winter stew
creamy turkey, farro, and kale stew 🥣
My first plan for the recipe we’d share the Saturday before Christmas was a What to Cook-ified version of Crash’s Christmas curry (if you’re new here, Crash = my mom! And she gifts batches of curry to her friends for Christmas).
I had the recipe in a good but not perfect place before I went to bed Wednesday night… aaand then I woke up on Thursday with a stomach bug that would not quit. As you can imagine, it’s literally impossible to develop a recipe with a stomach bug, so I pivoted, and am instead so excited to share a recipe I KNOW is a home run and happens to be absolutely perfect for this week, when many of us have a house full of people to feed.
I shared the recipe for this creamy turkey, kale, and farro stew on Instagram last year and a ton of you asked me to share it here on Substack too because you love it so much and it’s annoying to read recipes off Insta.
It’s a hearty winter stew that is so. dang. delicious and filled with lean protein (ground turkey and green lentils), whole grains (farro), lots of veggies (potato, tomatoes, carrots, onion), leafy greens (kale), and flavor (Parm rind! harissa paste!). I’ve called it a cousin of good soup, so if you liked that recipe, I know you’ll love this one!
This stew has a really complex flavor profile thanks in large part to harissa paste — a chili paste that hails from Northern Africa. Harissa pastes range in spice level from mild to spicy. I love Trader Joe’s harissa paste, which is moderate in spice (and, BTW, is now available through Walmart!). You’ll notice that the recipe calls for “1 to 2 tablespoons of harissa paste” — do your thing there based on how much heat you and your family want and how spicy your harissa paste is. Always smart to start small and add more later.
This is not our first rodeo with harissa paste here on What to Cook, so you may already have some in the fridge. If you’re buying a new jar of it, here’s what to cook with your leftovers:
PS, if you can’t find harissa paste, you can swap it out for harissa powder (1 to 2 teaspoons) or harissa sauce (1 to 2 tablespoons).
PPS, don’t worry, Crash’s curry will make an appearance here soon!!
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Serves 6
Cook time: 45 minutes
Tools:
A large heavy-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven)
Wooden spoon
Ingredients:
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