Leftover season
My family was scattered on the Thanksgiving weekend, so I didn’t cook a turkey. It was liberating to plan something different for the holiday but the reality of no leftovers in the fridge was an eye-opener, and I suspect there will be a roast bird on my table in the very near future because I like the followup almost as much as the main event.
No matter your beast of choice, knowing there’s an easy and delicious encore waiting in the wings is a comforting feeling.
How to make flavourful soup is a question I get a lot, and I can tell you with confidence the answer is flavourful broth. Easier said than done, I know. If you threw your last batch of turkey bones in the freezer you are already ahead of the game.
The key to fabulous turkey soup is time. You need hours to extract the most flavour and, believe it or not, texture, from the bones. Soup is a two-step process when you make the broth from scratch but it’s well worth the effort.
If you have no leftover meat you can get turkey parts in most grocery stores — well worth the investment if you’ve got the bones standing by.
This pot of soup will serve 8 or more.
Broth:
1 turkey carcass, meat removed, but including any scrappy bits of gristle and skin
6 to 8 litres cold water, enough to cover the bones
1 large onion, unpeeled, quartered
2 stalks celery, washed and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 large bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated
1 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves 2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tsp. salt
Soup:
4 carrots, peeled and diced 1 small turnip, peeled and and coarsely diced
2 cups egg noodles
4 cups cooked diced turkey salt and pepper to taste Remove as much meat as you possibly can from the turkey bones, chop it up and set aside in the refrigerator. Place bones in a soup pot and add enough cold water to cover. Add onion, celery, carrots, tomato, stalks from the parsley, peppercorns and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until the bones fall apart. Watch the water level—if the pot is boiling too vigorously there won’t be enough liquid for your soup so top up with boiling water as necessary. On the other hand, if the broth is too watery remove the cover and boil off some of the liquid to concentrate the flavour.
Strain through a fine sieve, pressing down on the bones and vegetables to extract every drop of broth. Discard the solids.
If you make the broth a day ahead you can refrigerate it overnight and remove any fat that solidifies on the surface. If you plan to make the soup on the same day just skim off any visible fat. Turkey is lean so unless you included a lot of skin with the bones the broth won’t be greasy.
Return liquid to pot and add carrots and turnip. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Add noodles and reserved chopped turkey meat to the pot and bring back to a boil. Simmer until meat is hot through and noodles are tender but still have some chew. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chop up the parsley leaves and add just before serving.
Leftover potatoes are not among my favorite things but baked golden brown with chewy edges mounded on top of a baking dish full of meat and veg breathes new life into tired spuds.
Pretty much any roast meat will work in this dish. My favorite, though, is beef, followed closely by lamb. I’d put lamb at the top of the list but there’s never enough left to make anything the next day.
If you have enough gravy leftover that is the best choice but don’t hesitate to augment your homemade with a small can or package mix in a pinch. If I don’t have any gravy at all I make a fresh batch from bouillon and butter and flour roux or flour and water thickening. My best secret to sprucing up notstrictly-homemade gravy is adding a little wine—red for beef or lamb, white for chicken, turkey or pork. Be sure to cook it a few minutes to get rid of the alcohol.
This makes plenty for 6.
3 cups diced cooked beef or other roast meat
1-1/2 cups leftover gravy 2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, optional
4 cups mixed cooked diced vegetables—carrots, turnip and cabbage are great but corn, green beans, Brussels sprouts, peas and squash are all delicious 3 cups mashed or whipped potatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
Stir together meat, gravy and parsley and spoon into a deep casserole dish. Spread the mixed cooked vegetables on top, followed by the potatoes. If the leftover potatoes are too stiff to spread stir them up a bit before using. If they are a solid mass because you used a lot of butter heat them in the microwave until they loosen up. Drizzle on the olive oil and bake at 375 degrees F until the top is golden brown and everything underneath is bubbling hot, about an hour. If your dish is really full place it on a baking sheet to prevent spills.
Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.