Turkey Noodle Soup
Turkey Noodle Soup
Certain foods just bring back memories. For me turkey (or chicken) noodle soup will always remind me of my childhood and my Mother. She would have the soup simmering when I got home from school and the whole house smelled so good. She always cooked the noodles separately, so we would spoon some noodles into our bowls and then ladle the hot soup over them.
A big pot of soup almost demands that we share it. I invited a friend and a couple of neighbors to enjoy this soup with me. I think it tasted even better that way.
I made turkey soup this time because I found turkey drumsticks when I cleaned out my freezer. It turned into a 2 day project. I wanted to make stock out of the drumsticks and use the meat in the soup. I started late in the day, so I only got the stock done on day one. I just browned some onions and carrots in a large stock pot then added the turkey to brown a little, too. I poured water over the meat and veggies and added celery, a parsnip, a few outer cabbage leaves and let the stock simmer away for several hours. I had half a cup of tomato sauce left over from something else and added that, too. Also tossed in a bay leaf, some parsley and basil. I added salt and pepper later on. Once it had cooked for a number of hours I let it cool a little and strained it out. I let the stock cool down a little more and then stuck it in the fridge. I put the turkey drums in the fridge and discarded the veggies- OK I ate the carrots!
On day two, I made the soup. I skimmed the fat off the stock and cut the turkey meat off the bones. I also cooked up the noodles. Here is the way I did it.
Turkey Noodle Soup
Oil*
2 onions, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 ribs celery, sliced
4 qts. Turkey stock
4-5 c. turkey meat, cubed
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste
1 lb. wide egg noodles, cooked
Heat oil in soup pot and cook onions until starting to brown. Add carrots and celery and cook a few minutes more. Add stock and meat and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender. Add parsley and simmer 15 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings. Warm noodles and serve on the side so everyone can add as many noodles to their soup as they like. Serves 8.
* Since I had freshly made stock I used a little fat from the stock to cook the onions.
