Our amazing Fall weather has finally turned and it’s been cold and wet – perfect weather for homemade soup.
If you have a leftover turkey carcass, do not throw it out until you get every last possible use out of it! Use it to make some homemade stock and then use your leftover turkey to make some soup. Stock is easy to make and freezes well.
I included a basic recipe to make turkey stock and then one for Turkey & Wild Rice Soup. This is very similar to my Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe. I do not include mushrooms or celery in my version because my family does not like them, but making soup is very flexible and forgiving. If you like celery and mushrooms, add them! If you don’t need it to be gluten free – use all-purpose flour. If you don’t have wild rice, feel free to use regular white or brown rice.
Bowl of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup.
Yummy.
Turkey Stock Yields about 12 cups of stock Carcass of a roasted turkey Make a bouquet garni by placing the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf in a small piece of cheesecloth tied with a piece of twine. Set aside. Chop carcass into pieces removing any stuffing, if applicable. Place the carcass in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add the carrots, celery, onion, and bouquet garni to the pot. Allow to simmer for three hours. Skim fat off the top if necessary. Add additional water if necessary. After three hours, strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth and discard the bones, vegetables, and bouquet garni. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove and discard any fat that solidifies on top before using. Use to make turkey soup or in any recipe calling for chicken stock.
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into 1″ pieces
1 large celery stalk, chopped into 1″ pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
½ cup fresh parsley
1 tsp dried thyme or several sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Turkey and Wild Rice Soup Makes 4 generous servings 6 TB unsalted butter Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium to medium high heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Blend in the flour and once it starts to bubble, sauté for a full minute stirring constantly. Do not allow the flour mixture to brown or burn. Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a slow boil. Reduce heat and stir in turkey and wild rice. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring back up to a simmer. Allow to simmer for five minutes. Immediately prior to serving, add the milk, cream, or half-and-half and allow it to come back up to serving temperature, but do not boil. Serve with crackers or crusty bread. Note on the wild rice: ½ cup uncooked wild rice will yield 2 cups of cooked rice. To prepare, cook ½ cup of wild rice in 4 cups of salted water for 30 minutes. Allow to sit for another 30 to 45 minutes to allow the wild rice to become very soft. Drain any excess water before using.
1 small to medium yellow onion, finely diced
½ cup rice flour (may use all-purpose flour if you do not need to be gluten free)
4 cups turkey stock (may substitute chicken stock)
2 cups cooked wild rice (may substitute regular rice)
½ cup diced carrots (about one large carrot)
1 cup diced turkey
½ tsp salt, more or less to taste depending on stock
Pepper, to taste
1 cup milk, cream, or half-and-half
