Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [64]
Carcass from a 12- to 16-pound (5.4- to 7.2-kg) turkey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large onion, unpeeled, halved
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
¼ cup (60 ml) brandy
A 1 x 1-inch (2.5 x 2.5-cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf 1 thyme sprig
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Break or chop the turkey carcass into 3 or 4 pieces. Pour the vegetable oil into a large roasting pan and add the chopped turkey carcass, onion, carrot, and celery (the onion’s skin will help color the broth). Roast for 30 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times.
2. Transfer the turkey and vegetables to a large stockpot. Pour off any fat from the roasting pan and discard, then place the pan over medium heat and add the brandy and 2 cups (500 ml) water. Bring to a boil, deglazing the pan by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Pour into the stockpot and add the ginger, bay leaf, and thyme.
3. Pour in about 10 cups (2.5 1) cold water, or enough to almost cover the turkey pieces. Bring slowly to a gentle boil, skim off any scum, and add the peppercorns. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.
4. Strain the broth through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard the debris left in the sieve and cool the broth quickly by placing the bowl in a larger bowl or sink filled with ice water; stir occasionally as it cools, then refrigerate overnight. Remove any fat from top of the broth before using and discard the debris at the bottom of the bowl.
Post-Thanksgiving Soup
Use the Roasted Bird Broth made from the carcass and any leftover turkey meat (remove the skin and any visible fat) in this soup or use just the vegetables here. The ginger, lemon, and mint combination gives this soup a light fresh taste.
4½ cups (1.251) Roasted Bird Broth (page 135)
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons julienned fresh ginger
1 cup (250 ml) diced cooked turkey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely shredded mint leaves
1. Place the broth in a large saucepan, add the carrots, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the leeks and ginger. Cover and continue to cook until the vegetables are just tender, about another 5 minutes.
2. Add the turkey and lemon juice. Season with the salt and pepper, and simmer until the turkey is heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the mint and serve immediately.
WISHBONES
Our family collection of wishbones, mostly chicken and the occasional turkey one, hung in our kitchen. Turkey was a special-occasion bird, making its big, impressive wishbone rare and highly prized. Expertly removed from the bird when it was carved, the wishbones were cleaned, then suspended over the sink on the handle of a manual can opener. From this central spot, we would watch them dry while we washed and dried the dishes. The drying took forever, or so it seemed, but if not sufficiently dry, the wishbones would bend, not snapping cleanly. Once my mother deemed them ready, two in the family were chosen to try their luck. Little fingers curled tightly around the slender white brittle bones that formed the fork, we paused for a moment, eyes closed, to consider then silently utter our wishes,… 1,… 2,… 3,… snap.
In most families, so I later learned, it ends there—if you had the longer piece, your wish came true. In our family, life was not so simple. The winner held both pieces of the broken bone in his or her hand, with just the tips of the unbroken ends jutting out. The loser attempted to redeem his luck by choosing the longer bone. Naturally, careful observation of the tips of the bone before the initial snap paid off.
The furcula, or wishbone, is found in all birds and is the forked bone between the bird’s neck and breast. Its older name, merrythought, dates from 1607. That name also referred to the custom of two people pulling on the bone until it broke. The person