My father was a wonderful cook. As one of six Depression-era children living in a New York City tenement, he grew up in a household that wasted nothing. Especially food. This soup was his favorite recipe, not just because it’s delicious and uses up the last of a turkey, but because it was the only one of his mother’s recipes he could remember. For me, the best thing about cooking a turkey (besides the leftover sandwiches served with hot tea) is serving this soup with whole wheat molasses bread. And since this weekend will be a busy one with family and friends and pumpkin and apple pickings, this soup will be the perfect meal to end a wonderful day!
Dad’s Turkey Soup
This is an easy soup to make, but it does require a 24-hour waiting period in the refrigerator and it gets quite messy when you're separating the solid cooked veggies from the usable meat and the extra bones. But it's definitely worth the work!
Ingredients
- Leftover turkey (wings, legs, carcass back and ribs) skin removed
- 1 large onion peeled and cut in half
- 2 celery stalks cut into quarters
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 10.75 oz cans cream of tomato condensed soup
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 cup dry barley
Instructions
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Fill a large stockpot 1/2 way with water. Add the leftover turkey parts (wings, legs, etc, and all the leftover meat). Stir in the onion, carrots, celery, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours. Then let cool for 15 minutes.
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Once the soup cools strain out the broth and add to another large stockpot. Then sort through the solids, pulling out all the edible meat. (yes, this is messy but it's the best way to keep the most meat).
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Stir the meat back into the broth in the new stock pot. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
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The next day, strain off the fat that settled on top of the broth. Bring the pot to the stove and heat the soup over low-medium heat. Add in the barley and cook for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve immediately.
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NOTES: If you need more broth, add in water or chicken broth. This soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but you may have to thin it out with extra water or broth later in the week.
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