Growing up in a very Italian household, my Thanksgivings and other traditional holidays were a little bit less than traditional. On Sunday night, my Nonna made penne alla vodka for my family, in addition to a huge turkey with all the trimmings. Other times, it’s slow roasted lamb, lasagna, or Italian wedding soup (nothing like what comes in a can, trust me); but as new Canadians, she always made sure we had a “proper” turkey too.
Regardless of what she makes, there’s always a ton of food left over. It’s remarkable how an entire table full of people can stuff themselves to the brim and there is still enough food to feed an army. Most of the time, my growing little brother would happily reheat plates of leftovers and eat them as is.
However, Thanksgiving leftovers have so much potential as the starting point for new, delicious meals. Making stock and soup is one of the best ways to get the most out of that turkey that you laboriously slaved over for hours. The stock may take some time, but it’ll all be worth it in the end. Plus, learning how to make stock is a fantastic way to get the most out of your meat and veggies in the long run, as many soups start with a stock base. This basic stock recipe can be used with chicken bones, beef bones, and most vegetables.
Ingredients:
For the stock:
(These ingredients will mostly be thrown away)
-1 turkey carcass (ie. all the bones) with the meat removed. Save some of the leftover meat and shred it for the soup later.
-1 large onion, quartered
-2-3 celery tops (including leaves)
-1-2 carrots, chopped roughly, leaves can stay on
-2 bay leaves
-Salt and pepper to taste
For the soup:
-4-5 stalks celery, washed and diced
-2 carrots, washed and diced
-2 onions, diced finely
-2 cups shredded leftover turkey meat
-1 chicken bouillon cube
-1 tbsp of your favourite hot sauce (optional)
-Soup-sized pasta (think bowties or broken spaghetti).
-Salt and pepper to taste.
To make the stock:
1) Make sure all of the turkey meat is scraped off of the bones. Shred some of it for the soup later, and put in the fridge.
2) Put your turkey carcass in a large pot. Don’t be afraid to break up some of the bones so that it doesn’t take as much room.
3) Cover the carcass completely with cold water, with about an extra inch of water on top.
4) Add the onion, celery tops, carrots, bay leaves, and salt and pepper.
5) Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim off any foam on the top of the stock.
6) Add salt and pepper. You can always add more salt later, so don’t add too much at this stage.
7) Let the stock simmer for 3-4 hours.
8) After that eternity, remove the bones and veggies/bay leaves. Strain the stock into another pot through a very fine strainer.
9) Now you can use it to make your turkey soup!
To make the soup:
1) Dice your veggies finely.
2) Add veggies and that turkey you shredded before to your pot of stock.
3) Add salt and pepper, and hot sauce if you want.
4) Cook at a simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, about an hour.
5) During that time, you can get a smaller pot of water boiling for your pasta or rice. Cook your pasta/rice in the separate pot until al dente. Rinse with cold water so they stop cooking and won’t soak up your soup—I have ruined many a soup this way. Add them to your soup and enjoy!
