Hallie's day-after turkey noodle and mushroom soup

Turkey Soup: Jerry Touger

HALLIE EPHRON: Turkey leftovers made into soup? It's as delicious as Thanksgiving dinner! Just be sure to SAVE every bit of of skin and fat and bone (the whole carcass) and *JUICES* that didn't get eaten at Thanksgiving. For the frugal among us, this will feed you for days on end with barely any additional cost, and freeze for future thawing. 

I make mine with a not-quite-picked-clean turkey carcass, vegetables, flat noodles, and a ton of sliced mushrooms.

Start this in the early afternoon so you have time to cook it, cool it, pick out the bones and gristle and herb stems -- then add the noodles and mushrooms and cook another 30 minutes or so.

INGREDIENTS

Leftover turkey carcass broken into pieces: bones with most (but not all) of the meat removed; also any any skin or innards you might have left, too; also gelatinous sludge from the turkey platter... all that good stuff

2 medium onions, chopped

3 celery stalks chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

Leftover gravy, if there is any that you're willing to sacrifice

2-3 chicken bouillon cubes (the cubes I use are supposed to flavor 2 cups of broth each, but they do add a lot of salt - you can use less and then throw in more at the end if the broth isn't poultry-flavored enough)

2-3 Tablepoons of tomato paste (or throw in a couple tomatoes (chopped) if you have some sitting around) - optional but Ii think it gives the soup a richer flavor

Water to cover

Whatever fresh herbs you have on hand -- ideally parsley, thyme, sage, bay leaves

To be added later...

1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced

Flat noodles - about 1/3 of a pound

1. In a soup pot, sautee onions, celery, and carrots in a little vegetable oil until soft

2. Dump the broken-up carcass and turkey scraps and juices into the pot

3. Cover with water

4. Add herbs, bouillon cubes

5. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally

6. Refrigerate until cool enough to handle

7. Working with clean hands, pick through removing bones and herbs, saving ALL the bits of meat and broth and vegetables

YOU CAN STOP HERE and take a victory lap. Have a glass of wine. Toast yourself! Eat some leftover pie.

1/2 hour before serving

8. Return the pot to the stove, heat to a boil, add the mushrooms and dry noodles and simmer until the noodles and mushrooms are tender

9. Season to taste and serve

(I like to add soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and hot sauce to my portion, giving this a spicy Chinese flavor)

FREEZE any you aren't going to eat in the next few days. It's such a treat on a day when you don't feel like to cooking, to find a quart of delicious turkey noodle and mushroom soup waiting to be thawed.

Do you make soup from leftovers? Other brilliant Thanksgiving leftover ideas??