Turkey soup - Critique please

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Safado

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
6
Location
Salt Lake City
Here is what I am doing. Please offer any advice or critiques.

I took the carcass from a 20 lbs bird, which still had a lot of meat left on it, chopped it into chunks so it would fit in my soup pot (about 3 gallons), and started boiling it with about 6 stalks celery, just under a pound of carrots, about a teaspoon of peppercorns, and two onions cut in half. It has been simmering for about a half hour now. I am planning on straining it and only keeping the good pieces of meat for some turkey noodle soup. How does that sound?
 
To get a rich stock, you should simmer it for 4-5 hours. That's what I'm doing right now. Since it's already cooked, you can remove the meat from the bones right now. No need to cook it any longer. The flavor is going to come from the inedible parts.
 
Ditto on the above. If you boil the actual turkey pieces too long, the meat will be tasteless and dry. Been there, done that. And do throw in a bit of garlic...it makes so much difference in taste.
 
Personally I like to add a bouquet garni. I love the combo of fresh sage and some thyme, then at the end, throw in half a lemon to wake things up a bit. Just my $.02
 
I limit the flavorings I add to stock to a mire poix and peppercorns. That gives me the flexibility to tailor seasonings to specific uses. I often don't know what I'm going to use a stock for when I make it.
 
yeah, take the meat off 1`st, crack the bones, and put them in the pot.
I also add whole pepper corns a bay leaf or 2 a crushed clove of garlic and sliced onion (both with skin still left on) and a Tiny amount of tumeric, the back end of a T spoon is enough.

4+ hours is good too :)
 
Make sure you don't have too much water. You could cut back on the number of carrots too, and add some herbs in the last hour of cooking like sage, thyme, and parsley (mentioned above) along with a few cloves of crushed garlic, a couple bay leaves, and some peppercorns. Let it simmer (not boil) for 4-6hrs. Then strain. If you have a scale, weigh your turkey bones and figure on 1qt of liquid per 2lbs of bones. Try roasting the carrots/onions/celery and some tomato paste before adding them in as well. I would also recommend not adding the mirepoix until the last hour of cooking. Stir in any leftover gravy too.

You can thicken it with a roux, or even leftover mashed potatoes if you like.

Then add whatever you want, like leftover chopped up green beans, corn, peas, carrots, turkey, etc.
 
You could easily make a Greek soup out of it by adding egg and lemon sauce. Just remove the bones, leave the veggies and meat chunks. I have posted a recipe for this soup called Kotosoupa recently which you might want to refer to.
 
Just goes to show there are as many ways to make stock as there are cooks.

I agree with NM in that it seems you are using a greater amount of carrots than I would. Also am stingy on the celery and usually go a bit heavier on the onions, and stick a few cloves into the side of them before I toss them in.

I usually roast the veggies with the carcass and add them at the beginning. And then will toss in a mirepoix about an hour before I declare the stuff done. The double addition gives a flavor I think I can discern.

Thyme, I add towards the end, otherwise I find the flavor dissipated in the final product (but it makes the kitchen smell so good while it is cooking, so will toss some in earlier for the effect).

A bay leaf or two is essential, at least to me, and sage goes very nicely.

The question of tomato paste on the bones always becomes a problem here. I slather the stuff on the bones when I make beef stock, but am not convinced I want it in turkey or chicken stocks.

And do not believe in adding garlic to a stock, ever, ever, ever.

Just the way we do things about here. Am sure yours will turn out beautifully. Enjoy.

Sorry, just remembered, duh, you were talking about soup. Always make the stock first and then the soup. Silly me.
 
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I do a couple carrots, celery stalks with leaves, onions with skin, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, thyme (maybe some sage and/or rosemary) and a big splash of white wine. It's really good if you happen to have roasted onions to throw in!
 
The OP asked a question about making stock which would later be used to make a soup.

That being the case, after cooking, straining and defatting the stock, I would add fresh vegetables, herbs, spices and seasonings to flavor the stock to make it a soup. The original veggies would be mush by the time the bones have been simmered enough to make a stock.
 
Thanks for all of the responses! I have been amazed at how helpful everyone is on here.

I did just as Andy M and many of you have recommended. I strained the stock, and after letting it cool, I scooped off as much of the fat as possible. I made a batch of egg noodles, and after letting them dry for a few hours, did a test run with just a few cups of the stock. It was a little bland, which means I probably made the mistake of too much water initially, so I threw in a little chicken broth, and some salt, and it turned out really well. I just got back home, and have chopped up some new carrots, celery, and onion, as well as a turnip. when that had come to a boil I added the remainder of the noodles, and when I finish this, I will add some meat, which I removed after about 20 minutes of boiling way back in the beginning, again, thanks for the pointer!
 
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