Stewing A Turkey Carcass

You know the soup must have been good if the grandson finishes off his bowl by drinking the last of it through a straw. If you are a blog follower of mine, you may remember last year's November blog on "The Turkey That Doesn't Quit." Stew your turkey carcass in a quart or two of water for 20-30 minutes, then pour all through a colander, defat the broth again, pour broth back into stewing pot. Once the turkey bones are cooled enough to handle, pull off any meat and chop it fine. This will be added last to your soup. As well as my husband carves a turkey, I still had ample meat for the soup. Bring broth back to a boil, adding any leftover gravy from your Thanksgiving Day feast and the demi-glace to the broth. The demi-glace is the goo in the bottom of the roasting pan which you may have thrown away. No worries, just remember next time to cool the demi-glace, defat it, and freeze it in a labeled baggie for soup. It is truly the essence of the herb-roasted turkey... all of the delicious herbs and flavor minus the fat. Also add leftover chicken broth and water to make 3-4 qts. of liquid. Once boiling, stir in 1.5 cups of regular rice (not the instant), cover pot, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, then return heat to high and add a couple of pkgs. of frozen mixed vegetables. I also threw in leftover lady peas here. Reduce heat to simmer again and let her rip for 15 more minutes or so. Check broth for seasonings. The rice will absorb much of your liquid. Thin with more water/chicken broth to your preference. Remove from heat and add chopped turkey. Serve with iron skillet cornbread for sopping up the broth... or expect a request for a straw.