Turkey and Rice Soup for the Soul

I know, I know.. after all that huffing and puffing about the “best thanksgiving tip ever” I ended up going down comfort highway. Instead of making the Bloody Mary I made this carefree simple soup. Oh man oh man, it was some good down home chow if I do say so myself. I made rich stock with the carcass and loose meat, added some carrot, celery, onions and some Texas long grain rice at the end. Tons of fresh pepper, crackers and tobasaco..hmm hmm good… to the very last drop..

Turkey and Rice Soup
Serves 10 people

For the stock
1 abandoned turkey carcass with meat left on the bones, chopped into 4 parts
1 yellow onion rough chopped
2 stalks of celery, ends and ribs removed and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
Cold water to cover

Put all of the ingredients in a big stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and lower it to a gentle simmer. Let simmer for 2 hours. When the water dissipates then simply add more fresh water. Take off heat and pour into 2nd pot through the china cap or sieve. Clean out stock pot and pour stock back into it. Set aside. When the bones cool pick out the shredded meat and set to the side. Discard the bones.

For the soup
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 yellow onions, medium dice
2 stalks celery, cleaned and medium chopped
2 carrots, peeled and medium chopped
1 teaspoon fresh Mexican oregano, chopped
Any leftover turkey, chopped
Salt and black pepper
*we want all the vegetables to be roughly the same size to achieve even cooking
2 cups cooked white rice. Preferably a good variety like Texas long grain.

Make the rice. Place the 2nd pot on medium heat. Let heat for a minute and then add the oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots and oregano. Sautéed for 5 minutes and then add 2 to 3 quarts of the stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the veggies soften up a bit. We DON’T want them mushy like Uncle Al’s. When ready, add the turkey and heat through; about 3 minutes is all that’s needed.

To Serve
Ladle some soup into a bowl and add some rice. Not too much though as it will puff up and make it too mushy. Season with some fresh pepper and a shot of hot sauce. Some people like to add crackers too! Gobble gobble.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 9th, 2007 at 5:54 pm and is filed under Food Experiences, Soups & Salads , grain rice, leftover turkey, rich stock, shredded meat, turkey and rice soup, turkey carcass, yellow onions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.