This winter, I had a fun evening teaching a cooking class in a beautiful new space. If you haven't heard of Harvest Kitchen yet, check it out. Living in the Providence area has it's perks, and this new space is one of the good ones. It is an excellent farmer's market store- it has shelves and fridges full of the farm fresh produce I love to get at the Saturday Farmer's Markets, but often miss because my life always gets in the way on Saturday mornings. And it's a cafe- they make 2 gorgeous soups everyday, and one is always vegetarian. And it's a job training program for kids transitioning out of the RI Training School. So it's paid work in the kitchen, in an effort to get kids off the streets. Also- It looks like Farm Fresh Rhode Island and Pottery Barn had a baby in Pawtucket. I love this place.
My Harvest Kitchen friends asked if I would teach a cooking class using produce from that week's Veggie Box (another awesome way to get farm fresh produce in RI- it's $28 per week for 7-9 items. I think it's an excellent value for great local food. You register online and pickup your box at a location convenient to you). Seeing as I love both of these local programs, I was so happy to cook with them for an evening.
That week's Veggie Box was full of winter vegetables and I turned them into a Turkey and Mustard Green Soup with Moroccan Spices and Rice. You can feel free to sub in any greens you have, swap out the protein, use different spices or a different grain. It all works well with this as a master recipe. We loved it on a chilly evening, but it's bright enough to enjoy in any season.
INGREDIENTS:
2 small onions
1 ½ tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp Harissa powder
¾ tbsp curry powder
2 pints Lily's Ladle Chicken Bone Broth
2 pints water
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup rice, rinsed
1/2 cup carrots, sliced into coins
½ cup parsnips, sliced into coins
1 cup shredded mustard greens
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste
TEMPERING:
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp harissa powder
METHOD:
1. Slice onions into thin half moons. In an 8 inch pan, Melt coconut oil over med-high heat and saute onions until they start to lightly brown. Add spices and stir to coat. Cook, stirring lightly, about 4 minutes.
2. In a soup pot, add 1 half tbsp coconut oil and melt over med-high heat. Add turkey and season with salt and pepper. Stir to crumble and brown. Add bone broth and water. Bring to simmer, add rice. Add onion and spice mix. Cover and lower to low for 20 minutes. Uncover, add carrots and parsnips.
3. When rice is tender, begin the tempering: in a small pan, melt coconut oil over med heat. Add spices and stir for about 2 minutes until fragrant and a dark paste forms. Pour into the soup. Measure out a little less than a cup of the soup, trying not to get veggies and grains and pour into the tempering skillet. Increase heat to high and reduce down to about 3 tbsp of liquid. Add to soup.
4. Add mustard greens and parsley until wilted. Season with salt. Stir in lemon juice.