No, this is not some PETA call for turkey liberation. I LOVE my Thanksgiving bird! This is my 'Tasty Tuesday' shout-out making sure all you Thanks-givers pay respect to the bird and the earth that sustains us by not throwing away what is left over after the dinner. Make turkey stock with it, guys!
Carrot ends, celery ends, onion peels, potato peels, lettuce stems, stems from herbs, pepper tops, ...all of these items are thrown out in kitchens daily, especially on Thanksgiving. Take these leftovers which are very full of flavor and nutrition, add a picked-over turkey carcass, garlic, onion, herbs, peppercorn, and a few cups of water, simmer for a few hours, and you'll have yourself a delicious broth which you can freeze and use all winter in your home-made soups.
Don't leave out these key ingredients.
You'll need two big pots (at least 8 quarts).
After simmering for 4 hours, put the second big pot in a sink full of ice water with a colander over it. Carefully pour the stock in, throw out the solids, and let cool before putting in containers and freezing.
Old yogurt containers work great for freezing the stock in soup recipe sized portions.
There is really no limit to what you can add to the pot, so I wouldn't worry much about the ingredient list, but for more helpful tips and instructions, use this recipe here.
@Angela, Yes! That's a great idea if you're making vegetable stock, but I wouldn't compost the solids left after making turkey stock as rodents will likely get into that. :P
ReplyDeletethis is great! thanks! :)
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