I know that the turkey soup recipes need flavorful stock. I didn’t bake a whole turkey, I decided to make it easy on myself and bake two turkey breasts. (Of course you can cook a whole turkey and add the giblets to the stock for even more flavor). The turkey breasts were simply, but amply, seasoned with salt and pepper. Once they were cooked I sliced them. We ate some of the meat for dinner, some of the meat I froze and some of the meat was saved to add to the soup. I always allow a bit of meat to remain on the bones while they cook to add flavor. I added carrots, a large yellow onion and celery to the stock, as well as a bay leaf, parsley pepper a bit of celery salt. I also add some of the chicken skin for added flavor. I did not let my stock come to a boil. MomMom’s turkey soup recipes say to not let the stock boil as it may turn it bitter. I let the stock simmer gently about 3 hours.

I strained the stock through a fine strainer to remove all the bones and veggies. As I wanted to make these turkey soup recipes as authentic as I could I decided against using any frozen vegetables. I added cooked fresh green beans, cooked fresh carrots, cooked fresh peas and lima beans. I had blanched corn I had frozen during the summer, so I cooked that and remove the kernels. I cooked cubed white potatoes and added them. I made about 9 cups of soup. As it was it was a very thick soup. I thought of adding some chicken stock to thin it out so I could add some macaroni but decided against it. This turkey soup recipe was more like a thick stew, a thick delicious stew. I think MomMom would have been proud of my efforts. As I added the salt and pepper I kept track of how much I used. This was a very classic turkey soup recipe that didn’t call for any added herbs or spices. The next recipe I want to try time I cook one of her turkey soup recipes I’ll be sure to hold back on adding veggies so that I can add macaroni.

Williamsburg Inn

Many years ago my husband and I visited the lovely Williamsburg Inn Resort & Hotel. We had a marvelous 4 night stay. We both enjoy visiting colonial Williamsburg, it’s such a trip back in time and we like the slower pace.

We especially enjoyed the accommodations and service we had at the inn and especially the dining. The Regency dining room is lovely and the food was spectacular.

This was in particular one of my favorite appetizers, the Williamsburg Inn Turkey Soup. For me it’s a no-brainer.  Once you add half and half to anything and it’s better, and this delicious soup is a perfect example.
WILLIAMSBURG INN TURKEY SOUP

1 turkey carcass
4 qts. water
3 lg. onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 lg. carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning, if desired
1/4 c. uncooked rice
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. flour
1 pt. half & half
3 c. diced & cooked turkey
Salt & pepper

In large kettle, cook turkey carcass with water to make 3 quarts stock. Remove bones, reserve meat for soup, strain stock, set aside.In saucepan, combine onions, celery, carrots, rice and 1 quart of the stocks. Cook for 20 minutes, set aside. In large soup kettle, melt butter, blend in flour and heat until bubbly. Add half and half and remaining 2 quarts stock to butter-flour mixture. Cook and stir until bubbly. Stir in reserved vegetable mixture, turkey, seasoning. Heat slowly to serving temperature. This soup freezes well.

Thai Turkey Noodle Soup

We love eating turkey all year round.  I don’t go all out and cook a whole turkey other than on Thanksgiving. The rest of the year I cook a turkey breast.

Turkey breasts average six pounds, and that’s solid meat. There are lots of ways to cook a turkey breast, it can be oven roasted, grilled, deep fried, cooked in a crock pot or on a rotisserie.
I tend to use the same seasonings I use on the whole turkey I cook for Thanksgiving, Bell’s seasoning.  I oven roast the breast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes a pound. I cook it in a roasting pan which is large enough to insure even cooking. I tent the turkey with aluminum foil and remove it for the last 20-30 minutes. As with all meat I let the turkey breast sit for 15 minutes before carving it.

So now the fun part, choosing the soup!

In June, July and August I want a soup that is light and flavorful which is why I chose this Thai Turkey Soup. It’s a recipe developed by Leeanne Wright from the wish.ca site.

Thai Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Instructions

1. Soak mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes to re-hydrate. Drain and squeeze to remove excess water. Roughly chop (if mushrooms are large).
2. In a pot, sauté mushrooms, shallots, chilies and ginger in oil over medium heat.
3. Remove outer hard layer from lemongrass then cut stalk in half. Bruise the thick end with the back of a knife to release flavour. Add remaining ingredients, except noodles, to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add noodles and cook until tender.
4. Remove kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass and add chopped greens to serve.

Nutritional information

Nutrients per serving: 223 calories, 5 g fat, 19 g protein, 26 g carbs, 2 g fibre. Excellent source of vitamins A and C.

Turkey Soup Recipes are Treasured Heirlooms

My favorite turkey soup recipes came from my MomMom. She was my mother’s mother and was a wonderful cook. I have fond memories of her in the kitchen. She always wore an apron to protect her dress, and this was a time when women always wore dresses.

Some of my favorite things my MomMom cooked were her soups. We used to say they were thick enough to walk across, especially her turkey noodle soup.

My grandparents lived in West Virginia. My grandfather was a Methodist minister. My mother was born in 1929, the beginning of the Great Depression, a hard time in American history. Her older brother was 7. My grandparents, like a lot of other people had to learn to do without during those lean years and they had to learn to be more self sufficient. This was the time when my MomMom started really cooking soups of all kinds, especially turkey soup. Some of these turkey soup recipes came from her.

Turkey Soup Recipes Using all Fresh Ingredients

I was very surprised when my mother gave me my MomMom’s turkey soup recipes and I was anxious to try them. Of course, like a lot of older recipes that get passed down there weren’t any ingredient amounts. I wasn’t too surprised about this, but I knew that if I wanted to make delicious turkey noodle soup like my MomMom did I was going to have to do a bit of work. My Mom and I talked about MomMom’s soup. She remembered as a child that her parents raised all their own vegetables. Her mother had a particular fondness for herbs and she included herbs in a lot of her cooking. She also remembers most of the church members not having any money, so my grandfather was often paid for his services with food. There was always a supply of fresh vegetables. Neighboring farmers supplied them with meat from beef cattle and pigs. One neighbor raised chicken and turkeys. They had neighbor ladies who sometimes made pasta by hand. Hence MomMom’s turkey soup recipes were born.