Making Soup Using Leftover Lamb/Leek Gravy

Turkey Tracks: April 25, 2022

Making Soup Using Leftover Lamb/Leek Gravy

I like having what I think of as ”assets” in my kitchen.

The leftover gravy from the recent lamb shanks and leeks cooked in the Instant Pot would be such an asset. And I knew I would have that leftover gravy, so I planned for it by making sure I had a package of meat to use, just as I knew I had those garlicky green beans in the refrigerator when I made the lamb shank dish in the first place.

I will often add other ingredients to assets to make new and different meals. And in this case, I made a rich and hearty soup that extended the life of the gravy. A soup is a whole new asset in and of itself.

First, I defrosted a packing of lamb stew meat—part of the whole lamb I get in the fall. I could also have used ground lamb. Or even, ground hamburger.

I chopped up some additional savory veggies (onion, carrot, celery) and sweated them out in my Creuset cast iron enamel pot—using beef tallow as my sauté fat. I added herbs and salt, of course. And when the veggies were starting to color up/carmelize a bit, I added in the meat—which cools down everything.

I cooked that mixture until the meat started to brown and most of the liquid in the pan was cooked out.

At this point, I add in the leftover gravy, more water to make the ”soup,” and a package of frozen mixed veggies I had in the freezer.

Heat the soup until it comes to a hot simmer, and it is basically done. Look at that gorgeous broth color.

I didn’t add something white (potato, cauliflower, rice) as the gravy was thickened with sprouted rice flour in the first place. But what is fun now is to add things into your bowl of soup.

In this case, I added some grated mozzarella cheese and some pasta cooked on the side before I added the soup.

If you add pasta to a big pot of soup, it cooks ”out” pretty fast—in that it dissolves into the broth—as you reheat the soup—which means you lose the ”al dente” of the pasta. Here I used a bit of rice pasta macaroni—as that is what I had on hand that also needed to be used.

And, as I don’t want soup where the whole of it has been repeatedly reheated (that’s a histamine issue, in part) I only heat what I’m going to eat for a meal. I also don’t want for soup to hang around very long (another histamine issue), so I opt to freeze portions to have in the freezer for other meals. Plus, by freezing some if needed, I don’t get tired of a big soup and can move on to other cooking/eating.

I added in some raw heavy cream for another bowl of soup. What gets added into or onto a soup is only limited by a lack of imagination. One could add bacon crumbles. Or top grated cheese with some chopped green onions. Or add different spices: like hot pepper, cumin, any of the Mexican or Indian spices. Or add in beans. Or do all of the above. You could also put the soup over a bowl of noodles or spaghetti and top with whatever goodies float your boat at the moment.

The main goal is to have rich, nourishing food that makes you feel happy when you eat it.