Leftover turkey and leek soup
24 Nov
My chicken soup from last year tasted good but couldn’t figure out why I had a very cloudy broth. Then I learned why!
What I didn’t know a year ago was that keeping the temperature low is the key to producing a good, rich, stock! Boiling is not a good idea, and consistent boiling is even worse!
I found out on Twitter yesterday that Sean of Take Thou Food was making turkey stock as well. His stock was made pre-turkey day, while mine was with leftovers. We both agree that if you’re going to make turkey, please make your own gravy, as it is just one extra step after all of your hard work. 
Just in case you’re wondering, stock is usually made with meats and bones, while broth is usually made with just the meat. The bones have a lot of natural gelatin in them so they give stock a richer feel and more body.
Makes 4 servings of soup, 3 cups of stock
Ingredients:
1 turkey carcass, broken up into large pieces by hand
1 large leek, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped (divide in half)
Shredded leftover turkey meat (whatever you have left, I had about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons of dried thyme
Dash of salt and black pepper
(I included some bell peppers and small pieces of dark greens)
Procedure:
1. Place carcass in a large stockpot with celery, dried thyme, and half of the carrot amount listed above.
2. Fill with cold water, about 5 cups.
3. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 to 4 hours with lid slightly open.
5. Remove from heat. Take out everything and strain soup through a sieve at least two times.
6. Cool the stock and refrigerate. My stock was left in there overnight. Skim the fat. (Now you have turkey stock. Read on for soup instructions).
7. Transfer stock to a pot.
8. Add remaining carrots, leftover turkey meat and leeks. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
