so, if you recall our thanksgiving, i had a 23-lb. turkey from a local farm ordered. there was turkey, turkey, and more turkey off that baby. i saved the carcass and my mom patiently walked me through the stock steps (it was my first time! homemade stock virgin here!). so, the other day i got the bird (well, its carcass) out of the freezer and began thawing it.
let the stock begin!
i have been super excited about making my own broth after reading all about ‘perpetual bone broth’ on the nourished kitchen blog. amino acids! glucosamin chondroitin! i wanted me some bone broth real bad, dern right! i mean, health benefits out the wazoo people! nutrients galore! i covered the meaty bones with water, threw in some onions, celery (leaves and all), garlic cloves, peppercorns, salt, and fresh thyme. put that baby on the lowest heat, and let ‘er heat! i turned it off overnight, then started it again the next day. all in all, i’d say it was simmering for like 15 hours or so? maybe a little more (i read in nourishing traditions that you can do it up to 24 and keep reapin’ the nutritional benefits!).
first of all, the house smelled downright glorious while all this was taking place. the kids walked in the door from school saying, “WHAT IS THAT?” (i love when your house smells good as people enter it). slow-cooking turkey broth and veggies filled the air. yum. then came the semi-labor intensive part. i had me a lot of turkey / bones. so i removed all the big hunks and bit by bit pulled off the turkey and reserved it to the side (and pulled it apart in manageable chunks for the soup). the meat fell right off the bone. and i could not believe how much meat there was! this 23-lb. turkey was a thanksgiving feast for many, leftovers afterwards, and now was gonna be many, many bowls of turkey soup. that’s getting your money’s worth, people! so, i had all the turkey set aside. but then there was some more stuff at the bottom i couldn’t see (and your people won’t love you as much if you choke them with a missed bone). oh! and i skimmed some of the fat off the top before all this though there wasn’t much of it. free-range, baby! as i was saying, all the stuff at the bottom i pored through a sieve catching the peppercorns, garlic cloves, a few more chunks, celery, etc. all the veggies get thrown away as well as the skin, the seasonings, etc. so you’ve just got your broth and your meat.
now, cut the veggies up that will go in your soup. carrots! onions! garlic! celery! i went all organic for this soup cause i wanted it to really pack a nutritional punch this winter (and we have leftovers for days!). sauteed those, added them to the broth with the meat. seasoned it up with some sea salt and pepper. cooked up some thin egg noodles and added that… chopped up some parsley, garlic, added that, and bam! turkey soup was made! a loaf of crusty italian bread and butter and dinner was on the table. it was delicious and i was all, “i’m the best ever.” now i think i’m going to go have another bowl.
i realize i have no actual measurements here but it so depends on the size of your turkey, the amount of broth you make, etc. i actually had too much broth for the amount of “stuff” i had: veggies and meat, so i put some of the broth in the freezer for another day / soup (better yet, get yourself a mug ‘o broth and just drink it plain to fight those winter blues!). variations: add some kale! spinach! barley! quinoa! peas! corn! i wanted the real basic turkey soup for my first time. next time, i may change it up!
make it and love it! tell me how it goes!
This reminded me of my moms turkey soup which she makes at least once a year, depending on the amount of turkey we consume. Anyways. She adds barley instead of noodles, and a bunch of other starch-y things, instead of the noodles. In case you wanted to try those out too!
Happy Turkey Soup Eating!!!
Okay, so now I am totally craving turkey + thanksgiving dinner … all over again, ha, thanks :b
That sounds amazing!!! I need to get my hands on a turkey carcass!! Hmmm….
It would be so good with some homemade dumplings too, no? I have a good recipe if you're looking for one!!
YES. I *might* look forward to the post-Thanksgiving turkey stock/soup more than the actual Thanksgiving leftovers. That's what's up.
Mmmm….soup! I love homemade stock/broth. So so good.
i've been making 'bone' soup for a long time! here are a couple of things I have learned….the only way you can ruin the soup is too much water or too much salt. i cover the bones with just an inch or two of water higher. i strain though bounty paper towels– the best for straining!, and also a fine sieve. also when i make turkey soup, i like to peel the meat off the bones prior to making the stock, then the meat isn't so tough for the soup. you still get a nice, flavorful stock even if most of the meat is removed. last but not least…i typically like rice in turkey soup but my mom discovered "STUFFING DUMPLINGS"…yes….she makes soup dumplings out of leftover stuffing and it is out of this world. google it!
K so…I make this every week and freeze it for ms. Ava.
I am superwoman.supermom yes? {say yes}
Delish.
i love using turkey stock. that soup looks amazing. i might make it tonight.
Well, look at you! I too have never made broth or stock from scratch. You may have just motivated me to do so. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Mmm, sounds delish. In February-ish, when it's still cold and there's no turkey in sight, do the same thing with a roasted whole chicken. Homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade broth is one of my favorite winter meals.
Making your own stock = legit. Now I want turkey so bad!
I love broth just plain, with some nice bread. It's the best winter meal! I usually use a pressure cooker to make broth, it takes a lot less (say a couple of hours) and then you can let it simmer a bit longer uncovered. It still tastes amazing!
bone broth!
good stuff, mama…
xx