Why waste a perfectly good turkey carcass. After I had carved all the meat off the bird, I put it in a stockpot and covered it with water. I added a couple carrots, celery, and an onion (see Chicken Stock). I let this simmer from Thanksgiving dinner until after shopping on black Friday. I iced it down and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. I then put it in plastic containers (I gave up on glass. It cracks all too often.) and stored it in the freezer.
Tonight we got out a couple quarts and made turkey soup. The broth tastes very much like chicken broth. My simple recipe goes something like…
- 2 quarts turkey stock
- 2 cups water
- 1-2 cups chopped leftover turkey
- 1-2 cups of brown rice noodles (I used Tinkyada rotini since that’s what I had on hand)
- 2 8-inch strips of dried kombu seaweed (I used Eden Kombu)
- basil to taste
- garlic powder to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Throw everything into the pot and cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is the desired texture. Take out the kombu. Occasionally I like to add carrots, diced red bell peppers, or spinach to this soup. Serve with bread, butter (my kids prefer olive oil and pepper), and cheese.
Kombu is loaded with minerals and enhances the flavor.
