What else shall I put in my turkey vegetable soup?

Frozen peas would be good. But don’t add them too early or they will be mushy.

I would like escarole or parsnips.

Egg noodles, rice, potatoes, yellow squash, peas.
I wouldn’t go for the tomatos…too overwhelming I think.

I wouldn’t do the tomatoes either, @Coloma. I love tomatoes, but not in the turkey soup. Also, @marinelife said no starches. Why? I don’t know.

Several T. of white vinegar will leach out the calcium in the carcass without affecting the taste. It may be too late but we always tossed in a little stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. Some small white turnips? And I guess you’d consider angel hair pasta starch?

how about some mushrooms and leeks.

@gailcalled, leach out meaning into the broth?—i.e., get the maximum food value out of the bones?

I second the mushrooms. And how about a little parsley?

@Jeruba: Yes, it gets the calcium into the broth. And I sm a fan of fresh dill.

@cookieman @gailcalled What do you think about turnips rather than parsnips? I am thinking about a turnip or two.

I would skip the canned tomatoes, makes it into too much of a tomato soup. I like green beans, peas, for color I would add just a little red capsicum, actually I just throw in whatever is in the fridge! How about sweet potatoes, they are a healthy starch. I like a hit of kejap manis for flavoring and make the broth a pretty color. I like swedes or rutabaga (?) better than turnips, milder, nicer flavor.

@rooeytoo What is kejap manis? I am not familiar with that.

All: what about beans?

@marinelife: I love turnips, particularly the small white ones, which I can find at my local food coop. They are delicate enough to be delicious served roasted in the skin and eaten out-of-hand. The giant Jupiter-sized ones I am less enthusiastic about.

Parsnips I find too sweet.

The trouble with soup is the urge to add just a few more ingredients. My preference for turkey carcass soup is to keep it simple and traditional.

@gailcalled The stock smells fantastic. Like it would be good just by itself!

@marinelife: I can smell if from memory. Back when I still ate turkey, we made soup for the day-after-meal always.

I’ve never used small white turnips. What are the roasting instructions? And what else might one do with them?

I love parsnips, but I don’t think I’d put them in this soup.

Aren’t carrots a starchy vegetable?

I’ll have you all know Marwyn enjoyed some herb stuffing. Yes, I really stuffed my goose, but I didn’t cook him. No goose soup over here.;-P

@Jeruba: I will check with my sister, the master chef in our family.

On T’day, my friend made a puree from the baby turnips…of course, the sautéed diced onions, butter and salt and pepper helped.

You have a sister, @gailcalled? There is another person like you in the world? I shall sleep better tonight. ;)

Here’s a photo of the baby turnips and a delicious recipe for blanching and then caramelizing them.

@bkcunningham: Yes, 9 years younger and twice the man I am.

kepjat manis (many different spellings) is Malaysian soy sauce, it is thicker, less salty and a tad sweeter than regular soy sauce. I use it to flavor so many veg, meats, etc. I forgot to mention red lentils to thicken or brown lentils for texture and flavor. Also I always put pearl barley in, is that too starchy?

My sweetie made a delicious Thai-style turkey soup.
http://www.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-73326744/

Thank you, @gailcalled. I’ve seen them in the store and for some reason always thought they’d be pungent-hot, like daikon. Now I have to try them.

The recipe says: “Blanch them until they are just done…”—how long is that?

Also: “Add a tsp balsamic and a tsp butter…”—balsamic what?

@hearkat That recipe looks luscious!

@Jeruba Balsamic vinegar. You don’t have to go that upscale though.

@marinelife: I agree with @gailcalled about the smaller turnips. They are more tender.

@marinelife, sorry, “You don’t have to go that upscale” meaning what? Plain cider vinegar but not balsamic? or plain balsamic something but no vinegar? or something else? Out of my comfort zone here. I have no idea what “balsamic” anything means other than something I see on labels.

@Jeruba: Stick a fork in them and see whether they are tender?

I will revert to plan A, which is to ask my sister. Balsamic vinegar probably?

@marinelife: Sorry to have wandered from the turkey soup.

Roasted small turnips Really easy.

Small turnips no larger than 2 inches in diameter are tender and have the sweetest flavor. The larger the turnip, the tougher and more flavorless it will be. Fresh turnips are smooth, unblemished and have a sweet aroma. The leafy tops are green and crisp. Select turnips of uniform size so the turnips finish cooking at the same

Wash whole white turnips under cool running water. Scrub the turnips thoroughly with a soft vegetable brush, then trim off the stem and root. Small turnips have tender skins that you don’t need to peel.

Coat the turnips with canola or olive oil, then place them in an oiled baking pan. If you like, sprinkle the turnips with sea salt or freshly ground black pepper. Additional seasonings that pair well with turnips include chives, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley, paprika or garlic. Avoid crowding the turnips in the pan, as this will slow the cooking process and cause uneven cooking. You can roast whole turnips with other vegetables of a similar size, such as sweet potatoes or carrots.

Baking whole turnips in a hot oven—375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit—cooks the turnips quickly and prevents them from becoming soggy. Baking requires about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir the turnips about halfway through the cooking time to distribute the oil and the seasonings and promote even cooking.”

Sounds delicious as is after you heed all the suggestions. I suggest serving it with a few crispy baked croutons strewn on top.

@Jeruba The link I gave was to a $25 bottle of aged blasamic vinegar. You can get perfectly good balsamic vinegar for just a few dollars at Trader Joe’s.

I like adding squash or cucumbers to my soups. It adds a nice textural difference. Serrano peppers also give a good kick.

Thanks, everyone. The soup was delicious. I added baby lima beans.

The two foods I cannot swallow are lima beans and liver.

Glad the soup turned out well.

Aww, no turnips at the supermarket last night. I’m going to watch for them now.

^^^Note from my sister. In order to eat them roasted with the skin on, you have to make sure that they are organic.