Holiday Turkey Noodle Soup

Every time I cook a turkey for special occasion, I always use the carcass to make a soup the next day. I'm sure every family has their own version of (leftover) Holiday Turkey Noodle Soup. Here is mine, which I've managed to perfect through the years. And to give you a sense of how long that is, I've been in charge of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey since I was Junior in high school (I'm now 32 years old).

As I'd mentioned before, I don't usually measure my ingredients when cooking, unless I'm baking of course. So here is my best attempt at measurements:

Thomas' Holiday Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe

Using your best tools (i.e. your hands) remove all of the meat, skin and fatty bits from the turkey carcass. Set aside the meat in a bowl and refrigerate (discard the skin and fat). Separate the wing, thigh, and leg bones from the rest of the carcass, and using kitchen scissors or a sharp cleaver, cut the back and breast bones into smaller (more manageable) pieces. Heat some olive oil in a large stock pot over moderate heat and add the bones. Brown the bones for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. (This is important as it makes for a richer, more flavorful stock).

When the bones have browned, add 1 medium onion, 2 medium carrots and 2 celery stalks that have been cut into large pieces into the pot. I generally cook a turkey anywhere between 12 to 20 lbs. For a 10-12 lb turkey, add 10-12 cups of water (15 lbs - use 14 cups, 20 lbs - use 16 to 18 cups) to the pot. Alternatively, you can just add enough water to cover the bones by a couple of inches. Then add a few sprigs of thyme. Bring the water to a rapid boil and then lower the flame to simmer gently for 2 hours. Skim any scum and excess fat that floats to the surface. (I usually leave some fat as it adds flavor to the soup.)

After 2 hours, pour the stock through a fine sieve (catching any small bones and bits in the process) into another large pot. At this point, add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of dry white wine and bring the stock back to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Now add your diced veggies. I use about 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of celery (leafy parts too), 1 cup of mushrooms, 1/2 cup of red peppers, 2 small zucchini, 1 cup of onions, 1 cup leafy greens like spinach, chard or kale. (Of course you can use whatever you like or have on hand.) Then add about 3 cups of diced turkey meat.

Bring the soup back to a boil and then gently simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add salt (preferably kosher) to taste. Finish the soup by adding anywhere between 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. (Adding a bit of sugar greatly enhances the flavor of this broth. You'll notice a distinct difference by tasting the broth before and after you add the sugar.)

In a separate pot, cook your pasta or egg noodles in salted boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and keep in a large bowl or plastic container. Unlike other recipes, I don't add my pasta directly into the soup pot, mainly because it becomes overcooked and absorbs most of the tasty broth over time. Instead, I store the pasta separately until I'm ready to serve. In individual bowls, I add a bit of pasta and then pour the hot soup on top. Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

And there you have it. I hope some of you will give this recipe a try!