The heart of many great dishes is a rich stock. This recipe makes about 8 to 12 cups of rich turkey stock which can be used in many ways, including soups, sauces and gumbos.
Estimated Time 4 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings 8Cups
Here's What You Need
1whole turkey carcass - see notes
Turkey neck and giblets - see notes
2tablespoonsolive oil
1smoked ham hock
1largeyellow onion - quartered
1largebell pepper - quartered
4 to 5stalksCelery - with leaves
1largecarrots - cut in 1" pieces
1bunchgreen onions
1headgarlic - cut in half
10 - 15black pepper corns - see notes
24cupscold water
Herb Bundle
2 sprigsfresh basil
2 sprigsfresh thyme
2sprigsfresh oregano
2sprigsfresh sage
3sprigsfresh parsley
3bay leaves
Here's What You Do
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a heavy baking sheet with nonstick spray or a light coat of vegetable oil.
Pull all the meat off the carcass from a leftover turkey. Reserve the meat to add to gumbo later. Break the bones into manageable pieces and place them along with the back, neck and giblets (if available) on the baking sheet. Roast in the 425 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
While the turkey bones are roasting, cut the onion and bell pepper in half and the celery and carrots into 1" to 2" pieces. Tie the fresh herbs together with butcher twine and place the black pepper corns in a garni bag or wrap in cheese cloth.
Heat the olive oil in a large stock put until shimmering. Add the vegetables, cut side down to the oil and saute until starting to brown. Add the ham hock, bay leaves and herb bundle-stir well so everything gets a hit of olive oil.
Remove the turkey carcass from the oven and add the bones to the stockpot, making sure to add any juice and fond that had developed while roasting the bones. Stir well to incorporate all the ingredients.
Throw in the black pepper corns and 24 cups of cold water into the stock pot and stir to make sure everything settles.
Bring the stock pot to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes, then lower to a simmer.
Continue to simmer for a total of three hours, covering the pot occasionally to control the evaporation.
Skim off any scum that developed on top and discard.
When finished, remove everything with a large slotted spoon and strain the stock through cheesecloth into a container.
Notes
This is the perfect use for a leftover turkey carcass. Make sure to strip as much meat off as you can and use it in whatever the final dish is.Most fresh or frozen turkeys come with the neck, heart, gizzards and liver-this is call the giblets. They will be in a bag stuffed into the cavity of the bird. Take those out and use them in the stock.Roasting the bones is optional but enhances the flavor of depth which isn't there if you don't roast them.Use whole black peppercorns. If you can get one of those little garni bags or use some cheese cloth to tie them together, you won't have to be concerned that someone will bite into a peppercorn.This stock can be refrigerated for about four days and frozen for about six months. Same with the carcass. If you can't use it right away, a couple of days in the fridge, then freeze it for up to six month. few months.