Leftover Turkey & Kamut Soup

Now that we're firmly into February, my family has finally started to like eating poultry again! With all the hullaballoo that was the holidays, we wound up freezing a huge zip-top bag filled with skinned, chopped turkey meat that we just couldn't face yet again in hopes that it would be desired again before freezer burn set in. Of course, I had been keeping vegetable scraps in another bag in our freezer over the holidays, and I also kept all our turkey bones (and those from the other turkey dinners we went to). Armed with my freezer bounty, I had the makings of a hearty stock and a "Winter's-not-quite-over" soup too!

I was mostly inspired by my discovery of a few lonely leeks in our fridge that hadn't made it into that week's menu, which evoked the memory of old fashioned Cock-A-Leekie soup. Traditionally, it's only leeks, a few shreds of chicken, broth and barley, but since I know my mom (and her love of veggie-heavy lunches) I basically tore apart our crisper, adding carrots, celery, onions and garlic as well. In place of the barley (which is generally absent in our house), I swapped in the protein and fibre rich Kamut®, which added a rich nutty flavour and the texture of brown rice. The end result was nothing short of international: I started the works with a combination of Canadian camelina and Greek olive oils, added Italian red wine partway through and used classically continental thyme, rosemary and parsley, then I finished the soup with a touch of Asian flavour from tamari.

Simmered together and ladled generously into bowls, it made for a hearty and wholesome lunch with a ton of flavour - the perfect pairing to a cold blustery day!

Leftover Turkey & Kamut Soup
Serves 8
1 tbsp camelina oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
3 leeks
3 carrots
4 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tbsp parsley
1/3 cup red wine
5 cups turkey stock
1 cup water
1 cup Kamut® berries
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
2 tbsp tamari

1. Heat oils in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden – about 8 minutes.
3. Add the leeks, carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes, until slightly softened.
4. Stir in the garlic, pepper and herbs and cook 1 minute, just until fragrant.
5. Pour in the wine, stock and water, stirring well, then add the Kamut berries.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until vegetables and Kamut are cooked.
7. Stir in the turkey and tamari and cook 10 minutes longer.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 195.5
Total Fat: 5.3 g
Cholesterol: 18.1 mg
Sodium: 722.9 mg
Total Carbs: 28.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.5 g
Protein: 10.5 g