Many folks around the Island will roast a turkey for Christmas and if it’s a good-sized one it will keep on giving. Its premier performance, of course, will be at dinner on Monday, being the centrepiece of the meal.
But when I’ve queried friends and family over the years many have told me, as much as they love that meal, they sometimes enjoy the turkey’s second performance even more. That occurs in the relaxed days after Christmas, where the leftover turkey meat you have keeps on giving by yielding other tasty meals. They’ll include sandwiches, stews, casseroles and a host of other things that work well with bits of turkey in them.
If you roasted a whole bird, you also have the turkey carcass leftover that you can use to make stock that can be the foundation for many types of soups, including today’s recipe for turkey soup with quinoa and yams.
To make it, diced onion and celery were sautéed until tender, and then garlic, dried oregano and a mix of spices were stirred and cooked a short while. The next step is to add some turkey stock, cubed turkey meat, cubed yams, diced tomatoes and quinoa. The soup is then simmered until the yams and quinoa are tender and then, for a hit of vibrant green colour, some chopped parsley (or sliced green onions) is mixed in.
When ready, you end up with a very hearty turkey soup that will make a nice lunch if served with thick slices of dense whole wheat bread or other bread. If you don’t have a recipe for turkey stock, you’ll find one below that you can use for the soup. If you don’t have quinoa on hand to use in the soup, you’ll find it for sale at most supermarkets and bulk food stores.
Quinoa looks like a grain — and is often referred to as a grain — but is actually a tiny seed harvested from a plant native to the Andes that is now commercially grown in many countries, including Canada, in places such as Saskatchewan. Those seeds come in a range of colours, such as black and red, but white/golden ones are most common and was what I used.
When you eat quinoa you’ll be pleased to know that, among other things, it is high in fibre, it is a complete source of protein, it contains all eight essential amino acids, is abundant in linolenic acid and an essential fatty acid. It is also said to benefit immune response and also contains iron, calcium and vitamin E.
Yams, which are actually the orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato, are also nutritious, containing such things as vitamin A, C, D and B and many minerals.
Turkey Soup with Quinoa and Yams
This filling, easy to prepare soup is rich with bits of turkey, nutritious quinoa, yams and other vegetables. Any leftover soup you have will freeze well.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: about 25 minutes
Makes: five servings
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked or regular paprika
• pinch red pepper flakes
4 cups turkey stock
1 cup water
1 cup cooked turkey meat, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (see Eric’s options)
1 medium to large (about 350 gram) yam, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup quinoa
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) diced tomatoes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or thinly sliced green onion
Heat oil in a soup pot set over medium, medium-high heat (my pot was eight inches wide and four inches tall). Add onions and celery and cook until softened, about four to five minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and pepper flakes and cook one minute more.
Add the stock, water, turkey, yams, quinoa and tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain that gentle simmer. Simmer the soup 15 minutes, or until yams and quinoa are tender. Stir in the parsley (or green onions), taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, as needed, and it’s ready to serve.
Eric’s options: If you have bits of leftover cooked yams from your Christmas dinner, they could replace the raw yams added to the soup here. If you do that, add those already cooked yams when mixing in the parsley (or green onions) and let them heat through a few minutes. Cooked chicken meat and chicken stock could replace the turkey meat and stock used in the recipe.
Turkey Stock
This recipe yields a flavourful turkey stock you can use for soups and other dishes requiring stock.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: two to two and half hours, plus time for stock to come to a simmer
Makes: About eight to 10 cups
1 medium to large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and sliced
12 to 16 cups water (depending on size of turkey carcass)
4 to 6 fresh parsley sprigs
1 tsp dried thyme
8 to 10 whole black peppercorns
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 cooked turkey carcass, cut into 4 or 6 pieces, plus any other turkey bones you have
Place ingredients in a tall pot and set over medium-high heat. Bring to just below a boil, and then reduce heat until liquid gently simmers (small bubbles should just break on the surface. Do not rapidly simmer or boil the stock or it will become a cloudy, muddled mess). Gently simmer the stock, uncovered, two hours.
At that point, ladle a little stock into a small bowl, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and taste it. If it has a nice turkey taste, it’s ready. If not, simmer it a while longer.
When ready, strain the stock, cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. Remove any solidified fat on the surface of the stock and it is ready to use. It can be refrigerated up to three days or be packaged up and frozen, at the ready to thaw and use when you need some.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
