This Wild Rice and Turkey Carcass Soup Recipe is perfect for those cold, winter days! (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
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When I can, I like to save wild game bones for stock. I usually bring large plastic bags with me when hunting, and after everyone has filleted all the breasts off their turkeys, my friends usually don't mind if I take the bones and legs. Then when I get home, I quickly rinse them off with cold water, pat dry, drop them in zip-top bags and stick them in the freezer. If it's just the carcass and bones I'm freezing, freezer burn isn't a big deal. But if I have some turkey thighs with good meat on them, I use a vacuum sealer.
These bones will make the best stock, and they're perfect for soups in the winter. Everyone knows that making your own stock at home is always better than the store-bought. And if you're going to make a wild game recipe that calls for stock, using stock made from the bones of that animal will make it so much more special.
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Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 5 hours Cook time: 1 hour
Stock (makes about 3 quarts):
1 turkey carcass Water 1 large brown onion, halved and unpeeled 2 bay leaves 2 carrots, cut into large sections ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns Small bunch fresh thyme 2 celery stalks, cut into large sections Soup Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter 1 onion, chopped 2 large carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 1 cup uncooked wild rice 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 sprigs fresh thyme ¼ cup heavy cream 2 quarts of turkey broth, warmed ½ teaspoon season salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon ground coriander Salt and pepper, to taste Cooked turkey meat or leftover chicken, shredded or diced Freshly chopped parsley
Directions:
To make the stock, place turkey carcass (breast bones, back and legs – if you have them), onion, bay leaves, carrot, peppercorns, thyme and celery in a large stockpot. Fill with cold water until all ingredients are submerged, about 3-4 quarts. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 5 hours over low heat. Skim off any foam/scum that rises to the top. When the stock is cool enough to handle, strain through cheesecloth to remove solids. Set strained stock aside and keep warm. You can do this step a day ahead, and then reheat the stock when ready to use.Simmer the turkey carcass, bay leaves, onion, carrots and thyme in a large pot. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) To start the soup, heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion with a pinch of salt, and then sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Next, add the wild rice and stir, coating all the grains with butter and allowing them to get slightly toasted, about 2-4 minutes. Cook the chopped onions and uncooked wild rice until the rice is slightly toasted. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Add diced carrot and celery and sweat for another 5 minutes. Then sprinkle in flour and stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes to allow flour to cook. Then slowly and incrementally whisk in the warmed broth, allowing the soup to bubble and re-thicken after each ladle-full of broth; lower heat if necessary. (Depending on how thick or thin you like your soup, adjust the amount of broth you use. I used about 2 quarts of stock and saved the rest to thin out the soup for reheating leftovers.)Next, add in the chopped carrots and celery. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Once all the broth has been incorporated, add thyme, season salt, garlic powder and coriander. Simmer soup for about 1 hour or until wild rice and vegetables become tender. Stir in heavy cream – use as much or as little as you’d like. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in cooked turkey meat or any other leftover fowl you may have sitting in your refrigerator. I used leftover breast meat from a chicken that I roasted earlier in the week. Garnish soup with chopped parsley.
