Turkey Soup

Several years ago I proclaimed the Sunday after Thanksgiving as "National Turkey Soup Day". How do you do you turkey soup? If it is a normally roasted turkey, I make turkey noodle. However, if it's a smoked turkey, like this year, I make split pea, using the water/drippings/broth from the smoker in the boiling liquid. Boil for an hour or so, separate the meat (into the broth), skin (kitty treats) and bones (re-boil in heavily salted water, which is added to the soup), add chopped celery, carrots and onions and dried split peas. Better than ham!

NJ is the soup maker at Casa Redwinger and like you, she does the traditional turkey noodle variety. Damn, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
'Winger

[Jenise]

Howie, I'm one of those that's sensitive to the taste of reheated roasted or grilled meats--they taste 'off' to me (braised or stewed is fine, though). So no turkey soup here, just cold turkey lunches for the next few days.

Here, it's Annual Poultry-Stock Day. While exchanging statistics with Thomas in the wine forum today I nursed one stockpot started yesterday AM with a roast turkey carcass, two roast chicken carcasses (one frozen, one fresh), good vegetable scraps; strained and defatted "first pressing" today and used some of it in a second stockpot of basic turkey gravy (started with a roux from saved turkey drippings; very little seasoning added, it will be starting point for other sauces during the year, or maybe used by itself). Rest of "first-press" stock gets frozen in convenient sizes while stock pot bubbles away a few more hours with more water for "second pressing," good for near-term soups etc. When I keep stockpots going a long time (sometimes multiple days), the bones yield most of their gelatin and will crumble to the touch.

Bones from roast meats are superior for this which is why I routinely freeze them for later use when they present themselves. (Have been known to persuade a whole business dinner at a restaurant to order bone-in steaks, which may or may not have tasted better but definitely gave me serious stock fixings.)

Howie, I'm one of those that's sensitive to the taste of reheated roasted or grilled meats--they taste 'off' to me (braised or stewed is fine, though). So no turkey soup here, just cold turkey lunches for the next few days.

I always detect that "off" taste too Jenise. Somehow though, I sort of accept it for what it is and usually still eat it. I also make the turkey soup because my post-depression era parents did a number on me. I try to avoid the turkey meat in it, sticking with the broth, veggies and the wide egg noodles. My husband gets all the turkey--he doesn't have the same "gene" we do to detect the off taste.

[James Roscoe]

My s-i-l just dropped off both the turkey and rice and the turkey-vegetable soups. Mmmmmmm!

Since we didn't cook for T-day, we don't have turkey leftovers. But we did have some friends over for supper last night who brought an excellent turkey gumbo made from their leftovers.

Delicious Howie! I have never tried it before, but when giving a split pea recipe to a friend of mine who keeps Kosher, I suggested using smoked turkey instead of Ham Hocks...she said the soup came out fantastic. I will have to give it a try soon. I like the idea of proclaiming the Sunday after Thanksgiving as "National Turkey Soup Day"...might have to steal that idea from you .

What vegetables does everyone put in their turkey soup. Mine is always very basic, just celery and carrots. Any other ideas?

[Robin Garr]

What vegetables does everyone put in their turkey soup. Mine is always very basic, just celery and carrots. Any other ideas?

Those are the basics! Celery and carrots, garlic and onions, maybe a little bit of chopped tomato, but not enough to make it red. Fresh herbs are nice, and tend to combat that "recooked meat" phenomenon, although I'm in the camp that doesn't really mind that, it's just ... turkey soup.

"Mine is always very basic, just celery and carrots."

Right on, Carrie. I add onions, basically a mirepoix in turkey or chicken stock, homemade without salt. Cut the celery and carrots a bit larger, and sometimes roast them; soften the onions for ten minutes on low heat.

Like Jenise and others, I dislike the taste of re-cooked turkey in soup, and eat left overs either as sandwiches out of our panni machine or preferably make stock from the bones and left over meat, and feed the meat to Clive.

I did a taste test last year -- Clive ate both versions of the turkey -- cooked and cooked out -- with apparent relish. Maybe dogs really can't taste meat.

Regards, Bob

[Jenise]

Bones from roast meats are superior for this which is why I routinely freeze them for later use when they present themselves.

Agreed, I do likewise. And I do make stock from the turkey carcass (supplementing with some fresh chicken as do you)--never let a bone go to waste!

When I was a child, instead of soup my mother made turkey curry out of the leftovers when I was a kid, a methodology likely no more complicated than adding a madras curry powder to the leftover gravy plus chunks of leftover turkey and serving it over rice. Any leftover vegetables would go in there, too. Never having had authentic Indian food, this was wild and exotic stuff to us. (I would not eat the turkey, but liked the rest.)

(Have been known to persuade a whole business dinner at a restaurant to order bone-in steaks, which may or may not have tasted better but definitely gave me serious stock fixings.)

Now that's impressive.

"Fresh herbs are nice, and tend to combat that "recooked meat" phenomenon, although I'm in the camp that doesn't really mind that, it's just ... turkey soup."

Sort of a philosophical point, Robin, and maybe not really on point since you don't mind the "recooked meat" taste, but ...

Reading your posts over the years, I learned that great ingredients make great finished dishes. And that ingredients should work together to improve the finished dish.

Your word "combat" in that sentence seems contrary to your teachings, at least for someone like me who doesn't care for the re-cooked taste of turkey. It reminds me of those "air fresheners" that "mask" off odors -- for me, the original odor and the air freshener aromas together make an even more unpleasant odor.

Are there herbs or other seasonings that would "enhance" the taste of re-cooked turkey?

Regards, Bob

"Bones from roast meats are superior for this which is why I routinely freeze them for later use when they present themselves."

Absolutely right on Max; I always take home the bones from roasted meats in restaurants. And, our local Market Basket butchers are delighted to save bones for me, and I roast them under slow heat on my outdoor grill for several hours, then add everything to the stock pot after deglazing.

We strongly prefer fresh, uncooked bones -- the restaurant versions are usually seasoned, especially with salt which is a problem for Janet -- but I see I have both restaurant and home made bones in my freezer today. [Clive usually gets the restaurant stock; Janet and I the Market Basket stock.]

Regards, Bob

[Robin Garr]

Sort of a philosophical point, Robin, and maybe not really on point since you don't mind the "recooked meat" taste, but ...

...

Your word "combat" in that sentence seems contrary to your teachings, at least for someone like me who doesn't care for the re-cooked taste of turkey. It reminds me of those "air fresheners" that "mask" off odors -- for me, the original odor and the air freshener aromas together make an even more unpleasant odor.

Are there herbs or other seasonings that would "enhance" the taste of re-cooked turkey?

Bob, I threw in that comment (and the "combat") entirely because I read in this thread, somewhat to my bemusement, that some people don't like the taste of roast turkey re-cooked in soup, and I figured that good, fresh vegetables and herbs might help with that.

Frankly - and perhaps I'm merely owning up to the coarseness of my tastes here - I don't understand this concern. I love the way roast turkey tastes in soup, and it would never have occurred to me that there was anything not to like about it.

That said, I invariably shred the turkey meat and allow it to fall apart in the soup. Maybe it would be different if I used large chunks? Don't know, but that's the only unknown variable I can think of.

our local Market Basket butchers are delighted to save bones for me

That takes me back. Even 15 years ago, butchers at our local, not-big-chain supermarkets would furnish as many beef and (sometimes) veal bones as I could take -- even cutting open the big ones on the band saw -- when I was buying other meats. They were leftovers from butchering of fresh beef sides. I'd get 30 pounds of bones, add some meats (they were lean bones -- you need some meat too, cheap cuts, for stock flavor; throw in a chicken or two sometimes), roast them, and fill up (16-qt or -liter) stockpots.

No longer. So much cutting has moved back up the distribution chain, to wholesalers, that these markets routinely get trimmed parts sealed in plastic. (They now wrap little portions of "soup bones," a pound or two, as an exotic novelty, and offer them, at a dollar or two a pound, next to the "variety meats.") Some of the "butchers" are now so in name only, they don't do much cutting now (I guess the classic, respected, master butchers -- the kind that could sub for a surgeon, in a pinch -- were laid off and replaced by people with the less pricey skill set of opening plastic bags).

When I was a child, instead of soup my mother made turkey curry out of the leftovers when I was a kid

Sorry to read of distate for re-used turkey meat. Roast birds of any kind that are big enough often provide leftover meat with many uses -- it's valuable stuff, economical and not bad for you (every other scrap, of course, goes into a stockpot in my kitchen -- no molecule of poultry is wasted). Many prefer the richer flavor of roast meats as a starting point for cooked-meat dishes (over poached or canned meat). Besides curry flavoring and soups, here are some other successful uses, offhand (it's a large subject):

Chicken and noodles. Cut meat into bitesize pieces. Heat some light poultry sauce -- turkey gravy is ideal, a reason to make extra -- with a little cream or half/half; when it's ready, add the meat pieces and keep warm. Them barely cook some big thick short noodles, transfer to deep glass or metal casserole or loaf pan, toss with the sauce and meat, some fresh black pepper, and plenty of freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan. Bake in a "hot" oven (ca. 400 F, 200 C) 20 minutes or so until top is browned. High comfort food.

Oeufs en cocotte "diable." [Fancy breakfast or lunch fare; among countless variations on a class of simple French egg dish; related to a complex variation by Colette.] Reheat diced roast or smoked poultry in just a little sauce such as gravy, to bind it; season highly with mustard and Worcestershire sauce (as for classic "deviled" dishes), spoon portions into the bottoms of individual ramekins or cocottes -- small ceramic dishes -- then into each, break a raw egg already brought to room temperature, being careful of course to crack the shell separately with a knife etc. so chips don't fly into the ramekin, and the yolk is intact. Steam these dishes in a covered skillet with a shallow layer of boiling water until poached to taste. I start them in the steamer before adding the egg, which assures bottom layer is hot. You can season the meat in countless other ways too, such as smooth Dijon mustard, tarragon leaves, and cream.

Firecracker leftovers. Just reheat slices of roast chicken or poultry in moderate oven, in a covered glass or ceramic dish, with strong or reduced stock mixed with some freeze-dried or brined green peppercorns -- the "firecrackers" -- and dotted with a little butter. Object is a slow but thorough reheating, maybe until meat starts to brown a bit at the edges, during which much of the stock and butter will be absorbed. Works best with large slices of turkey.

Savory chicken salads. Toss cold diced meat with chunks of cold cooked potato, chopped raw celery, scallions, etc., and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing [conveniently described in the recent vinaigrette thread here] or just salt, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, in moderation. Let the salad rest a while, refrigerated, to develop flavor. This combination, with chicken, potatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette, is outstanding.

Morrison Wood's minor-classic 1949 US cookbook, With a Jug of Wine -- easily available today, I think I mentioned it in this forum -- has many cooked-chicken recipes. The author explained at one point that cooked chicken in jars appeared commercially, so he went through a case of it cooking varied dishes, recording a few of them in that book.