Red Chile Turkey Soup With Masa Dumplings is delicious, warming, and filling. It's also a great way to use leftover turkey.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 - 3 dried New Mexico red chiles (large, relatively mild chiles)
- 1 white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked turkey meat
- 6 cups turkey or chicken broth
- Salt to taste (optional)
- For the dumplings:
- 3/4 cup masa
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup butter or lard, cold and cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Preparation:
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles. Put them in a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or blender and whirl until a powder with a few larger pieces in it. Set chile aside.
- Halve the onion lengthwise, place cut sides down, and cut into very thin half-moon slices. While you're at it, mince the garlic.
- In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or so.
- Add ground chile and cumin and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add turkey and stir to combine. Add broth and bring soup to a simmer. Cook to combine flavors, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste, if you like.
- Meanwhile, make the dumpling batter: In a large bowl, combine masa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter or lard and work into the masa mixture until it resembles corn meal with a few larger chunks in it. Stir in buttermilk to combine.
- Add dumpling batter by the tablespoonful to the simmering soup. Cover and cook without lifting the lid for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the dumplings in that and then transfer them to the soup.)
- Serve soup, with a dumpling or two in each bowl.
