After Turkeyday Feast

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to make Turkey Carcass Soup. First of all, I just love the name. It sounds so...barbaric and medieval. Secondly, it's absolutely delicious and feels very resourceful to use all of the turkey this way. I got this recipe from Jane Brody's Good Food Cookbook, one of my all-time favorites.

Add a loaf of homemade bread, and you've got yourself a meal.

Turkey Carcass Soup

Stock:

Turkey carcass, broken into pieces

Any defatted pan juices or leftover gravy

12 cups of water, or enough to cover the carcass completely

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 ribs of celery with leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced well-washed leek (optional)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt, if desired

Bouquet garni, made by tying in cheesecloth:

6 sprigs fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes)

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

Soup:

1/2 onion, finely copped

2 - 3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 1/2 tbsp. flour

6 - 7 cups turkey stock

1 tsp. dried marjoram

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/3 cup raw barley or rice

1 cup diced turkey meat

Hot pepper sauce, to taste (optional)

2 tbsp. chopped parsley or chives

For the stock, combine all the ingredients in a large stock pot, bring the stock to a boil and simmer it, partially covered for 2 to 3 hours. (It tastes better the longer it simmers, but be careful not to cook away the liquid.)

Strain the stock; cool, then skim off the fat.

Remove all of the meat from the bones and refrigerate for adding to the soup later. Discard other vegetables, bones, turkey skin, etc. Makes 10 - 12 cups.

To make the soup, in a large stockpot saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add the carrots and celery and mushrooms and cook the vegetables for an additional 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the flour and stir for one minute.

Add the stock, marjoram, salt and pepper, and barley or rice. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer the soup for about 1 hour. Add the turkey meat and hot pepper sauce. Adjust seasonings, and heat the soup to boiling. Sprinkle the soup with parsley just before serving. Serves 6 - 8.

From "Jane Brody's Good Food Book," Jane Brody