Turkey Carcass Soup

This is a great way to use every part of your Thanksgiving leftovers - use the turkey carcass to make soup. If you don't find that the carcass makes a rich enough soup base, add chicken bouillon or broth. Brian and I like to make this with wild rice, a nice fall touch, or thin egg noodles. Another great addition are the dressing dumplings from this recipe: Turkey Vegetable Soup with Stuffing Dumplings.

1 turkey carcass
2 stalks celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
8 cups water (may use part chicken or turkey broth for richer flavor)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup uncooked rice or barley, 2/3 cup uncooked wild rice (cooked separately), or 6 oz. egg noodles
2 cups chopped leftover turkey
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

To make the stock: in a large pot, combine carcass, celery, carrots, onion, bay leaf and water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours over medium low heat. Strain and discard vegetables and bones. Reserve turkey stock.

If using wild rice, add 2/3 wild rice to 2 cups water in saucepan. Simmer for 50 minutes - 1 hour until the grains of rice puff open. Set aside.

To make the soup: in a large pot, melt butter and cook onions until tender. Stir in celery and thyme. Stir in carrots and rice or barley and toss to coat. Stir in turkey stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables and rice (or barley) are tender. Stir in turkey and parsley. Return to simmer and season to taste.

NOTE: If using egg noodles instead of rice or barley, add after the stock has been added to the pot. You may also want to let the carrots cook a bit before adding the noodles. Check the package to see how long to cook the noodles.

If using wild rice, be sure to cook it before adding to the soup - it takes about an hour to cook. Add with the turkey and just heat through.