Ingredients

  • 2 ½ pounds, approximately, bones from a cooked turkey, with any leftover juices and cooked garnishes like pieces of carrot, onion or garlic
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 leek, cleaned and cut (2 1/2 cups)
  • 2 cups diced celery, zucchini or green beans (or a mixture of these and other vegetables)
  • 3 to 4 cups coarsely chopped outer lettuce leaves or leftover salad greens
  • 1 cup (about 6 ounces) pastina (any tiny pasta in alphabet, star or square shapes)
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

      492 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 69 grams protein; 225 milligrams cholesterol; 284 milligrams sodium

    • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

6 servings

Preparation

  1. Remove all the skin from the turkey carcass (my turkey yielded 5 ounces of skin) and reserve it for making turkey cracklings. Place all the turkey bones, juice and cooked garnishes in a large, stainless-steel stockpot with 5 quarts tap water. Bring the water to a strong boil, then skim off and discard as much of the fat and scum from the surface of the mixture as possible.
  2. Reduce heat and boil mixture gently, uncovered, for 2 hours. Strain. You should end up with 3 quarts of stock. If your yield is greater, boil stock until it is reduced to 3 quarts; if your yield is less, add water to bring the yield to 3 quarts.
  3. Rinse the stockpot and place the stock back in the pot with the vegetables. Bring the stock to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and boil gently for 20 minutes. Add the pastina and continue to boil gently, covered, for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate, or freeze for later use.

Dining and Cooking