Hands up who has leftovers from your Christmas feast? I don't know about you but we'll be eating our bird for most of January, I reckon. Usually soup heralds the very last of it but not so this year. Nope, no longer is soup the final resort, it's actually first on the list ... because golly jeepers we. do. love. soup!
You're going to love it too, I know it. Not only is this a hearty, healing bowl of pure nourishment, but add a good dollop of fat and you've got yourself a highly warming, nutritionally balanced, satiating meal. And that is number 1 on my list of eats with Vancouver being several inches under snow as I write. Adding the gremolata jazzes an already fine soup up to "and dandy" status and I don't need to tell you how perfect cranberries and turkey are when they get together!
It goes without saying that you're welcome to ring the changes by using other root veggies from time to time, such as celeriac, parsnip, sweet potatoes or whatever you have to hand to be honest, although the latter two would mean you should take this soup off the GAPS/SCD friendly list.
chunky turkey and vegetable soup with warm cranberry gremolata
At this time of year you will likely have all these ingredients to hand and if you have bid farewell to your turkey already, fear not because this chunky soup is just as amazing with leftover roast chicken.
(Serves 4 large bowls)
Print the recipe here
for the soup -
2 tbsp coconut oil (or other solid fat)
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large stalks celery, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 large carrots (12 oz), chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 medium (1 lb) rutabaga, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1/2 large (1+1/2 lb) butternut squash, chopped into 1/2" pieces
6 long sprigs thyme
3+1/2 cups turkey or chicken bone broth
12 oz leftover roast turkey (or chicken), cut into large bite-sized pieces
1/2 bunch lacinato kale, spine discarded, chopped
pinch sea salt or to taste
for the gremolata -
1 tbsp coconut oil (or other solid fat)
1 full cup (4 oz) fresh cranberries, chopped
zest and juice of a large orange
1 packed cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
pinch sea salt
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 6-8 minutes until softened. Now add the garlic, celery, carrots, rutabaga, butternut and thyme, stir well to coat with the oil, cover with a lid and cook for 16-18 minutes until nearly tender, stirring once in a while to avoid the veggies sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the broth, bring up to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Now add the turkey and kale, then simmer gently for a further 5 minutes or so until the turkey has heated through. Add salt to taste, remove the thyme stalks and ladle into large warmed bowls.
Now make the gremolata. Heat the coconut oil in a small frying pan on a medium/high heat and add the cranberries, together with the orange zest and juice. Cook for no more than 2 minutes (you are not looking for sauce), stir in the parsley and a sprinkling of salt then remove the pan from the heat. Spoon over the waiting soup and serve.
This looks fabulous! I just pulled some frozen roast turkey from the freezer to thaw, and I have all of the other ingredients (other than the rutabaga and butternut, both of which I'd sub anyway), so this will be made this week! I love all of the flavors of this season, and they are captured in this yummy looking soup.
ps Kate, sorry for the radio silence, and I hope that you've been well and had wonderful holidays.
Well hello stranger and yes, I have been thinking about you and your radio silence. So pleased to hear from you 🙂
Happy soup making and happy holidays to you, I hope you are having a good one (all well here thanks!)!
What would be a good substitution for rutabaga and butternut squash?
You could use sweet potato (white, orange or both), celeriac, turnip - anything you like and have to hand. It's very versatile.
Hello,
I am wondering what recipe you use for the chicken bone broth called for here and in many of your recipes. I think I may be partial to bone broths made specifically to be chicken or turkey or beef rather than made from a combination of bones, but I'm not sure.
Sometimes you call for chicken stock. I think this is different from chicken bone broth, yes?
I have an InstantPot for making bone broth.
Best wishes,
Christine
Hi Christine, I do tend to make either chicken broth or beef broth. We prefer to drink the chicken broth and I often use beef broth in my stews but not exclusively. I always use the instant pot and just use bones, carrots, celery, perhaps some onion and some parsley stalks. I'll often put some chicken feet/necks in there too. I think I might have used the term "stock" in earlier recipes but basically it's the same recipe I use.
Kate,
This looks wonderful, and I'm planning to make it using our Thanksgiving turkey leftovers this year. Our simple roast turkey was beautiful and delicious. But I did rub it with grass fed pastured butter! I haven't had butter for well over a year now, and would prefer an AIP compliant method.
I see that you prepare turkey for your Christmas feast. Do you have a recipe you could share?
I currently follow the bare bones method in Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Cooking, rubbing salt under and on the skin two to three days in advance, and roasting on a rack at 400 degrees for the first third of the roasting, turning the bird for the second third at 350 degrees and flipping it again for the last third. But I would like something other than butter to rub it with for a beautiful skin. Do you make a gravy to go with yours?
Best wishes,
Christine
Hello Christine. You may be a little surprised at what I do with my turkey. Nothing!
I've never brined a turkey in my life, in fact the method I use is Nigella Lawson's from her book "Feast". I put it into a roasting pan breast side down, start with a high heat for 30 mins or so before turning the heat down and letting it cook for just a few hours, depending on the size of the bird. I turn it right way up for the final half hour to brown the top. With this method you do get a slightly squished turkey, however it's so juicy and tender. This method also means I don't need to get up at a ridiculous hour in the morning to get it started.
I don't make gravy. I use the pan juices mixed with broth made from the giblets, and bubbled down until gravy-like.
hi there...curious about this method...could you explain a little further as to what is "high heat" in this case, and to what do you turn the heat down? I know it depends on the size of the bird, but could you give a for instance?
Here's the method I use. I do stuff my turkey (in the neck cavity) and then weigh it. For this cooking method it's really important to have the turkey at room temperature first, otherwise it'll be undercooked.
This is really a taste treat of a soup and very pretty too. We are also talking nutrient dense.
AWESOME job
Love being able to put the whole bird to use as I used the carcus for bone broth which I used in the soup.
Yes I love this one too. And turkey broth is THE BEST!
So glad you enjoyed it!