Recipe: Turkey Rice Soup

TURKEY RICE SOUP

1 1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 turkey carcass
1 cup turkey leftovers, cubed
Leftover pieces of turkey skin
Water
4 carrots, cut in very small pieces
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Put onion, garlic, celery, bay leaves, thyme and olive oil in your big soup pot. Saute until onions are translucent.

Add turkey carcass, cubed turkey and turkey skin. Turn heat to high. Add water to 1-inch of the top of your soup pot. Add carrots. Boil for 1 hour until liquid is reduced, skimming pot as necessary. Lower temperature to keep pot at a simmering boil.

(At this point you can strain the broth to be sure all bones are removed and add more cut up carrots to the pot.)

Add 2 cups of water. After water is boiling again, add rice. Cook one more hour. Skim any foam and extra olive oil off the top. Remove bay leaves, carcass and turkey skin and discard (be sure to look for and remove any small bones in the soup). Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Source: Diane Bongiorni