I feel no shame asking to take home a leftover turkey carcass. I will fish a carcass out of the trash at my host\u2019s house if that\u2019s what it takes.<\/p>\n
When the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving feast is done being a centerpiece, the real cooking begins: The bones, skin and, if you\u2019re lucky, the innards and bits of meat left on the bird are boiled to oblivion the next day for the base of a soup that I look forward to even more than the main meal.<\/p>\n
We at the Post gathered our collective recipes for the best ways to use leftovers after the most hallowed eating day of the year, controversial turkey sandwiches notwithstanding<\/a> (cranberry sauce on the same sandwich as mayonnaise is plain barbaric).<\/p>\n From potato tacos to a dish we can only label a \u201cThanksgiving abomination,\u201d we\u2019re going to help you free up some space in your refrigerator today. We\u2019ve even got you vegans covered.<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s get back to the carcass. If you had to pull it out of the trash, you might want to give it a rinse. Then cram as much of the carcass as you can into as big of a pot as you can find, prioritizing the bones (the more skin, the more fatty the soup will be). Then, add a chopped onion, a few celery stalks, a few carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, a bay leaf and whatever herbs you have left from Thanksgiving, fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and let it cook as long as possible (at the very least, two hours).<\/p>\n When you\u2019re ready, taste the soup. Add salt if needed, or a little chicken stock if the flavor isn\u2019t strong; some birds are more flavorful than others. Strain out the loose herbs, bones, and chunky veggies. And what you have left is a pot of pure gold.<\/p>\n Bring the soup back to a boil, add a bag of mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans), more herbs or seasoning if you like. In the meantime, chop and add any meat left on the bones or in your refrigerator (for this, dark meat is better).<\/p>\n And here\u2019s where things get a little advanced, but totally worth the effort: Egg drop dumplings.<\/p>\n Combine three egg yolks, salt and pepper, a half teaspoon of nutmeg and fresh or dry parsley to taste. In a separate measuring container, combine the whites from your eggs, and as much milk as it takes to make a cup of fluid. Then, in a frying pan, melt two tablespoons of butter and add one cup of flour, and let it cook for 30 seconds or so, then add the egg white mixture and stir constantly until it thickens (it will look like homemade glue at this point). Just when the majority becomes thick and lumpy, add the egg yolk mixture, stir thoroughly and continue to heat through. Use a teaspoon to then drop lumps of the mixture into the boiling soup. When done, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n This \u201crecipe\u201d comes from the kitchen of Post Publisher David Sommers, who starts his instructions somewhat shakily with, \u201cOK, hear me out on this.\u201d<\/p>\nTurkey soup with dumplings\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n
Thanksgiving Abomination\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n