Turkey and Chicken Stock and the Soup

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house there's that waif of the Christmas turkey bones boiling on the stove.  Well, the smell was amazing and the thought of the soup that will be rendered from it later in the evening was comforting.  I always have homemade chicken stock on hand and rarely buy store brands, it is the easiest of processes in  the kitchen, and really.  Here's how I do it.  Turkey has an obviously stronger flavor, so I usually just put peppercorns and carrots with a bit of salt in the water for turkey stock.  You decide how flavorful you want it.

Rotisserie Chicken Stock

1 rotisserie chicken, boned
2 quarts of water
1 medium onion
2 carrots
2 cloves of garlic
12 peppercorns, whole
1 bay leaf, optional
Salt to taste

In a large stock pot, add the carcass, roughly chopped vegetables, peppercorns, and bay leaf.  Pour the water to cover the bones completely.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer for at the minimum one hour, up to 3. The longer the simmer the more reduced the stock and the richer the flavor.

The Christmas turkey was amazing this year as my husband, through the years, has honed his craft at roasting the family turkey to perfection.  This year he brought home a 16 lb. gobbler and after everyone had their fill, we made turkey soup the next day.  Here is how we did it.

Christmas Turkey soup
1 turkey carcass
 2 quarts of water
12 peppercorns, whole
celery, onions from the roasting, no new adds

Add all together the ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer for at least an hour, up to 2 hours.  Drain the stock and set aside. 

Next:
1 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of flour, all purpose
1 large onion
3 medium carrots
1/3 of a large cabbage
1 cup of rice
1 Tbsp table salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt in large stock pot, the butter, add the flour and whisk for 5 minutes, until the roux is buttery colored, add the roughly chopped vegetables and cook for 10 minutes stiring frequently.   After 10 minutes, add the 2.5 quarts of turkey stock, rice, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil.   Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked. 

 The cabbage was so tender and the carrots were so sweet that the soup was just perfectly seasoned.  It was a thick soup, almost a chowder, so the next day we added a bit of water when reheated it for lunch.  It was great!

Enjoy and See you next year!