Re: Recipes Turkey Gravy and soup

[Sharon Koontz <koontzs@hit.net>]

This is long, but really just detailed for the novice cook.  Mr. Mulkins
publishes these recipes in his column every year... and every year they get
rave reviews.  Honestly, my extended family has a fit over the gravy.  And
my husband and I enjoy the soup for days after the holiday!

Best Darn Turkey Gravy Recipe Ever!

via Phil Mulkins, TulsaWorld-Action Line Columnist

Remove the skin. After the turkey is roasted, use oven mitts and turkey
lifters to remove the turkey from the oven pan. Put the turkey on a cookie
sheet or large serving platter to catch the juices that will continue to run
for 20 minutes. Save this for the gravy. As the turkey cools before carving,
remove as much of its skin as you can, using tongs and knives.

Wok the fat. Ladle as much liquid fat from the turkey pan as you can without
getting any of the water-based juices or gelatin. Put the fat in a wok and
heat it on medium-high after covering it with a splatter screen.

Deglaze the roasting pan. Place turkey roasting pan across two burners and
add an inch of water. Set burners on medium, deglazing the pan and
liberating all pieces of stuck skin into the liquid. Add any juices caught
by the cookie sheet or platter to the deglazing operation.

Cut up skin. While the pan is deglazing and the liquid simmering, cut all
the skin into one-inch squares and begin rendering it in the turkey fat on
medium heat. Leave the lid off, as condensing moisture on the back of a
standard lid will drip into the hot fat and cause splattering of boiling hot
grease. Cover with a splatter screen. Use long-handled utensils to separate
the pieces and to keep them from sticking to the wok.

Golden brown. Render the fat from the skin until the pieces are
golden-brown-"turkey cracklin's"-watching it constantly so you can remove it
before it burns. Use a skimmer to harvest the cracklin's and put them on a
section of newspaper to let the grease drip out of them. Set the out of
harm;s way (beyond the reach of  the cracklin' fiends) to cool. Or save some
for the Turkey soup recipe that follows.

Flour power. Pour off all but 2/3 cup of the turkey fat from the wok and
whisk ½- to 2/3-cup of all-purpose flour into the hot fat, flat-forking
lumps. Brown the flour-paste.

Ah, Juice! Pour the deglazing liquid from the turkey pan into a 4-cup
container and top it off to 4 cups with whole milk., hald-and-half or
whipping cream. Pour this into the wok gradually, whisking it into the
fat-flour paste. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Crush cracklin's. Right before serving, cover the cracklings with a towel on
a cutting board and use the side of  knife to crush them. Add them to the
gravy, stirring well. Salt and pepper to taste. You'll never go back to
regular turkey gravy!

Turkey Bone Soup
Bones, bones, bones! Remove all the skin, whole fat, and solidified liquid
fat from the roasting pan and set it all aside. Remove remaining meat from
the carcass and refrigerate it. Save the white for sandwiches and cube the
dark for the soup. Refrigerate this while making the broth.

Carcass gelatinous,. Break down the carcass into single bones and sections
small enough to le in the bottom of a large simmering pot. Add water until
all bones are covered, bring it to a boil over medium hear and adjust to
"low"  or "simmer". Simmer the bones covered for 45 minutes and add more
water, as necessary. The bone marrow releases the flavorful turkey gelatin.

Skin to win. If you haven't already used the skin to make gravy, use it to
make the soup richer. See instructions under "Cut up skin" above.

Carcass trash. After the bones have simmered, pour the liquid through a
colander to remove all solids and catch the liquid in a stew pot. Add enough
water or chicken broth to make two quarts and return the liquid to a meduim
boil.

Crush cracklings. Crush the cooled cracklings and add them to the gelatin,
stirring them in well.

Soup fixins. Dice two large yellow onions, slice up one pound of washed,
stemmed carrots; half a head of celery and either four medium potatoes or
two packages of frozen egg noodles. People have been known to include
leftover dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc. Add salt and pepper to
taste, chicken buillion if needed and any combination of  sweet basil, bay
leaf, marjoram, oregano or thyme.

Ain't it soup yet? Let the soup boil until the carrots and potatoes are are
done. Five minutes before serving, add the cubed turkey meat

!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Sharon Koontz
K-12 LMS USD286
Sedan KS 67361
Home: koontzs@hit.net
School: koontzs@usd286-sedan-ks.org

I'm not organizationally challenged, I'm chaotically gifted!

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

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