Mom's noodles make turkey soup

What do I do with all this leftover turkey?

The question looms on most of our minds by Saturday after Thanksgiving. We’ve all enjoyed that late-night helpings of turkey, stuffing and gravy, maybe a pile of turkey on one of those rolls with a little mayonnaise and cranberries, but there is still a pile of turkey in the fridge.

I always cook a second turkey for leftovers to send home with everyone sharing Thanksgiving with us. I can’t think of anything better than a turkey sandwich on wonderful whole wheat bread with mayonnaise and cranberries and I want everyone that leaves our dinner to be able to enjoy the same.  

But two turkeys still equal a whole lot of meat and two piles of bones.

I seem to always reference those wonderful holidays on the ranch when I think of Thanksgiving. Friday, the aunts kind of had off from cooking as all they had to do was set out the leftovers for everyone to graze on but ... quickly comes Saturday and a hungry crew needs to be fed.

Saturday morning as we ran down the stairs to begin the day to pancakes, porridge, applesauce, Dad’s biscuits, ham and eggs we would see that huge turkey carcass, devoid of most of its meat sitting in a huge pot on the wood stove. We knew later that day the aroma of turkey, onions, celery and garlic would fill the kitchen. My mom, who made the best homemade noodles ever, would be in charge of Saturday’s dinner. Turkey noodle soup!   

As children we took our mother’s cooking for granted. The soup was always there and the best noodles known to mankind filled the pot. I remember watching her roll out the dough, sprinkling heavy with flour.

I remember watching her roll the dough into a spiral and cutting slices that she would let us help unroll. Then we would watch her with anticipation of the tasty treat to come, drop these long white strips into the boiling pot of soup.  
When I was in college I decided to make chicken noodle soup for a party our apartment complex was having. It had turned cold and everyone thought a pot of chicken noodle soup would be a wonderful treat as we got ready for finals week and winter break.

OK, I knew how to make soup, stewing a chicken and adding the vegetables. But when it came to the noodles, I realized I had not a clue how to make them.

I called mom and she gave me the idea of how to make them, as she did not have a recipe, but just made them with a little of this and a little of that. I made them that day with a little bit of this and little of that and they were fabulous! I have been making these for years now, just like my mom did for my family.

Chicken or turkey noodle soup is one of my family’s favorite meals.

Realizing not everyone can make noodles with a little of this and a little of that, I have taken time to measure out the ingredients and would like to share with you so that on Saturday after Thanksgiving, you and yours can enjoy a wonderful bowl of turkey noodle soup.

I am a "throw-together meal" cook. I rarely follow directions. I look at two or three recipes and then go to the kitchen and make those recipes my own. A very wonderful chef (Susan Spicer, owner in Bayona in New Orleans) told me to take her recipes and make them my own. That is what I do.

I hope as you try each of my recipes that you will use your creative knack and make mine your own.

Please feel free to e-mail me any questions you might have pertaining to my recipes: chefkarlakay@gmail.com

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Turkey Noodle Soup
(Turkey stock can be done with a chicken, too.)
 
Turkey carcass
6-8 cups water or enough to cover turkey bones
Medium onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme or half-teaspoon dry
2 sprigs tarragon or half-teaspoon dry
1 teaspoon salt

First you need to make your stock for your soup, so take that turkey carcass and put it in a large pan with about 6-8 cups of water, an onion quartered, two stalks of celery cut into fourths, two peeled carrots cut into fourths, a bay leaf, thyme, tarragon and salt. Bring to boil, cover and let simmer for a hour.

Let cool slightly, remove meat from bones and chop to bite-size pieces. I like to strain my liquid at this time and put in pot that you will be making the soup in.

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Turkey Soup

2 carrots diced
1 stalk celery diced
2 potatoes diced
Half-cup frozen peas (or if in a hurry, add a bag of frozen vegetables; tastes just as good)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put stock and vegetables in large pan bring to boil. I like to cover and soft boil for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are done to your preference.

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Noodles

I have been making these noodles without any recipe since I was in college. Knowing I needed to get a recipe for the article, these are the first I have made with actual measurements. They came out fabulous. If you want a large amount, double eggs to flour measurement.

2 cups white flour
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
One-third cup milk

Measure flour, add pinch of salt in bowl. Lightly beat eggs and milk together and add to flour. Using a fork mix together this should form into a sticky ball. Flour surface to roll out dough and plop down the dough. If necessary, knead in a little more flour, but remember the less you handle your dough, the lighter your noodles will be in the end. Using a rolling pin roll out dough to about one quarter in thick.

This is where my mom and I differ in our noodle making. She sprinkles the dough with large amounts of flour, then rolls up the dough and cuts it into spirals, loads them on a plate and unrolls them into the boiling soup.

I take a pizza cutter and cut my dough into strips and drop into boiling soup. A lot less flour! Let simmer covered for 15 minutes, take off top and let cook another 10 and then you can say: "IT’S SOUP!"