Note on the recipe: sorry for all the weird jokes.
Broth:
2 smoked turkey legs
1 sprig rosemary
1 large leaf sage
1 sprig oregano
1 gallon of water
Throw all of this in a stock pot and simmer that concoction until you can smell it in the other room while you're watching Netflix waiting for everything to be done (approximately 1 and a half hours). Go longer if you want to really extract some bone flavor or if you started watching the second season of Bridgerton and don't want to move from your couch for a while. When it is delicious, strain out the solids and salt to taste. The turkey legs will impart a good amount of sodium into your broth, so taste it before you go adding anything else.
Meatballs:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound smoked turkey meat, chopped and pulsed in the food processor
1 small onion, chopped and pulsed in the food processor
1 tsp each chopped fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, sage
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 calabrian chilis, minced
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg
Preheat the oven to 475F.
Mix in a large bowl until everything is evenly blended. Don't overdo it! When you spend a lot of time mixing, you are creating a meat structure that doesn't lend itself to being tender. Cook a very small piece of your mixture in a saute pan and taste it. How's the salt/pepper/herbs? If you think it needs more of one thing, add it!
Line a baking sheet with a silpat or another nonstick surface.
Using wet hands, roll the meat into small balls about as wide as a quarter. Set each ball on your baking sheet and then bake for 7 minutes, or until there is a little color on your meatballs. I like to imagine this as the meatballs tanning before they go to the big party later.
When they're cooled off, take those balls to the party! By that, I mean add them to your stock.
Set this on a low simmer and make sure the party doesn't get too out of hand.
Other stuff that makes the soup delicious:
1 leek, sliced very thin
1 large carrot, small dice
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 tbsp butter
Melt your butter in a saute pan and then add the leek, carrot and celery. Cook over medium heat until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Throw your vegetables into the soup and stir it around. Make sure that you are remaining at a simmer here! A slow cook will create a lot of tenderness in the meat and really help those flavors marry (cause it's wedding soup.). Cook for 1 hour.
1 cup israeli couscous
1/2 cup orzo (optional, i just had some that needed a home)
1 bunch fresh spinach, long stems removed
Add couscous and orzo to the soup, cooking 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. A few minutes before serving, add spinach. I like adding the spinach near the end of the cook because it retains a little fresh zip before breaking down with the heat. If you like a soft spinach, cook it for about 5 minutes before serving.
finish with parmesan and, if you'd like, calabrian chili for some heat.
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one of my favorite pastimes is considering different ways to reimagine (some say: ruin) classic dishes from my childhood. the other day i suggested coconut shrimp as a topping for grits, only to nearly get booed out of the room by my family. one time i made a dish for a tasting menu that was modeled after ants on a log, looked nothing like ants on a log, but kind of tasted like ants on a log, was a huge success and remains one of my favorite small bites i've made. another time, i made sweet chili macaroni and cheese with peas, which i will continue to make forever because it's truly one of my favorite 'i'm crying into my pillow right now and watching up for no reason at all. why did i do this and what is wrong with me?' kind of meals. one time i made a coffee rubbed steak and it upset everyone in the room. they can't all be winners, but it sure is fun to brainstorm!
i respect food that has remained tried and true and rooted in tradition, but if i can find some weird way to add an unnecessary (usually chinese) element to something, patterns of the past say that i will. but today i decided to do something different and not in that scary 'fusion' manner that i usually opt for. i made italian wedding soup with...
turkey meatballs! and smoked turkey broth!! and israeli couscous!!
it's not that scary. it's actually really delicious. i think this is one of my more approachable flavor combinations and has been a nice project for a mostly damp, kind of chilly, pretty non-eventful day. it should pair well with the 1 to 2 glasses of wine i will have with dinner because i'm an adult and i don't need to drink a whole bottle of wine on a tuesday...even though i'm unemployed...? doubt creeps in. BUT self control still sounds sexier so i'll stick with my 1 to 2 glasses because i'm trying to stretch everyday (it's technically yoga, but i don't say 'namaste' because church ain't doing planks, so i'll just label it in de-mystified layman's terms) now and have a good skincare routine and blah blah blah.
anyway
italian wedding soup is usually made with a combination of beef and pork meatballs, a small pasta called acini de pepe, and chicken broth. apparently, this is a famous dish in the city of pittsburgh for some reason? i'd love to tell you why, but the article in the pittsburgh post and the one in cook's country detailing the city's love for this soup are both not free reads. therefore i will guess by saying there are lots of good italian restaurants there (?) and it is nice in the cold winter weather (?). if you find out, please tell me! the name translates in english to 'married soup', which doesn't refer to nuptials, but rather how the flavor of the meat marries with the flavor of the vegetables. how fun is that? (hot tip: if you're feeling sad, say that like ina garten and it will bring joy to your heart!)