Classic Turkey~Noodle Soup!
When I was a child the meals served at our table on the days following Thangsgiving were often turkey based. While I still find it amazing that something so ordinary as turkey can be magically transformed into significantly different dishes such as Turkey Tacos and Arroz con Turkey...
Classic Turkey~Noodle Soup remains my all~time favorite way to use the remains of a Thanksgiving feast!
Of course...it's always a pleasure to share a bowl with family, friends, co~workers and neighbors!
Here's my favorite way to make...
Classic Turkey~Noodle Soup
Make your broth by simmering the turkey bones (i.e., carcass) in water for several hours,you must keep an eye on this so that it doesn't boil down and burn. (Add more water if/when needed.) An easy way to do this is to put it all in a slow~cooker overnight...no pot~watching necessary! HINT: For extra flavor and nutrition I like to add trimmings from carrots, celery, and onions...I also put in about a teaspoon of cider vinegar to extract calcium from the bones. I also add a few pinches of sea salt as well as a clove or two of garlic, unpeeled is okay!
Turkey bones and vegetable scraps inside my slow cooker transform into a delicious, nutritious, economical broth.Broth is done after several hours on the stove top or overnight in the slow cooker. Allow bones and broth to cool thoroughly before handling. Once it's safe to handle, set a colander inside a larger bowl~~one that's large enough to hold the liquid from your broth. Strain the bones from the broth by pouring it all into the colander. Be careful. Lift the colander from inside the bowl and pull off the good bits of turkey meat to use in your soup. Dice this turkey meat and set aside. Note: Discard the bones and scraps as per your habit~we always make kitty food from the less appealing turkey scraps...the cats love it!
Saute' diced carrots, celery and onion in your soup kettle before adding liquid.Dice up several carrots, celery and a large onion. Next, dump them all into your soup kettle with a small amount of oil (I use olive oil or coconut oil). Saute' just until the onions are translucent. Sometimes I like to add a clove or two of minced garlic as well.
Carefully pour your cooled, strained broth into the soup kettle atop your sauteed vegetables. If you need more liquid go ahead and add it a cup at a time until all the vegetables are covered.
Add a teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper and a bay leaf. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Hint: Long ago, my friend Gina shared her secret for an even more delicious and nutritious broth...add about a cup of frozen spinach! It sounds strange, but it tastes delicious and immediately boils down to look like parsley and no one ever knows it's there but me (and now you!)...don't let the kids see you do this! ;)
Season your broth to taste...careful not to burn your tongue!Carefully taste your broth to see if you need more seasonings. It's been my experience that sometimes it tastes not quite right until you add more salt (I find this especially true when you're serving it to those who are used~to eating canned soup flavors). Just add a small amount at a time so as not to over~salt it! If you like, you may omit the extra salt and add a few teaspoons of chicken bouillon (this adds a lot of salt and gives the flavor a bit more punch...sometimes I do this and sometimes it doesn't need it...each broth seems to have its own personality ;).
Add cooked,drained egg noodles.While soup is simmering over a low heat, I usually cook my egg noodles (according to package directions). Hint: I used about one and a half cups(uncooked) noodles for this batch of soup(pictured below). Strain cooked noodles and set aside.
Hint: I carefully (don't burn your tongue!) taste the soup throughout the simmering process and add flavors as needed.
Once I have the soup to my liking, I turn it off and add the diced turkey meat I set aside earlier along with the cooked egg noodles. Serve at once or put in the refrigerator to serve later!
Classic Turkey~Noodle~Soup from the remains of your Thanksgiving Feast!
Sending good thoughts and love to all!
Warmly,
Tracey and Family x0x
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