Sunday Soup Series

Thai Matzo Ball Turkey Soup

I originally made this recipe as a vegetarian soup but simply substitute turkey broth and add turkey for the perfect post thanksgiving winter treat. This soup is a beautiful marriage of two of my most favorite comfort foods. I grew up in Boulder and when I was little, we used to go into the New York Deli that was at the West end of the Pearl Street mall. I would always get the matzo ball soup. With tender carrots, celery, onions and a hearty chicken broth it was especially comforting on a cold winters’ day. The matzo ball was light and fluffy yet filling enough to make it into a good meal. Matzo is an unleavened Jewish flat bread and it is ground into a meal and mixed with egg and oil. After chilling it’s dropped into a simmering liquid and produces the most delightful dumpling that doubles in size and soaks up whatever liquid it is in.

Thai yellow curry is also one of those dishes that brings back great memories. Working long hours in restaurant kitchens though my twenties, I would head up to the “Hill”, in boulder, on my day off for my one big meal of the day. Tra Ling’s Oriental café had a combo plate I could get for eight bucks and it was piled high with rice, lo mein noodles and two giant scoops of the Thai coconut curry chicken. It was fragrant and sweet from the coconut milk, had fresh basil and green onion, plenty of sauce that soaked into the rice and with just a touch of spiciness it hit the spot every time.

As I grew older and more experienced as a chef it made total sense to try and combine these two dishes and the result is something that sooths my soul, even on the hardest of days. My wish is that it will sooth your soul as well and bring a little more comfort in these trying times – Chef Paolo

THAI VEGETABLE (TURKEY) MATZO BALL

Yields 4 quarts

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup olive or vegetable oil

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1 cup carrot, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup red & green bell peppers, diced

2 Tablespoons garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup Thai yellow curry paste

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

2 quarts vegetable (or turkey) broth

1 12oz can coconut milk

¼ cup lime juice

2 cups zucchini or yellow squash, diced

4 cups diced turkey meat

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

For the matzo balls:

1 packages matzo meal (1 box)

4 eggs

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Mix the matzo meal, eggs and oil together in a small mixing bowl, cover and chill for at least twenty minutes

2. In a large pot add the oil and sweat the carrots, onion, celery and bell peppers until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, cook 5 more minutes

3. Add the curry paste, coating the vegetables, cook for 5 more minutes, toasting it into the bottom of the pot. Add the mushrooms and cook until beginning to get tender, just a few minutes.

4. Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer

5. Roll the matzo mix out into small balls. I make them about the size of a grape as they will double in size. Drop the balls one by one into the simmering soup and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the zucchini, green onion, lime juice and salt. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

*Chefs Notes:

- Add whatever extra vegetables you want, the more the merrier. Increase the curry paste or add a little sriracha if you want it a little more spicy