Thanksgiving Soup
Leftovers. Some of us happily eat them, leaving the rest to moan about the repetition. For the naysayers, leftovers are punishment cloaked as economic good sense, turkey sauced with guilt.
At Purple Kale, of course, I see leftovers as possibilities, playgrounds to experiment with new forms. We all do this automatically, when we envision the extra turkey as a sandwich. However, I like to turn leftovers into dishes that don’t require eating immediately. It’s one thing to come up with creative expressions for the extra turkey; it’s another to force-feed your household your enthusiasm all week.
My favorite “form” for “putting up” Thanksgiving leftovers (which is, after all, what we’re doing) is soup. The ambitious among us already have stock plans for the turkey bones; others, I imagine, can turn leftover turkey gravy into a soup starter, adding some sautéed onions and more stock or water, to taste.
You can throw most things into Thanksgiving soup, along with the turkey: some of the stuffing, vegetables, extra herbs. The soup strategy is two-fold: in one act, you can use up a good many things, and many of these things keep better suspended in stock, than if they were frozen on their own. And you get to reintroduce the leftovers at a later, more favorable time—Did you just by accident make Christmas dinner soup?–when the turkey tempts us again to the plate.
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2 Comments
Hi Ronna,
Love this idea! I was dreading making soup that no one wanted to eat. It’s only Sunday and my kids already vetoed leftovers for dinner. I’ve got the bird carcass in the fridge, any tips on how to make a great turkey soup? I’ve never tried it. I’m wondering … how much water to add, any seasoning tips?
Let me know and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Fern
Choose a pot that is narrower than wide, if possible. I would start with your carcass and maybe even add a few chicken wings into the pot. It’s nice to have some spare, uncooked parts with meat still attached. Add enough cold water to completely cover the bones, then a hunk of onion, a carrot or two, a rib or two of celery, some whole black peppercorns, a half teaspoon salt, and herbs of your choice. Bring to boil and quickly skim any foam that might rise to the top. Turn the heat down very low, until the stock hardly simmers. Cook for a few hours, or until it tastes, well, turkey-like. This will be your stock. From here, you can’t go wrong. Strain everything and add fresh herbs and croutons, some leftover turkey meat (or not), or cubes of polenta and wilted greens.