for cozy winter days...

So, after a little bit of hiatus, I'm back!

Since it's been a while, I figured that I'd post with something warm and cozy for the winter months . . . a hearty turkey meatball soup! I found this recipe off Pinterest while I was looking for something to do with kale. Kale is one of those random ingredients that I occasionally buy but never really know what to do with. That's when looking for recipes come in handy. ^_^;

For the soup, I decided to add my own twist to it by including some dried pasta. Again, I wanted a really hearty soup and this was going to be used for more of a lunch/dinner type of entree. I also changed the taste profile...the cumin and the star anise seemed really weird to me so I omitted them in my soup.

All in all, the ending result was nice...savory and lemony, hearty and filling like I wanted it. Add a couple slices of toasted and buttered sourdough and his was the perfect good eats for a cold day. This does make a big pot of soup, so be prepared to have leftover for a couple of days! Enjoy!

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Lemony-Garlic Turkey Meatball Soup with Pasta and Kale
(adapted from The Holisitc Ingredient)

For the Meatballs:
1 lbs. ground turkey
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped leeks, white part only
handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried mint leaves, crumbled
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil
additional oil for cooking

For the Soup:
1 medium onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
5 peels of lemon
1 tbsp minced bottled garlic
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
12 cups (3 quarts) low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp fish sauce
1 (6.5oz) pkg dry cheese tortellini pasta
10-12 kale leaves, stems removes and torn into smaller pieces
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil for cooking

 
Make the Meatballs:
Combine all ingredients for meatballs and mix well until well incorporated.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roll mixture into small meatballs, size smaller than a ping-pong ball. Fry meatballs for 7-8 minutes, turning them throughout so they are golden-brown on all sides. Set aside on some paper towels to drain any excess oil.

Make the Soup:
Over medium-high heat, add some oil to a large soup pot. Once hot, add the onion, celery, carrot, and lemon peels. Saute for a few minutes, then add garlic, thyme, chicken broth, and fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper then bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add the dried tortellini. Continue cooking until tortellini is al-dente. Reduce heat to medium, add the meatballs, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Prepare the kale and add to the soup, stirring through, then cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat then add the lemon juice. Stir and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Let sit for 5 minutes off heat before serving.

Makes about 8 to 10 servings.

koftas and time management.

This was probably one of our more memorable meals. I was inspired to make something challenging AND wasn't in the realm of what I usually made. Since we're now here in Georgia, I found that while I may be back in the states . . . there are still some things that aren't easy to come by. Like Mediterranean ingredients, for example.

There is no sumac in my area.

Like, none.

I scoured all of the local markets near me, including Walmart, and I could not find sumac for the life of me. So this meal actually almost never happened. However, since my sister and I like to drive around, we googled the nearest middle-eastern store and found one in Jacksonville that was nearly an hour away. Needless to say, I stocked up on key ingredients that I might need and proceeded to plan out our epic themed dinner!

So, this is where time management comes in. That is to say, I did NOT manage my time well at all.

From start to finish, I decided to make this on a random early afternoon and ended up running around all day. Last minute pre-made naan, a small bag of pine nuts and the lamb meat. All at different stores. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't keeping a better inventory of my spices . . . halfway through putting in the ingredients of the meatballs, I ran out of cinnamon. Ugh. Not my day.

So, despite the fact that we ended up eating at around 9 o'clock at night, the meal itself was pretty rewarding. I made some substitutions in this awesome Turkish kofta meatball recipe and added some pointers from this one. It made for some tasty dining.

Since this dinner took so long to make, I didn't have time to take any pretty pictures. Documented and done. While not strictly Mediterranean, this did come together nicely. I made some caraway rice and homemade tzatziki sauce then served it with toasted naan and parsley/shredded romaine lettuce. My sister came up with the tomato-cucumber salad that turned out pretty awesome. Thank god for teamwork! Otherwise, I don't think I would've finished.

Lesson learned.

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Turkish Kofta Meatball Platter
(adapted from Lady and Pups and The Moveable Feasts)

For the Meatballs:
1 lbs ground lamb or lamb/beef/pork mix
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 medium onion, finely minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 small egg, or 1/2 large egg
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp dried mint
2 tbsp minced italian parsley

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped italian parsley
1 tbsp dried mint
1 to 2 tsp chili flakes or dash or cayenne powder

1.5 to 2 cups hummus (I used my tuscan-flavored hummus. :D)
paprika for garnish
chopped italian parsley for garnish

 
Combine ingredients for meatballs. Adjust seasoning as needed by cooking a small sample then form into 1 to 1.5 inch sized balls. Set aside.

In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown them nicely all over. Add the pine nuts, caraway seeds, and fennel seeds to the pan. Toast until golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Add the minced garlic, parsley, dried mint, and chili flakes/cayenne powder. Cook for about 30 seconds, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat and set aside.

To serve, pour hummus on a microwave-safe platter and swirl for an even layer. Microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes to warm. Add the meatballs and pine nuts on top and drizzle with additional olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped italian parsley to garnish.

Serve with hot naan, tzatziki, cucumber-tomato salad, shredded lettuce, and caraway rice.

Makes about 4 to 5 servings.

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Mediterranean Tomato-Cucumber Salad
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 large tomato, diced large
1 large cucumber, diced large
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
5 to 6 pinches sumac
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon
salt and pepper
1 to 2 tbsp minced italian parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Adjust seasoning as needed and refrigerate at leat 30 minutes before serving.