Turkey, Fennel and Silverbeet Broth

Gluten-free | Grain-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free 

Serves 2

Why it's delicious

A restorative big bowl of slow-braised meat and vegetables is a wonderful thing, especially when the weather turns colder and the sweaters and crockpots start to come out of the cupboards. This broth is wonderfully flavoured, delicate yet robust, enchanting and comforting. 

Fennel is an interesting vegetable because it has a big, bold, aniseed flavour that can be overpowering for some. In this dish, the fennel is slowly cooked, rendering that aniseed flavour much more palate-pleasing.

Helpful hints + tips

You will ideally have a slow cooker or crockpot to make this recipe

If you can purchase turkey breast, do so, but you can also buy a turkey drumstick and carefully debone and dice the flesh. This needs a lot of time as the drumstick has lots of sinews (tough fibrous tissue) that need to be removed. 

Before you start, you’ll need to prepare my Kombu Water. Kombu water is my healthy broth alternative and one of my favourite foundation recipes. If you need the recipe, you can find it here.

Ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) turkey meat, diced into bite-sized chunks
• 200 g (7 oz) fennel bulb, diced into bite-sized chunks
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 600 ml (1.2 pints) Kombu Water
• Mineral salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 340 g (11.5 oz) silverbeet (chard) leaves, well-washed and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
• Small handful of fresh mint and coriander leaves

Method

1. Add all the ingredients except for the silver beet and fresh herbs to a crockpot or slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours until the turkey is tender. You can also put this broth on overnight on low for 8 hours. 
2. Taste the broth for flavour and, if needed, season with salt and pepper. Keep the broth warm whilst you prepare the silverbeet. 
3. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the sliced silverbeet. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Drain the water from the silverbeet, add it to the bottom of two big bowls, and evenly divide the soup into each bowl. 
4. Serve topped with finely chopped mint, coriander, and a small handful of freshly picked leaves.