A while ago, I posted a recipe for a delicious soup based on broccoli stalks. With the beautiful run of weather we've been having in Ireland over the last month or so, I decided to do a chilled version. I just love chilled soups but we get too few chances to savour them during our normal summers. The soup turned out to be quite delicious and I'm hoping the weather stays nice so we can enjoy it again.
This year Anna's farmer brother, John, very kindly offered us one of his hand-reared turkies for the Christmas dinner. Being forewarned that they were on the large side got us thinking about what to do with the bird. We picked up one of the smaller ones, as seen in the picture, but it still weighed in at around 10kg, and came with all the giblets.
We decided there and then to remove the crown and save the legs and wings for future dinners. After dissection, the crown still looked pretty big, so we weighed it and found it to be 4kg: obviously too big for the two of us, so we split it in two. I made about 3.5 litres of very nice turkey stock out of the carcass, of which I froze about 2 litres for future use in soups and the like.
So, read on to see what we did with this magnificent specimen!
Ever wondered what to do with those leftover broccoli stalks when your recipe only calls for the florets? Well, as befits the times we are currently experiencing, this simple soup gives you a delicious means of doing so. Despite the humble ingredients, the soup is rich tasting and sophisticated enough to serve at any dinner party. One supermarket chain near us gives customers a small hacksaw to chop the stalks from broccoli crowns. It's a bit like people only wanting chicken breasts and discarding the legs and wings. So far, I haven't plucked up the courage the ask the shop if I could take stalks off their hands.
A real winter warmer or just perfect for the Irish summer! Familiar from northern and central Europe: Erbsensuppe in Germany; Ärtsoppa in Sweden. If you add a couple of Frankfurters/Wieners or a meatier sausage such as Bockwurst or Mettwurst you get what the Germans call an Eintopf or a one-pot meal. In Sweden split pea soup is traditionally served alongside pancakes and lingonberry sauce. Some people like to put a spoon of mustard on the lip of the bowl and take a small amount with each spoonful.
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