Here’s the recipe for the soup I mentioned in my earlier post on making the most of your leftover turkey.  This easy-to-make soup combines turkey, northern white beans and kielbasa to make a hearty, one-dish meal. Simmer this in your crockpot for several hours, letting the slow cooker do the work for you.  If you use “lite” kielbasa you eliminate much of the fat but none of the flavor. Yum!

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded leftover turkey, white and dark meat
• 1 pkg. (13 oz.) Hillshire Farm Lite Polska Kielbasa
• 2 cans (15.8 oz. each) drained Great Northern Beans (I used Bush’s)
• 1 can (28 oz.) whole plum tomatoes
• 2 stalks (about 1 cup) celery, diced medium
• 1 cup carrots cut into small pieces
• 1 cup of sweet onion, diced small
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 ½ cups fresh turkey stock (see recipe below)
• 1 bay leave
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh rosemary to taste (I used 1 medium stem from my garden, cut into small pieces)
• Fresh parsley to taste (I used 4 sprigs from my garden, cut into small pieces with no stems)
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika to taste (I love Penzeys)

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown kielbasa about 4-5 minutes. Add the celery, onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then remove from heat.

Add the tomatoes to the crockpot, and gently break apart (you can use a spoon, or smush them with your clean hands per my good friend Mandi’s great suggestion to one of my earlier posts.)

Stir in the shredded turkey, drained beans and the kielbasa and veggies.

Add the fresh turkey stock and all of the seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary and parsley) and stir well.

Cook on high until the soup begins to come to a boil, and then turn the temperature to low. I leave this to simmer for 4-5 hours so the flavors meld.

Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of red wine, such as a nice shiraz.

Fresh Turkey Stock Recipe

Don’t throw away those turkey bones and the carcass just yet!  Use them to make a wonderful and inexpensive stock that you can season to your preference and have on hand when your recipes call for it.

Ingredients

• Turkey carcass, leg and wing bones – skin and meat removed
• 1 sweet onion, quartered
• 2 stalks of celery cut into large pieces
• Handful of baby carrots
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

Place the turkey carcass and bones in a large stock pot. Cover with water. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for several hours. Let the stock cool, and then strain through a colander.

Place in dated plastic storage bags. This is so great to have in the freezer to use for soups and casseroles. I usually store it for a couple of months.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!