Turkey Soup

After the heavy Thanksgiving meal, I find a really just want a soup for dinner the next day. And, luckily, Thanksgiving dinner leaves me with the makings for a great turkey stock to use as a base for the soup. Right after dinner, I ripped apart the carcass, put it on a tray and roasted it some more. This would gives a deepness to the flavor of the stock.

So, to my local turkey carcass I added some local green beans and the sweet potato grown by a neighbor. Add some dill, a leek and ditalini and you have a hearty, satisfying turkey soup.

A great way to top an afternoon spent enjoying some unseasonably warm weather (and not spent indoors shopping). We took advantage of our State Parks waiving their entrance fees on Black Friday to take a nice hike at Killens Pond State Park.

Turkey Soup

Inspired by Day-After Turkey Soup from Food Network Magazine and Roasted Turkey Stock by Julia Moskin

For the Stock

Turkey carcass, broken into pieces (locally raised)

2 large onions, quartered (no need to peel)

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

4 large celery ribs, cut into chunks

2 cups white wine

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

leaves from a bunch of dried thyme (form the garden)

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Kosher salt

For the Soup

8 cups of turkey stock

2 cups diced leftover turkey

1 leek, white part sliced

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and broken into 1 inch pieces (locally grown)

1 large sweet potato, diced into 1/2″ pieces (locally grown)

1 Tbsp dried dill

1 cup ditalini

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Hearty or crusty bread for serving (I used sourdough challah)

Directions

For the Stock – Heat the oven to 450F.

Arrange the carcass pieces on a baking tray and roast for 20-25 minutes, until well-browned. Transfer it to a large stockpot and add the rest of the ingredients. Heat over medium heat until the wine becomes quite fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add 6 quarts of water and heat over medium-high heat just until it comes to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and skim the foam off the top. Simmer for 3 hours. Add 1 tsp salt or more to taste.

Strain 2 quarts through a large sieve into the pot for the soup. Strain the rest into containers for refrigeration or freezing for later use. Refrigerate the pot, covered, until ready to make the soup.

For the Soup

Add the leeks and reheat the stock over medium heat. Add the turkey meat, green beans, sweet potato and dill to the pot and cook for 15 – 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.