Please help me clean out my freezer!!!

[buckytom]

hi everyone.
i was cleaning out the freezer, and found a bunch of things i think could go into a soup or stew, but need some help rounding out the recipe.
i found a few quarts of turkey stock, a ham bone with some meat and sinew, and lamb fat from frenched ribs.
i was thinking of redering the fat from the lamb, browning some meat (not sure what kind yet) and veggies; then toss in herbs (de provence, maybe), and the ham bone and turkey stock to make a stew. then possibly add a starch like beans or spuds. i have green and pink lentils on hand, as well as great northern white beans.
i'm not sure if this odd combo would work, or if there are ingredients or techniques you can suggest that might tie it all together. if you think i should use the ingredients seperately, like using the ham bone for pea or lentil soup, and the turkey stock with white beans to make escarole e fagiole, please post your recipe for such.
i'm tempted to brown and salt the lamb fat lardons and eat it tossed with garlic and cheese with pasta...
tia for your help.

 

[kitchenelf]

It all sounds good bucky!! I really like your pasta idea with the lamb lardon - I'd be tempted to take it one step further and do an Alfredo with the lardons being another layer of flavor in it.

The soup sounds great. I often flavor a chicken stock/broth soup with smoked ham hocks so why not flavor it more with a ham bone. Around here we would just do pintos with the ham bone

What about a Ministrone with the turkey stock? Sweat some garlic in some olive then saute onions, carrots, celery, leeks until limp, l add canned tomatoes with juice, add about 1 TBS sugar, fresh basil chiffonade, the stock and some water, salt, and pepper, and cook until more tender. Then add sliced zucchini and shredded cabbage, more fresh basil chiffonade, and simmer until these are minutes away from being done. Add a tubettini pasta along with the great northern beans (if the beans are uncooked I would cook before hand or cook with the carrots/celery mixture) and stir frequently to keep off the bottom. At end add your green - whether it's spinach or escarole or kale. The spinach doesn't take very long, the kale and escarole will take longer so you may need to add those in with the zucchini or even before.

It's kind of hard to follow probably but you get the idea. I'd save your lentils to have with the ham bone. Just my thoughts.

 

[choclatechef]

The soup sounds great. I often flavor a chicken stock/broth soup with smoked ham hocks so why not flavor it more with a ham bone. Around here we would just do pintos with the ham bone

I do this all the time!

It adds great flavor to any kind of beans. I especially like this combo with pinto, red or black beans!

 

[Otter]

I made Lentil Soup yesterday. I didn't have a ham bone, but I used some leftover ham. I think the ham flavor adds a lot to a lentil soup. If it's soup weather there you might also consider making chicken noodle or vegetable soup with the turkey stock.

 

[buckytom]

thanks elfie, otter, and choc. i post whatever i make from it...

 

[Alix]

I'll send you my address and you can Fed Ex some to me. I am drooling here thinking about the yummy stuff you will be creating.