Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Making broth from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass makes all the holiday work even more worthwhile. What a fragrance! This is my favorite way to use the broth I make a couple of days after the big feast. I don't feel like I'm eating leftovers when I eat this soup.

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Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Adapted from: Cook' Country Magazine
Serves 6-8

for the broth:

2 T unsalted butter
2 onions, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 turkey or chicken carcass, cut into large pieces (this is particularly nice if it has been smoked)
3 c white wine (if you prefer, use water but add 1-2 T white wine vinegar just before serving)
6 c low-sodium chicken broth, canned is fine

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onions, celery, and turkey carcass until lightly browned. Add wine (or water) and chicken broth and simmer over medium-low heat for at least an hour. Strain broth, discarding solids.


for the soup

1 c wild rice
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 teas dried thyme
1/4 teas baking soda
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 c heavy cream
3 c chopped cooked turkey
salt and pepper

Wipe out the Dutch oven and toast the rice over medium heat until it begins to pop, 5-7 minutes. (Last time I made this, the rice didn't pop and almost scorched. At that point, I figured it was ready so I went ahead without the popping.) Stir in the turkey broth, carrots, thyme, and baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about an hour. Whisk the flour and cream in a small bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk the mixture into the soup. Add the turkey (and vinegar if you didn't use wine) and simmer until the soup is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Note:

I think making broth from a turkey carcass will yield more than what this recipe yields (about 2 quarts of broth). When I made this last week, I had cooked the broth the day before, so I substituted 2 quarts plus a cup or two. It wasn't completely accurate, I imagine, but it worked.