Turkey Carcass Stew

(part of the LEFTOVERS from my THANKSGIVING DINNER for 12 for under $50)

The last thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers is to make CARCASS STEW. It uses up the leftovers that you haven’t done something else with, so make it after you’ve made the other leftover meals. After you’ve picked most of the meat off of the TURKEY bones (and I do mean most of it!), make turkey broth out of the carcass. Put the bones, an onion, and a couple of stalks of celery in a big soup pot, then add enough water to cover the bones. You should have at least six cups of water, and eight or ten cups isn’t too much. Add a bay leaf if you have it, and some poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add any leftover drippings, too, that you didn’t use to make the GRAVY, and the broth from cooking the turkey neck and giblets. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at least a couple of hours. Pour the broth through a strainer (Don’t forget to save the broth! I did once. I carefully poured it all through a strainer and right down the drain. I’d forgotten to put a big bowl under the strainer.), wipe out the pot to be sure there are no tiny bones left in it, then pour the broth back in the pot. Add the leftover GRAVY, MASHED POTATOES, STUFFING and peas. Leftover SWEET POTATOES are good in it, too, as is a bit of CRANBERRY SAUCE. Not too much cranberry sauce, though. No more than half a cup or so. Add a cup or two of sliced celery and a chopped onion or two. Bring it back to a boil, then simmer it for about 30 minutes. You could add a chopped carrot or two or three. Meanwhile, take the remaining meat off of the bones. You’ll be amazed at how much meat there was left! Add the meat to the soup. You should end up with 10 or more cups, depending on how many leftovers you had. If there weren’t very many leftovers to put in it, dice a few potatoes and add them when you add the celery, onions and carrots. This should make at least four very generous servings.