The Cook’s Kitchen

The holidays are fast approaching again. Each year I try to find ways to be more efficient with the cooking I do from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. This year, I got some help from my wife during a Thanksgiving Day test run that we did over last weekend - she made turkey stock from the left over turkey “stuff”!

The recipe was a basic stock recipe that can be used for chicken or turkey:

• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 leeks
• 4 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• half a bunch of parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp peppercorns

After the break we’ll put it all together.

We have a 12 quart stock pot that we used, filled with the above ingredients and the carcasses of 1 whole turkey and 3 turkey breasts. I didn’t clean off the turkey bones, so there was some meat involved in the process, too, and cold water was added to cover everything in the pot.

The stock was brought to a boil, and any foam on top was skimmed off periodically. The whole pot was simmered for a little over 2 hours, then strained to remove anything solid. The remaining liquid was put into 1 pint canning jars and sealed.

We used a smoked turkey which added a hint of smoky flavor, and made this stock a bit richer than plain chicken broth. Now we have stock for quite a while; we got 1 1/2 gallons from what we made! We also feel good that we didn’t waste any more of the meal than necessary, using even the bones, necks, etc.!

Keep in mind that once stock from turkey or chicken is opened, it needs to be refrigerated and used within a couple of days.

For more on my Thanksgiving Day rehearsal, see my posts in Get Your Grill On and Just Baking!