Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
This was my first Thanksgiving where I took care of all of the food. It was terrifying and thrilling all at once. And though I bought a relatively small turkey, we still ended up with an obscene amount of leftovers. Is anyone out there in the same boat? So of course for a couple of days I ate a ton of turkey sandwiches which, let’s be honest, is actually better than the turkey that you eat at Thanksgiving dinner. But then by Monday here, I was ready to be done with turkey. So to finish off the rest of the meat sitting in my fridge, I made my favorite soup, but with turkey instead of chicken. And seriously, it was so quick and easy and amazingly delicious.
Ok first of all, please tell me you kept the bones from your roasted Thanksgiving turkey. I pick off all of the remaining meat and then plop the bones into a couple of big zip-top bags, and store them in the freezer until I’m ready to make some stock. And you make it just like you would chicken stock.
Let’s talk about wild rice for a second. It’s such a unique grain. It has an almost floral but earthy flavor and fragrance, and the texture is chewy, but in a pleasant way. I think it’s goes especially well in a creamy soup because of it’s pronounced flavor. It doesn’t get overshadowed by the cream. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, too. According to livestrong.com, “It is high in the B-vitamins niacin, riboflavin and thiamine, as well as potassium and phosphorus. It is a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids, although it is a bit low in lysine.”
If you have a hard time finding it in your local grocery store, you can opt for long grain brown rice, but first try finding the wild rice. It really enhances the soup. And as always, I recommend properly soaking your rice before cooking, in order to be able to absorb the nutrients.
If you’re like me and have a pile of turkey sitting in your fridge, needing to be eaten, give this a try.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 2-3 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
- 2-3 celery stalks, diced small
- 1 large shallot, minced (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 bunch preferably Tuscan (also known as lacinato), sliced thinly
- 4 cups turkey stock made with leftover turkey bones or chicken stock, homemade or store bought
- 1-2 cups shredded leftover turkey meat (or poached shredded chicken)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 cups wild rice, soaked overnight and cooked
- fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and shallot, if using. Cooking, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic, thyme, kale, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale wilts.
- Add the turkey, stock, and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer. Add heavy cream, season to taste, and serve immediately with a scoop of wild rice.
- This soup can be refrigerated for a couple of days. The cream will separate, but don't worry. Just heat up and stir it back together.
Be the first to comment.