Turkey Stock – Christmas Leftovers
We are deep into the cold months now, the snow is sticking to the ground, and the nights are cold. This type of weather makes me want soup and hot drinks. Which is why we have created this super easy and yummy turkey stock.
With Christmas one week away from today, we are thinking ahead to delicious turkey dinners and desserts. However, we have actually already had one of our Christmas dinner’s this year. We are being super careful about who we are seeing as well as how many people at a time. We had a dinner with Matt’s immediate family on his moms side, since his mom is a nurse and has to work on Christmas day. So we have already had turkey, mashed potatoes and the amazing trifle we posted on Monday. This dinner resulted in many leftovers including turkey bones.
Our family makes two small turkeys so that they are more manageable in the oven. This means twice the amount of bones/2 carcasses. These are the main ingredients in this turkey stock. Instead of throwing out the bones, we freeze them in bags until we are ready to use them to make stock.
Gluten Free Stock/Broth
Buying gluten free stock/broth can be a bit frustrating. Many stocks contain or may contain wheat/gluten and they are often expensive. I have only ever found one brand of gluten free chicken stock and I didn’t like the flavour of it. While this is turkey stock, you can make chicken stock using the exact same recipe but with chicken bones instead of turkey bones.
This entire recipe is literally throwing all of the ingredients in the pot, leaving it to boil and then straining the vegetables and bones out of the turkey stock. It is so simple, completely gluten free and so so delicious. You then can use the turkey stock to make soup, adding in vegetables, left over turkey if you have it, potatoes, etc. We do this all of the time during the winter and it makes for a great lunch or dinner.
Our Favourite Way to Enjoy Turkey Stock
My favourite way to enjoy turkey stock is drinking it straight. I put some into a mug and drink it in the evenings instead of tea or coffee. There is just something so comforting about it, and warms me on those cold winter nights. It is also so healthy because its just water and vegetables cooked down with the turkey bones.
If you are a smaller family or you make a large amount of turkey stock, you can always divide it up and freeze it. Since we are just two people we usually give half of it to Matt’s mom, and then divide the rest and freeze it in ziploc freezer bags. This way we can pull it out to drink or make soup out of at a later date. Also, if you portion it into smaller amounts you can use it in other meals in place whenever stock is called for, instead of using bouillion.
Turkey Stock is so versatile and the best part is how easy it is to make. Let us know if you make this recipe and how you like it. Or if you use this recipe to make chicken stock. If you’re looking for soup ideas check out French Onion Soup with Parmesan Croutons.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 3 hours |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 medium Turkey Carcasses
- 3 large Carrots
- 3 large Celery Stalks
- 1 large Onion
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 tbsp Whole Peppercorns
- Salt to taste
- 10 litres water or to cover
Ingredients
|
|
- In a large stock pot add in all of the ingredients. We put the vegetables on the bottom, then the turkey carcasses, all of the seasonings, bay leaves and then topped it off with water. If you're using a smaller amount add enough water to cover everything in the pot. Turn your stove on to high and bring pot to a boil for 3 hours. Stirring occasionally, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Once the mixture has finished boiling, remove the vegetables and turkey carcasses. If there was any remaining meat on the carcasses, also remove that from the pot and set aside. You can either discard this, freeze it for other use, or set aside to add back in later to use in a soup.
- Strain the stock off to make sure you have gotten any small pieces that may still by stuck at the bottom. Let cool and place in your fridge over night. If you don't want to wait you can use immediately however it may have a lot of fat in it.
- The next day or several hours later, remove from fridge. On the top of the stock in the pot, you will see a layer of white fat. Skim this off using a spoon and discard. Reheat the stock for drinking, or to use as a soup. You can also divide and freeze the turkey stock in batches to use at a later date. You may also want to strain off the stock a second time if you find there are still small pieces left in it.
- ENJOY!