Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Soup!

When most people think of thanksgiving leftovers they imagine piles and piles of turkey meat. My favorite part of the post-thanksgiving left over division is the turkey carcass. Why? Because you can make some badass turkey soup.

You might be sick of turkey after thanksgiving, but this soup is so warming and at least here in the pacific northwest its a good way to combat the cold rainy weather. I like to put lots of ginger and garlic in my soups, which contain lots of good nutrients and flu fighting properties.

Ingredients:

For the broth:

• Turkey carcass
• 1 Onion
• 4 good sized carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• One inch cube of ginger, sliced
• One whole garlic clove
• Seasoning Spices (tyme, oregano, basil, fennel, ect)
• Chili flakes
• Bay leaf

For the soup:

• Turkey Meat
• 1 Onion
• 4 good sized carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 cups of Kale
• One inch cube of ginger, sliced
• One whole garlic clove
• Spices
• 1 bag/box of your choice of pasta

Basically you fill up a large soup pot and boil the water. When the water is boiled throw in all of the ingredients (except the turkey meat), wait for the water to boil again and then turn it down to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for at least 6 hours, 8+ is recommended. This is just the process of making the base broth.

Its important to use vegetables as well as bones when you are making your broth, the mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) are often the base for many dishes because they provide a lot of flavor and a relatively low cost. With any soup base you are making be sure to add the mirepoix!

Having the skin boiling will really add to the flavor of the broth, its full of delicious fat that gives that warm homemade flavor. Don’t worry, there are also ways to trim the fat of the soup down without compromising the flavor.

After about 8 hours drain all of the bones/veggies from the broth into another soup pot.

You can either add in more onions, veggies, spices and the turkey and eat the soup or you can reduce the fat of the soup by putting the broth in the soup pot in the fridge over night. As the broth cools in the fridge the fat travels to the surface and solidifies. In the morning this leaves a layer of solid fat at the top which you can just simply skim off. Personally, and some people may disagree, I don’t think that this takes any of the flavor away.

At this point I like to separate about half of the broth and freeze it.

I take the rest of the broth, add in the mirepoix, turkey meat, spices pasta and kale (or any other things you might like in your broth). I love kale. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a boil, wait for the veggies and pasta to be al dente (probably around 12 minutes and serve.

If you are like me and hate mushy pasta, take your remainder soup off the burner to prevent your pasta from over cooking after you serve, or place them in storage containers.

Now feast! Its pretty amazing how delicious the broth can get, and its only flavored by salt. The longer you let the broth cook, the more flavor you can get. I try not to make soup with any soup power bases. I feel good knowing exactly where my flavor is coming from!

Does anyone have any good turkey soup variations? Or any turkey day left over favorites?