Turkey soup made with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. I’ve made this soup every year since I was in college and over the years my process has changed. It’s always an all day event though. The longer it simmers, the better it is. The two ingredients that makes this soup zing are a bottle of beer, and some apple cider. I always use too many kluski noodles so the soup on day two is more like just noodles. But it still tastes awesome.
RECIPES:
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Soup
I never measure or write anything down for this. I always wing it, but this is the best I can remember.
I take my biggest pot and put in about 1/3 bottle of white wine. Then I fill the pot about 3/4 full of water. Then I add salt, oregano, thyme, basil, and a few bay leaves. Then I throw in the a turkey leg and a wing, and whatever other scraps look the fattiest. Anything with big chunks of skin. Next I add chopped carrots, celery, and onions. I bring it to a boil and let it cook on low for a few hours.
Then I take the turkey out and cut up all the meat and return it to the pot. I discard the skin and all that stuff. I do keep two bar bones and throw them back in the pot. I’m not sure why, but this is what I do. After the turkey meat is chopped up and added, this is when I pour in a full bottle of beer. It’s different every year. This year I went with Bell’s Winter White. After the beer, I add between 1 and 2 cups of apple cider. Let it simmer for another couple hours.
Then it’s time to add the noodles. Bring it to a boil and add half a bag of kluski noodles and walk away. I always do more, I just can’t stop myself. I never walk away. Once the noodles are done, you’re good to go. But you can let it simmer longer too. This soup tastes the best left over.
Looks good….but definitely not “magic”….
Sounds good, I have been making turkey stock all day so I feel ya bro. I did wince a little bit though, at the Bell’s in the soup. That stuff is $13 a sixer down here. I would rather drink it than eat it :p
haha, the Bell’s isn’t exactly cheap, but I’ve tried the soup with cheap beer before and it doesn’t cut it. Plus, a little for the soup, a little for me… 🙂 Hope your turkey stock turned out good
Very nice. I, too, spent the next day on stock making. What I have found to be easiest is to throw it all in a slow cooker on low for the whole day. That way the stock will be nice and clear.
Michael Ruhlman suggests a 3:2:2 ratio of water to bones to veggies. That is, if you have 2 lbs of bones, throw in 2 lbs of veggies and 3 lbs (6 cups) of water. But you’re right, sometimes you just need to wing it. Which he says, too.
He says easiest is to put it in a pot in a 200 F oven for 6-8 hours of overnight. Will have to try that, too.
Wow, this is very precise. Maybe next year I’ll try something more scientific. I like the sound of this 🙂