Description
Turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into a delectable turkey soup with turkey-stuffed dumplings called kreplach.
Ingredients
For The Turkey Soup
- 1 turkey carcass
- 1 large onion, peeled, halved and thickly sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 celery stalks, thickly sliced
- 1 bunch of parsley, rinsed
- 1 bunch of dill (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 peppercorns
- Kosher Salt
- Black pepper or Aleppo pepper
Optional add-ins
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups or so of shredded turkey meat
For the Turkey Dumplings (Kreplach)
- Pack of wonton wrappers (They usually come with 40-50 wrappers per pack)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled, halved and roughly chopped
- 2 cups of leftover turkey meat, roughly chopped
- 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons turkey soup or water
Instructions
- Put the turkey carcass in a large soup pot. (You may have to break it apart to fit it in.). Add the onion, thickly sliced carrots, celery, parsley, dill (if using), bay leaf, peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt. Fill pot with enough cold water to cover all the ingredients by an inch or so. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, uncovered, until the broth is rich and flavorful.
- Pull out the bones with tongs. Pour the soup through a mesh strainer into a large bowl and then back into the soup pot.
- Wait a few minutes for the fat to rise to the surface and skim off excess fat with a spoon, if you like.
- At this point you can add a couple of thinly sliced carrots and shredded turkey meat. Simmer them in the soup for about 5 minutes, until the carrots are slightly tender. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (don't let it brown), about 7 minutes.
- Set up your food processor with the chopping blade attachment. Add the 2 cups of chopped turkey, the sautéed onion, scallions, chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons of soup or water. Pulse the filling mixture several times until the ingredients are finely chopped but don't over process or they'll get pasty. Transfer mixture to a bowl.
- Set up a work station with the bowl of filling, a small bowl of water, a teaspoon, a fork, the wonton wrappers and the parchment-lined tray.
- Put one wrapper on your work surface. Add a generous teaspoon of turkey mixture to the middle. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water, using your finger to dab. Fold the wrapper over, point to point, into a triangle, pressing the edges together. Crimp the edges with the tines of the fork. Set the kreplach on the tray. Repeat until you run out of the turkey mixture. You should be able to make about 24 kreplach.
- Keep kreplach in a sealed plastic container or baggie in the fridge until just before you're ready to serve. Cook them in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Gently transfer them to individual bowls of hot soup, using a slotted spoon. (note: I don't suggest cooking the kreplach in the soup, as they'll absorb a bunch of your soup. Best to cook them separately in salt water.)
Notes
HOW TO ADAPT THIS SOUP WHEN USING A SMOKED TURKEY: When we smoke our turkey, this soup takes a slightly different turn. Here's what works well: Add 2 tablespoons of canned hatch green chilies to the soup and 1 teaspoon to the dumpling mixture. Add 2 teaspoons of cumin to the soup and 1/2 teaspoon to the dumpling mixture. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro to the soup. When the soup is ready, stir through a tablespoon or two of lime juice. Garnish the soup bowls with lime wedges, diced avocados and chopped cilantro.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Russian