Soba Noodle Turkey Soup

The big question on everyone's mind is: "what to do with all of that leftover turkey?"  The answer came to me today as I was racing to my car in the wind.  This is no ordinary wind, this is bone chilling, hot steamy bubble bath, no I'm not coming out of the house kind-of-wind.  In a word: SOUP!!!  I love soup, it is so nourishing and filling.  I am a chicken soup kinda girl, no creamy concoctions, homemade chicken stock and oodles of veggies really get me excited.

After a Whole Foods run this afternoon, I found myself holding a package of organic whole grain soba noodles, and not a clue to what I might dream up with them.  I needed a fast, easy, farmhand filling dinner, and this soup just came out.  It was really good!  I had homemade turkey stock brewing on the stove, and that made all the difference.  If you haven't made your own stock, it is so simple.  I love that I can control what goes into it, and it tastes so much better than the store bought kind.

To make chicken stock, you simply save the carcass of a whole chicken or turkey or even the bones from several bone-in chicken breasts that you have roasted.  Place them in a large stock pot and cover with water.  Add some salt, an unpeeled onion cut in half (not peeling it helps to give some color to the stock), a couple stalks of celery, a couple of carrots, a few cloves of garlic and then I like to add a couple of tablespoons of herbs de provence.  In the summer I often use fresh herbs, like parsley, thyme, a little rosemary, but in the winter, I use dried herbs.  Either way, the stock will taste fantastic.  Simmer, covered, for a few hours on the stove.  If you are picky, like me, and you want a clear stock, do not let the mixture come to a boil.  Boiling the stock makes it cloudy, it still tastes good, but your soup, in my opinion, doesn't turn out quite as pretty.  Let the stock cool, strain, then package it in quart containers and freeze it for later use.  I use it in a number of recipes, so I enjoy having it on hand, and it really warms up cold nights like tonight!

SOBA NOODLE TURKEY SOUP

Backyard Farmgals

4 cups turkey or chicken stock

2 cups turkey, sliced thinly

2 servings soba noodles, cooked according to package directions

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moon shapes

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large cremini mushrooms, wiped off, stems removed, and thinly sliced

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

pinch of red pepper flakes

2 green onions, green parts only, sliced

sesame seeds to garnish

method:

In 4 bowls, divide the sliced turkey and place in the bottom of each bowl.  Add the cooked soba noodles to the bowls in little piles to the side of each bowl.

In a sauce pan, heat the stock until it is simmering.

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil, when hot, add carrots, celery, onion and garlic.  Sauté until lightly cooked, vegetables should still be slightly firm.  Add the mushrooms and give it a quick stir.  Turn off heat.  Add the hot stock to the sauce pan and allow to sit until the mushrooms are slightly cooked.  Add the grated ginger and red pepper flakes and stir.  Pour vegetables and stock into bowls evenly.   Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy hot.