Day 13 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...
I know I'm a little ahead of the "what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers" crowd, but I roasted a small turkey this week just to get it out of the freezer -- yes, we're one of "those" people, who head to the grocery store on Black Friday rather than to the mall, specifically to snatch up leftover small turkeys for just a couple bucks apiece. Usually we have a July Thanksgiving dinner, just for fun, but this past summer was so crazy for us that it just never happened...
Anyway, this is a terrific leftovers soup that's quite different from the usual turkey soup sort of thing. It can be gluten free, too -- just leave out the flour roux step and skip straight to sauteing the onions. If the dairy in the brie really bothers you, it can be left out, too -- it won't be quite as smooth and creamy, but it's still a terrific soup.
If you make this for a camping trip, I'd obviously roast the turkey at home, chop the meat, seal it, and freeze it. You can chop the onions too, but it's not necessary. This is a one-pot meal, so everything can be done at your campsite over one burner of your camp stove.
Ideally, when you cut the meat off the turkey bones (which you did before putting it into the fridge after dinner, right?), you saved the carcass and turned it into the stock for this soup. If not, regular chicken stock may be substituted. (But honestly, two minutes after you cleaned every bit of turkey meat off the bones, just throw the carcass straight into a crock pot, add a few vegetables or at least a few onion pieces, cover with water, and cook on low overnight while you sleep. That's all it takes. Even better, cut the rind off the brie you're going to use for the soup and add it to the stock. Cook it, strain it, and you're done).
I know I'm a little ahead of the "what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers" crowd, but I roasted a small turkey this week just to get it out of the freezer -- yes, we're one of "those" people, who head to the grocery store on Black Friday rather than to the mall, specifically to snatch up leftover small turkeys for just a couple bucks apiece. Usually we have a July Thanksgiving dinner, just for fun, but this past summer was so crazy for us that it just never happened...
Anyway, this is a terrific leftovers soup that's quite different from the usual turkey soup sort of thing. It can be gluten free, too -- just leave out the flour roux step and skip straight to sauteing the onions. If the dairy in the brie really bothers you, it can be left out, too -- it won't be quite as smooth and creamy, but it's still a terrific soup.
If you make this for a camping trip, I'd obviously roast the turkey at home, chop the meat, seal it, and freeze it. You can chop the onions too, but it's not necessary. This is a one-pot meal, so everything can be done at your campsite over one burner of your camp stove.
Ideally, when you cut the meat off the turkey bones (which you did before putting it into the fridge after dinner, right?), you saved the carcass and turned it into the stock for this soup. If not, regular chicken stock may be substituted. (But honestly, two minutes after you cleaned every bit of turkey meat off the bones, just throw the carcass straight into a crock pot, add a few vegetables or at least a few onion pieces, cover with water, and cook on low overnight while you sleep. That's all it takes. Even better, cut the rind off the brie you're going to use for the soup and add it to the stock. Cook it, strain it, and you're done).
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
3T flour
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup madeira or white wine
6 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 cups cooked brown rice
2-3 cups cooked turkey, cut into pieces or shredded
2 handfuls kale
6-8oz brie, with rind carefully removed and discarded (or saved for future stock!)
Cranberry sauce *(see note)
Instructions:
Canned sauce is ok, as long as you use the real berry kind and not the jellied stuff that comes out shaped like the can. Even better is this sauce below, because it comes out nice and tart -- which melds perfectly with the brie in this soup:
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
3T flour
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup madeira or white wine
6 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 cups cooked brown rice
2-3 cups cooked turkey, cut into pieces or shredded
2 handfuls kale
6-8oz brie, with rind carefully removed and discarded (or saved for future stock!)
Cranberry sauce *(see note)
Instructions:
- Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add flour, stirring until fully incorporated. Cook over medium low heat until the roux is bubbly, smells nutty, and looks like peanut butter.
- Add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat about 7 minutes, or until onions are soft and the roux has fully coated them.
- Add the madeira or white wine to deglaze the pot. Stir, scraping the bottom (which will save you cleanup time later, too!).
- Add stock, rice, turkey, and kale. Season with salt and pepper again, if needed. Bring to a simmer and cover, cooking over low heat about 20 minutes.
- Cut brie into small cubes and add to the soup. Stir until brie melts, about two or three minutes.
- Serve with cranberry sauce, which should be stirred into the soup (about 3-4 T per small bowl is great, but it's best to allow everyone to add his own!)
- Garnish with freshly cracked pepper.
Canned sauce is ok, as long as you use the real berry kind and not the jellied stuff that comes out shaped like the can. Even better is this sauce below, because it comes out nice and tart -- which melds perfectly with the brie in this soup:
- Empty 1 bag of cranberries into a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup madeira (or zinfandel, but you've already got madeira for the soup, right?), and about 1/4 tube of frozen apple juice concentrate.
- Cook over medium low heat, stirring, until the cranberries start to pop. Turn the heat to low and continue to simmer while the soup cooks (about 20 minutes).
- At first it will look very runny, and that's ok -- but after 20 minutes it will thicken, and as it cools it will thicken even more.
- Serve with the soup.