TURKEY BONE BROTH

To me, soups are all about the broth. I have yet to find a canned or boxed soup that can come close to a homemade stock or broth. Rather than using a whole bird to make a stock, my preference is using only bones for the broth. Bone broths are much less fatty and supposedly support the production of anti-aging molecules, so I’m all for that.

​This doesn’t have to be just a post-Thanksgiving broth. If you can find turkey backs or turkey necks, they work just as well. In a pinch, you can substitute chicken bones. Since this takes a minimum of eight hours from start to finish, I usually make this on a cold, rainy day when I’m not tempted to go outside. Promise me you won’t leave your house while you make this. You do need to keep an eye on it.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 3 quarts)

1 turkey carcass (or four turkey necks or 2 turkey backs)

8 chicken feet

1 onion, skinned and quartered

2 stalks celery, washed, then rough chopped

2 carrots, skinned and rough chopped

1 parsnip, skinned and rough chopped

1 turnip, skinned and rough chopped

½ bunch parsley

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bones and chicken feet on baking sheet. Generously sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Using hands, make sure olive oil and spices are well distributed. Roast in oven for 45 minutes. (This can be done the night before. Just let cool and place in fridge overnight).

Place roasted bones and chicken feet into a 7-quart pot. Fill pot with water, covering the bones, making sure to leave about one inch below the lid. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Crack the lid so that the steam can escape and the flavors reduce. Leave to simmer for at least seven hours. Every two hours, check water level and add more water if necessary, up to one inch below lid.

After seven hours, add vegetables, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Continue to simmer for 90 minutes. Turn heat off and allow to cool on stove. Place the pot in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, thanks to the gelatin extracted from the bones and chicken feet, the liquid will have probably congealed. Heat the pot on the stove top, just long enough so that the stock becomes liquefied again, about five minutes.

Strain the broth through a chinois or a fine-mesh sieve. Discard bones and vegetables. It should make a minimum of 3 quarts of broth. I store the broth in quart Chinese food containers and freeze them until needed.