turkey soup

For my third and final soup this month, I present the ubiquitous turkey soup. Most families who traditionally cook a turkey for Thanksgiving have some form of this recipe, and mine is no exception. But this is the first year I've made it myself, tweaking my mom's recipe to my own preferences and making it entirely from scratch. I even fashioned my own poultry seasoning and have included that recipe here too. The thing that's great about a basic dish like soup is that you can change it up any number of ways. I've kept this version of turkey soup pretty basic, but you can be sure that when I discover another way to switch it up I'll be all over it. For the turkey stock I used the recipe for "Classic Chicken Stock" by Chef André Soltner featured in the November issue of Food & Wine magazine. I substituted turkey bones and skin for the chicken and added an extra quart of water to cover. To create a stronger flavor base for the soup, I sautéed the onions, carrots and celery in butter until they were starting to leave nice little caramelized bits on the bottom of the stockpot, then de-glazed with a dry white wine. This gave the soup a little more body and added a nice depth to the overall flavor.

In the meantime, I hope you had a great meal with family and friends. Though these days may be financially stringent for many of us, there are never limits on sharing with the people we care about, and that will always include the tradition of a meal together.



Turkey Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, recipe below
2 cups brown/wild rice mix
3 quarts turkey stock
12 ounces white and dark turkey meat, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup parsley, minced

Poultry seasoning mix:
2 tablespoons dried sage
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns


To make the seasoning, combine the dried herbs, celery salt and peppercorns in a coffee grinder and grind for several seconds until fine. Store and use as needed.

To make the soup, melt butter over medium heat in a large stockpot. Add onions, carrots and celery, and sauté until slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes. Clear a space in the center of the stockpot and de-glaze with the white wine, then stirring in the vegetables. Stir in poultry seasoning, then add the rice and stir to coat. Add the turkey stock and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until rice is just tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and add turkey pieces and cook another 10 minutes to blend flavors. Serve and sprinkle a little minced parsley over each bowl.


Makes about 8 1-1/2 cup servings