Let’s Talk Turkey – November 25, 2012

My husband, mother-in-law and I traveled to Tennessee with a 23 pound locally raised turkey for the holidays.  It was juicy and delicious but cooked much faster than the recipes for bloated grocery turkeys that are basted every 30 minutes said it would.  And, the seven of us present ate it for days and still had left overs.  Most of the left overs were eaten as on Thanksgiving Day with dressing and gravy, but we also had sandwiches and my relatives left with stories of turkey tetrazzini and hash in their future.

The last Thanksgiving I had left overs, I made a great pot pie, but this year, I took home the turkey carcass, not the meat.  I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a turkey soup or stew.  What I made turned out to be something in between.  You could add a little more water to make it more soupy or less to create a thick stew.  I only had a few things in the pantry and fridge after being gone from home a week, so I made do with what I had.  I thought the results were delicious:

 Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Stew

1 turkey carcass

½ chopped onion

3 bay leaves

2 crushed cloves garlic

1 T. Penzy’s Ruth Ann’s Muskego Seasoning (or other seasoning of choice)

¼ - ½ tsp. cayenne

½- 1 can tomato paste

1 can garbanzo beans with the liquid

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 c. frozen corn (hopefully you put some up during the summer)

1 c. dehydrated tomatoes (I put these up from cherry tomatoes, but you could use frozen or canned tomatoes.  It’ll just have less punch)

1 c. macaroni (I used Barilla Piccolini made with carrots and squash)

Add all ingredients except the macaroni to a large pot and bring to boil.  Let simmer 20 minutes and remove the carcass.  Once cooled, remove any remaining meat and toss back into pot, tossing the bones and bay leaves.  Add macaroni and bring back to boil.  Cook as directed for pasta.  Serve.

So, if that just isn’t to your liking after Thanksgiving and you want something more exotic or warm and easy to digest, Jook is the answer for both.  This porridge like Chinese soup goes down easy, especially with the addition of ginger which is said to settle a stomach ache.

Turkey Jook

1 c. long-grain white rice

6 scallions

1 turkey carcass

1 4 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

10 c. water

Simmer rice, 3 scallions, carcass, half the ginger and water in large covered pot until it becomes creamy (about 1 hour).  Discard turkey bones and large pieces of scallion and ginger.  Serve sprinkled with remaining ginger and scallions finely chopped.

Whatever you do with the turkey carcass and other left overs, I hope you had a wonderful and warm holiday with those you love!  Happy Thanksgiving!