SOOTHING TURKEY AND TOMATO SOUP WITH RICE

After many years of practice and experimentation my mother has perfected the art of making Polish tomato soup. Her recipe has medicinal, soothing qualities – good for both the body and soul. The base is made in exactly the same way as a typical Polish chicken soup rosół. The only tweak I have made to her recipe is to substitute the chicken for turkey, as I prefer its flavour and its greater nutritional value. {Serves 8–10}

1 turkey thigh

1 parsnip, peeled

3 carrots, peeled

2 celery stalks

1 bay leaf

5–7 pimento berries

2 litres (4 pints/8½ cups) water

250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) tomato passata

1 tablespoon tomato purée (paste)

1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar

150 ml (5 fl oz/²/₃ cup) single (light) cream

salt and black and white pepper, to taste

cooked white rice, to serve

Cook the turkey thigh with the parsnip, carrots and celery stalks with the bay leaf and pimento berries in a pan filled with the measured water, over a medium heat for at least 1 hour.

Remove the vegetables and turkey thigh from the pan with a slotted spoon, discarding the parsnip and celery stalks. Chop the carrot into slices and remove the meat from the turkey thigh.

Add the passata and tomato purée to the soup and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the sugar and season with salt and both peppers.

In a medium bowl, blend the cream with a tablespoon of the hot soup to prevent it from curdling before adding into the pan. Then, add the sliced carrots and flaked turkey meat and taste the soup to see if it needs further seasoning.

Serve with cooked white rice in bowls.

{Time: 1 hour 20 minutes}