Squeezing the Last of the Turkey

Thanksgiving week aftermath…..

Regardless of when you cook it, one of the best parts about the Thanksgiving meal (see last weeks post) is the leftovers. A couple of slices of turkey, with crisp lettuce on fresh sandwich bread with some mayonnaise…..heaven! If you buy a big enough bird, and don’t have too many people over for dinner, it is quite possible that you will get a little tired of the leftover turkey before it runs out. So while this is a very common suggestion, it still is a good one – make turkey soup!

After you have carved the bird for your meal, immediately (even before you start eating) put the bones and scraps of meat into the largest pot you own and put in enough water so it is all covered. If you need to break apart the bones to get it to sit lower, not a problem. Turn the burner on low, throw a lid on it and let it simmer for 3+ hours. I usually time it to turn it off and let it cool just in time for me to go to bed that night. Once you remove it from the burner, strain out the solids and let cool. Once cool, put into an air tight container and store the broth in the freezer. Why? Cause you’ll be sick of turkey right away.

After the first day or two and it looks like most people are done with turkey, take the leftover meat, put it into a freezer bag and also put it into the freezer. When you are ready to make soup, take both out. The block of broth will take several days to thaw, so plan ahead.

Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

The ingredients are flexible but this is what I used:

Turkey broth (see above)

Left over pieces of turkey (see above)

8 oz mushrooms

2 cups baby carrots (sliced)

3 stalks celery (sliced)

3 medium potatoes (cubed)

2 bell peppers (diced)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ground sage

Heat the broth over a low heat in a large pot. Chop the turkey into bite sized pieces and throw into the pot once the broth is hot. Slice vegetables and add them to the pot. Add spices to taste. Throw in some flat noodles. Let it simmer, uncovered, for an hour so the potatoes and carrots soften and the noodles cook.

Serve.