HOMEMADE TURKEY STOCK

Turkey gravy and turkey soup just tastes better with your own homemade stock. It is so easy to make with all of those bones available from the boned turkey.

The ingredients (all approximate):

• The bones, tail, fat and other detritus from a (de)boned turkey
• The neck and giblets from the turkey, excluding the liver, rinsed
• 2 large yellow onions cut ito quarters
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 6 stalks of celery with leaves cut into large pieces
• 1 leek, washed to remove all traces of sand, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 4 to 6 bay leaves
• 1 cup dry white wine or vermouth (optional)
• 1 handful whole peppercorns
• 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
• 6, or more, sprigs of parsley
• salt, to taste

Procedure (2-12 hours, ca 30 min of preparation):

Place all of the vegetables and seasonings in a large stock pot with some water (Fig 1). Put the stockpot on the stove with the lowest heat possible.

Chop the largest pieces of the turkey carcass into manageable size chunks. Cut the turkey neck into ca 3" long pieces.

Place turkey bones, etc. into a broiling pan and broil (a convection oven works particularly well) until they turn a deep golden brown (Figs 2 and 3).

Add the browned bones to the stock pot. Deglaze the pan with either wine or hot water; add to stock pot. Cover with water (Fig 4).

Bring to a simmer - do NOT let it (or any stock) ever come to the boil (recall the scene from Tampopo)! Skim any foam from the surface.

Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting, cover partially, and simmer for at least two hours - overnight, if possible. Remember it should never, ever, come to a boil.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl or another pot and throw away the solids. Remove any excess fat from the surface. Save the fat to make roux for the gravy.

Refrigerate the stock if not used immediately; lift any fat off the surface of stock when ready to use.

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3

Fig 4

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