Thanks to the Bird that Keeps on Giving

With Thanksgiving being over, it’s time to honor the bird that made Thanksgiving Day so special by cooking out all it has left to give heartedly for some more dishes. After the turkey thighs used for my Turkey Gravy 2.0 recipe were taken through the ringer in three hours of roasting and boiling, they still retained flavor and were fall off the bone tender. Perhaps not ready for prime time at the Thanksgiving dinner table, but great for making leftover….

Turkey Dark Meat Taquitos

Shred any remaining turkey thigh or leg meat you have left mixed in a bowl with a Mexican cheese blend, and adding (to your taste preference) cumin, chili powder, a pinch of cayenne. Using the good old hands (the cook’s best kitchen tool) incorporate everything together and adjust seasoning as needed. Divide up the mixture among small flour tortillas, each tightly wrapped with the mixture and kept together by inserting two tooth picks, one at either end.

Peanut oil from an earlier deep fried turkey for Friendsgiving, I reheated it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. At temperature, in went the taquitos and emerged they did three minutes later nicely browned and crisp. Draining on a paper towel, they were ready to enjoy after cooling down. Any ones left over will freeze well for a later use. In my case our family enjoyed them with salsa and guacamole for dipping paired with this following hearty soup.

No Bones About it – Use ‘em for a Great Homemade Turkey Barley Soup

Boiling down the turkey cavity and bones with flavorful aromatics and vegetables is the foundation for this delicious soup.

Simmer Down

Break up the cavity and separate bones into palm sized chunks and pieces. Along with 2-3 coarsely cut carrots, 2-3 coarsely cut celery ribs, and one coarsely chopped onion add them it to a large stock pot filled with cold water just to below the rim. Press down several sprigs of rosemary, thyme and two bay leaves deep into the stock pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, which will take about 45 minutes but once reached, turn down the heat and let gently simmer for up to four hours.

Remove from Heat

Remove stock from heat and let cool to room temperature – may take up to two hours. Remove and discard solids from stock and strain broth into large storage containers through a fine wire mesh strainer, separating about 12 cups for your soup. Be sure to press any remaining solids against the strainer to squeeze out every the last remaining bit of flavor.

Give it a Chill

Place container you’ll be using for your soup in the refrigerator overnight and freeze the rest. When ready to make the soup separate and scoop of the coagulated fat and reserve it in a separate bowl.

Slice and Dice

As a prep for building this soup in this final stage, peel and chop an additional 6-8 carrots and chop 2-3 ribs of celery in half inch slices and set aside and prep the mirepoix as described in step 5.

Pressure Cooking – a Key Final Step

The final soup preparation in a pressure cooker not only saves time but also concentrates and intensifies the flavor significantly. Heat four tablespoons of the turkey fat in a stainless steel pressure cooker along with half a cup each of finely chopped onions, carrots and celery. Stir until softened about five minutes Add three table spoons of Wondra flour and continue stirring until you have a copper-colored roux. Slowly whisk in defatted turkey stock bring to a boil.

Seal pressure cooker with lid set to High and br

ing up to pressure over medium high heat. When pressure is reached, reduced heat just to the point to keep the pressure for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally. Release remaining pressure after 15 minutes. Carefully remove lid away from you. Put opened pressure cooker back on the stove and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 ½ cups of quick pearl barley and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until barley has softened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and add shredded pieces of left over turkey. Serve immediately.