Turkey Soup: Love Those Leftovers!

By Sand Pilarski

When the Thanksgiving turkey dinner is done, there are frequently several containers of leftover turkey. Some will be avidly made into sandwiches, (a favorite Day-After-Thanksgiving breakfast in this household) some will be chopped and made into turkey salad, and we must not forget hot turkey sandwiches!

This year I decided to make a turkey soup. My imagination was crazed by the thought of a flavorful soup capable of chasing away the chill of the thick fog that invades our valley at this time of year. Not only did it have to be an explosion on the taste buds, however, it also had to be nutritious.

While I was cooking, I wondered if any of the rest of the family would eat it, so I didn't make too much. As it turned out, I apparently couldn't have. It was gone in just a day. The soup was delicious, and perfectly suited to the taste of turkey, though it would work well with chicken, too.

This is the recipe for "Turkey and Greens Soup."

INGREDIENTS:

One teaspoon olive oil
Cooked rice, about one cup
One yellow onion, chopped into pieces 1/4 inch by 3/8 inch. (Use a plastic ruler if you must measure.)
Two tablespoons crushed garlic
Two heaping tablespoons of leftover turkey gravy
One kohlrabi, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
Two cans of chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 - 3 cups turkey, both light and dark meat, cut into little bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 - 2 cups chard, snipped into narrow strips 1/4 inch by one inch
salt, pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, and more garlic powder to taste

STEPS:

Sauté onion in the olive oil until soft, and just beginning to brown. Add the crushed garlic and turkey gravy, stirring until the flavor begins to be released.

Add the kohlrabi and a little of the chicken broth, cooking over medium heat until the kohlrabi is crisp-tender.

Add the chicken broth, the turkey, and the chard, bring to a low boil until the chard is limp but not mushy. Season to taste.

Add the rice last, and heat through.

* * *

Sometimes leftover turkey can have a "heavy" taste to it; in this soup the flavor is complemented well by the sweet/spicy taste of the onion, and the tangy taste of the chard. The kohlrabi gives a slightly crunchy counterpoint with the flavor of almost-but-not-quite broccoli.

That reminds me, I must pick up some more kohlrabi at the store today...