Conference turris::cooks

    This is my father's Turkey Rice Soup.  It's the best soup when Dad
    makes it.  He's not real good at explaining details but what he does
    works.  This is it:
    
    Cover the Carcass about 1/2 way.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for
    about 30 minutes.  Drain the juices into another pan; leaving the
    carcass to cool.  
    
    Into the juices put 5-7 Chicken bouillon cubes.  (I use 7)  
    One big onion, diced
    Three or Four celery stalks, chopped
    celery salt
    onion powder
    pepper
    Season to taste with the above spices.
    
    On the side cook 1 1/2 cups of rice.  (Don't add to the juices or the
    soup will be starchy.  If you like your soup starchy, by all means cook
    the rice in the juice.)  When the rice is cooked, put into a colander
    and wash.  Then add to the juices.  Throw in the Turkey meat and heat
    through.  
    
    That's it!  It makes quite a bit of delicious soup.
    
    
    Celeste

	Here's how I make it ..

 	For the stock:

	Put carcass in large pot.  Add the following to the pot:

 	2 carrots cut in large chunks
	2 or 3 ribs celery cut in chunks
	1 quartered onion
	12 peppercorns
	1 bay leaf
	sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley if available

	Add water to just barely cover the carcass, and bring to a boil.
	Reduce heat to a gentle boil, and cook covered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
	

	When finished, pour stock through a strainer and set aside.  Discard
	the vegetables (only used for flavoring the stock at this point). 
	After the turkey has cooled down, pick off any meat to use in the soup
	and set aside.

	To make the soup:

	The reserved stock
	The reserved turkey meat

	2 ribs of celery, sliced into 1/4 " slices
	3-4 carrots sliced thinly
	1 or 2 leeks, use the white part sliced in 1/4 " slices, or you 
           can use a large onion diced.

	1 cup frozen peas
	1 tbsp dried parsley, or 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
	1 tsp dried thyme, or 2 tsp fresh chopped
    	1/2 tsp dried basil
	1/2 - 1 tbsp Paul Prudhomme Poultry Magic - this is spicy, you can
	      omit this if you'd like, but it adds a _lot_ of flavor in my
	      opinion. 
	5-10 shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce (optional) adds great flavor

	pasta of your choice - bows, rotini, shells or whatever

	In 2-3 tbsp of olive oil, saute the leeks, carrots, and celery until
	the celery begins to turn translucent.  Add the reserved stock, the 
	turkey meat, and the spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer
	until the carrots are tender.  Add the frozen peas about 10 minutes 
	before removing from heat.

	Cook the pasta separately, then add to the soup.  Use your own 
	judgement as to how much you want to add.  I find that 1/2 to 3/4
	of a box seems to be plenty.  

	If you want a thick, delicious soup without pasta, add 1 1/2 cup
	of lentils after adding the stock and other ingredients, and cook
	for approx 1 1/2 hours, or until the lentils are tender. Omit the
	pasta and peas.


	Larry

    Larry's recipe sounds really good.  The only thing that I would add to it
    would be a can (16 oz) of whole tomatoes.  I would cut them down to 
    reasonable mouthful sizes.  I find turkey broth oily and sometimes 
    strong. The tomatoes seem to soften the flavor and cut the oils.
                                                            
    Flo

    
    Re: .3
    
     You can also chill the stock over night, and then remove the
    solidified fat from the top.  Tomatoes are a pleasant addition.
    
    I think for most soups, the stock is the important basis, once 
    you've got a flavorful stock, you can add to it the elements that
    you like such as rice, pasta, lentils etc ...
    
    Larry
    

    Larry's recipe for broth is basically the same as mine 
    
    (as a matter of fact, made some yesterday -- we carve up uncooked
    turkey -- bought at times when turkey is cheap and readily available
    --- and cook several different meals from it. Better use of turkey for
    two people, IMO)
    
    make the stock (I put a few cloves of garlic in mine too) strain
    everything out of it, pull the meat off the bones, divide the stock
    into two bowls, throw the meat into one portion. Chill both overnight.
    skim both. Now you can freeze them and have either the base for soup
    (WITH the meat) and smaller containers of stock for sauces (without
    the meat). Great stuff.
    
    Monica
    

    I have the simplest recipe yet...
    
    I put the carcass, neck and whatever meat is left over inside a
    pressure cooker, cover it with water, add 2 carrots, some celery, 1/2
    onion, a few mashed garlic gloves, a bay leaf or 2, and let it cook for
    45 min to 1 hr maximum... pick up meat from bones, salt to taste and
    add some noodles and cook it in the broth for a few minutes and...
    voila, you have a great soup, quick to make and delicious to eat!
    
    There are lots of things I can do without, but a pressure cooker is a
    necessity for me... I cannot cook without it! My mom had it ever since
    I can remember and I have mine for almost 30 years now... I even make
    desserts in it. (egg custard takes 3 minutes to make!)

Try also adding a cubed parsnip at the same time you add carrots, celery, etc.
This rounds out the flavor with a little sweetness that I really miss when it's
not added.  Try it, I love it!

Good luck,

Lola

    
    I don't like my turkey/chicken soup.  I've never liked it.  Maybe its just
    me since my husband seems to like it, however, I like canned soups
    like Chicken noodle or Chicken and rice.  What is the difference?  
    My recipe is basicly like the others in this note.
    
    Take the carcass and boil for a couple of hours with assorted veggies
    and spices.   Strain the broth off and add vegetables of choice.
    
    I'm pretty sure that the problem is all in the spices.  Do I just
    need more salt?
    
    Karen
    

re: .8

>    I'm pretty sure that the problem is all in the spices.  Do I just
>    need more salt?
    
That could very well be it.  Salt makes a big difference.  It's easy
enough to find out, since salt doesn't really have to simmer with the
soup to be effective.  Try adding more salt to your own bowl of soup.
That way if you go overboard you won't ruin the whole potfull.    

The assorted vegetables could also have something to do with it.  I find I
like my turkey soup best when I out parsnip in, it misses "something" when
I leave it out.  Also, the onions should be sauteed before adding, they provide
a richer flavor that way.

Laura

    
    re: onions
    
    I always put those frozen pearl onions in my soup.  Could that make
    a difference?
    
    I never use parsnips.  I'm not sure if I even like them!  What do
    they taste like?
    
    Karen
    

    Parsnips and turnips have a similar taste.

>    Parsnips and turnips have a similar taste.

	Not at all.  I can't stand turnips, but parsnips are very good.
	They have a very sweet taste, are also excellent in combination
	with carrots.

	Laura

My chicken/turkey soup always has tarragon and turmeric in it. People
like it.

Over the years we've noticed that the chicken itself that I use to make
the stock makes a big difference. Sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes nice
and clear; sometimes pale, sometimes golden. We have not found a source
of consistent chicken, except one. We occasionally get lamb and chicken
from Nancy's sister, whose chickens roam freely around her small farm.
When we get one of her chickens the broth is always clear, slightly golden,
and flavorful. 

I make chicken soup a couple of times a month, more during the winter. My
personal favorite comes from stock made from backs and necks. We buy
whole breasts (and sometimes whole chickens), and bone them ourselves.  I
start a pot with a bunch of these backs (broken) early in the morning for
soup at suppertime. 

If I sample a batch of stock and find it bland I have no shame about
adding some Goya cubitos pollos.

Art

    
    I think I know what part of my problem is:
    
    I don't like root vegetables unless they're well disguised.  The
    store bought soup is usually so well cooked that the carrots 
    and other veggies are very soft and have soaked up the seasonings
    of the broth they are cooked in.  Whereas my turkey soup does not
    have overcooked veggies.  Maybe I should try this.
    
    I don't think I'll like parsnips or turnips.  The reason I don't
    like root vegetables is they taste sweet (I also hate any kind
    of winter squash cooked with brown sugar).  I like raw carrots
    but can't stand them cooked.
    
    Karen
    

    Simmering, not boiling, makes quite a flavor difference.  Once the
    stock comes to a boil it's not nearly as good.
    
    I either use my crock pot or stack a couple of burner grids on top of
    each other to get the right temperature / distance from the flame.
    
    mj