Turkey Chowder

5 servings

• 2 Tablespoons rendered bacon fat
• 2 leek, white part only, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup diced red sweet pepper
• 1 pound skinless boneless cooked,
     diced turkey (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 quart fat-free chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon arrowroot
• 1 cup 1% lowfat milk
•    salt and pepper, to taste

Heat bacon fat in a large soup pot set over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery, potato, red bell pepper, and turkey meat. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Add mushrooms, thyme, sage, rosemary and bay leaf. Cook until mushrooms are tender.

Add chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Disolve arrowroot in milk and stir into soup. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and serve.

About leeks: Choose those with crisp, brightly colored leaves and an unblemished white portion. Avoid any with withered or yellow-spotted leaves. The smaller the leek, the more tender it will be. Refrigerate leeks in a plastic bag up to 5 days. Before using, trim rootlets and the darkest portion of the green tops (the whole leek is edible, but the darker green portions have a stronger, less pleasant flavor). Slit the leeks from top to bottom and wash thoroughly to remove all the dirt trapped between the leaf layers.

Bon appetit!