Two warming recipes for your turkey stock

Some of us stop thinking about turkey shortly after the carcass yields just enough meat for a final sandwich. But honestly, one of the best times to start thinking about turkey is after the November holiday. Prices drop, and there are often excellent deals on turkey parts from hearts, gizzards and necks to wing tips and wings. Whole turkeys are often on sale, too.

From now until the end of the year is the perfect time to make turkey stock. Once you do, you have wonderful options for several months. With good turkey stock in the freezer, you can make gravy, soup, gumbo, picadillo, risotto and more. If you need a little boost or are under the weather, sip a cup of hot turkey stock spiked with lemon juice and hot sauce.

Today’s recipes focus on the stock itself, soup and gumbo. Next week, I’ll share my favorite versions of turkey risotto and turkey picadillo, along with a surprise or two.

When making stock, don’t keep the liquid at a rolling boil. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low so it simmers very gently. That will prevent the fat from becoming emulsified and thus making a cloudy stock.

Turkey Stock

Makes about 8-14 cups

1 cooked turkey carcass and innards or 6-10 pounds turkey parts (see Note below)

1 yellow onion, quartered

1 large carrot, cut into chunks

2 inner celery stalks, cut into chunks

2 bay leaves

1 medium sprig (6 to 8 leaves) fresh sage

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Put the turkey in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, sage and peppercorns and cover with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, until the bones separate and fall apart; it should cook for at least eight hours and can simmer on low overnight.

To finish the stock, remove it from the heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Strain it through a fine sieve into a tall container. Discard the solids.

Let the stock settle for an hour and then refrigerate it. When the fat has congealed on top, lift it off. This is a good point to taste the stock. If it is too weak for your taste, tip it into a saucepan and simmer gently until it is reduced by about a third. Correct for salt as needed.

Use the stock right away or pack it in 2- to 3-cup portions and freeze it for up to a year.

Note: Markets often sell turkey parts at this time of year. For making stock, I recommend giblets, hearts, wing tips, wings and necks. If you use turkey parts instead of a carcass, spread them on a baking sheet, season with salt and roast in a 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.

This is my favorite dish from childhood, the best thing in my mother’s limited cooking repertoire. She made it twice a year, the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas. Waiting for the barley to become tender, I was almost as impatient as I was for Christmas morning.

Turkey Barley Soup

Makes 6-8 servings

1 ½ cups pearled barley

½ cup duck fat, turkey fat, olive oil or butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 yellow onions, minced

3 carrots, minced

8 - 10 cups turkey stock

Kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill

4 cups cooked turkey meat, coarsely chopped

Several hours or the night before making the soup, rinse the barley, put it in a large bowl and cover it with water by at least 2 inches. Cover lightly.

To make the soup, begin at least two hours before you want to serve it. Drain the barley, rinse it one more time and tip into a clean bowl. Set it aside.

Heat the fat in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat until the fat just starts to smoke. With a long-handled wooden spoon or metal whisk, stir the flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, into the hot oil. Whisk or stir constantly until the flour begins to color evenly. When the flour is a medium golden brown, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in the onions and carrots. Continue to stir for three or four minutes as the roux cools and ceases to darken. Season with salt and pepper and return to medium heat.

Pour about a cup of stock into the roux and stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth; add 2 cups and stir again. Add the remaining stock and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Add the turkey meat and barley and simmer until the barley is tender, about 25 minutes. Taste, season with salt and pepper and serve.

The soup can be cooled, refrigerated and reheated; its flavor will improve for about three days.

For gumbo that transports you to New Orleans with each bite, you need ingredients you might not have on hand, especially onion powder and garlic powder. They are essential for the traditional flavor, though you can make a delicious dish without them.

Turkey Gumbo

Serves 4 - 8

8 cups turkey stock

½ cup duck fat, lard, peanut oil or clarified butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 yellow onion, cut into small dice

1 green bell pepper, cut into small dice

4 large celery ribs, cut into small dice

2 tablespoons filé powder (ground dried sassafras, also known as gumbo filé)

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne or chipotle powder

1 pound andouille, kielbasa or other smoked sausage, cut into medium dice

6 - 8 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces okra, cut into ½-inch thick rounds, optional

4 cups leftover turkey, preferably dark meat, cut into medium dice

6 ½ - 7 cups steamed white rice (from 2 cups raw rice), hot

Fresh sage leaves and minced fresh sage, for garnish, optional

Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce

Put the turkey stock in a large pot, set it over medium heat, bring it to a boil and cook until it is reduced to 4 cups. Set aside.

Put the fat into a large, heavy skillet set over medium-high heat. When it just starts to smoke, use a long-handled whisk to stir the flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, into the hot oil. Stir constantly as the flour begins to color. (If black specks appear, the flour has burned; discard the mixture and start again.)

When the mixture is reddish-brown, remove it from the heat and immediately use a wooden spoon to stir in the onion, green pepper and celery, holding your head back and protecting your stirring arm so the rising cloud of hot steam doesn’t burn you. Continue to stir as the roux cools and ceases to darken, about three to four minutes. Stir in the filé powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the onion powder, garlic powder, black and white pepper and cayenne or chipotle powder.

Return the stock to the heat and bring it to a boil. Add the roux, a large spoonful at a time, and whisk after each addition. Add the sausage and garlic, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the gumbo simmers, fry the okra, if using, in a heavy pan over medium heat until it releases its liquid and that liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and season lightly with salt.

Add the turkey and sauteed okra to the stock and simmer 20 minutes more. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. The gumbo is best after it has rested for a day, so if you can, let it cool and refrigerate it overnight, covered.

Remove the gumbo from the refrigerator and transfer it to a large, heavy-bottom pot. Heat through over medium heat; stir frequently so it doesn’t burn. When it is heated through, taste and correct for salt.

To serve, ladle the gumbo into individual soup plates and top each portion with a generous scoop of rice. Garnish with sage leaves and minced sage, if using, and serve, with hot sauce alongside.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “A Cook’s Tour of Sonoma.” Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.