large bowl. The meatballs sink to the bottom when first added; as they cook they rise to the top.
5. After the meatballs are done, the broth will be a little murky. If you’d like it to be clearer (I always do), line a strainer with dampened cheesecloth (or a triple layer of dampened paper towels) and pour the broth through. Rinse out the pot and return the broth to it.
6. For the soup: Put the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover them with very hot tap water. Soak for 20 minutes, replacing the water after 10 minutes.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Just before you’re ready to serve the soup, drop in the soaked noodles; cook until tender, about 4 minutes (but NOT any longer than that). Drain. (This step will help prevent the noodles from absorbing too much of the soup broth.)
8. Meanwhile, reheat the broth over medium-high heat; once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Drop in the cooked meatballs; let them warm through for 5 minutes, then stir in the 4 cups of vegetables and cook for 5 minutes or until they are tender. (If you’re using carrots, they’ll remain slightly firm.) Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
9. Divide the noodles among deep soup bowls. Ladle over the broth, meatballs and vegetables. Scatter the herbs on top, and, if you’d like, let everyone have a go at the Sriracha, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil or olive oil. Serve hot.
Per Serving: 422 Calories; 11g Fat (23.4% calories from fat); 37g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 141mg Cholesterol; 1381mg Sodium.
Leave a Comment!