Happy Thanksgiving. Here is my offering for Thanksgiving 2024. It's not what I had hoped for, as we got COVID the day before we were to travel to a big family reunion! So we were confined to our home and had to heal ourselves. What better than turkey noodle soup?! This is so nourishing and so basic. It takes a lot of work, but when you are confined to home what else 'ya got to do? Get to work.
To me, this is truly one of the basic essences of cooking.
Carcass, trimmings and bones from 1 roasted turkey
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 onions, quartered
2 quarts water
2 bay leaves
1 cup leftover roasted turkey, shredded
1-2 small onions, diced
1 can pinto or Roman beans (or favorite), lightly drained
2-3 cups kale leaves, diced
1/3 cup tiny noodles (see note)
Break up carcass and bones onto their smaller pieces and fit into a very large stock pot. Add a dash of olive oil (or better yet, leftover Schmaltz - poultry fat) and brown the bones. Cook for a good 10-15 minutes and then add the carrots, celery and onions, and cook for another 10-15 minutes. We are looking for nicely browned bones and golden veggies. Sizzling and crackling should be happening.
Add the water and bring to a boil. It should just cover the bones, so adjust level accordingly. Add the bay leaves, and reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook at least an hour, or up to two (max), stirring 3-4 times per hour.
Remove cover and allow to cool for half an hour. Carefully strain mixture through a large colander over another large stock pot. Allow everything to cool enough to handle.
Sift through the strained bones and veggies and separate what meat comes off the bones, from the carrots and the celery. Capturing the meat from the bones is an art and an act of love and of environmental conservancy. It is not for the feint of heart - enlist help if necessary. Discard the bones. You should have a bowl of turkey and a bowl of veggies, along with the strained bone broth. I don’t collect the onions, as they are spent, their essence already in the broth. And we will add more onions later.
Now, the best thing to do is to leave the broth covered in the refrigerator overnight. This allows the fat to congeal on the top of the broth which, in a much more solid form, can be easily removed with a large spoon. Otherwise, do your best to skim the liquid fat from the top of the broth. Animal fat is very good for you according to many recent Harvard and Stanford University studies, so not to worry. And - it adds enormous flavor, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
Take your skimmed broth and reheat to a nice simmer. Meanwhile, sauté the onions in a small skillet for about 10 minutes, stirring often. We are looking for nicely browned, almost golden caramelized onions.
While the onions are cooking, slice the reserved carrots and the celery. Add the onions, carrots, celery and turkey meat (from the bone and the leftover) to the broth. Add the beans, kale and noodles.
Bring to a boil, and stir. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Serves 4-6, or 8, depending on whether it’s a main course or as a side to a sandwich or salad.
Heal well. You might be amazed at how well this soup heals.
Cook’s Note: The noodles you choose are up to you. I think egg noodles become too mushy in chicken soup, so I prefer smaller varieties that remain firmer. Some good choices are Ditalini, Anci de Pepe, Orzo or, as I used here, Stars. Or finely break up a bunch of spaghetti.
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