Holiday: Before Your Thanksgiving
Irene Wong
Nothing should go to waste as you are preparing for your Thanksgiving meal.
Many of us save leftover turkey meat for sandwiches or great tasting salads. I even use the carcass of the turkey and create a hearty congee by saving all the vegetable scraps during the preparation for my family's Thanksgiving dinner — from the outer leaves of the savoy cabbage to the stalks of Romanesco cauliflower.
The following day or two after Thanksgiving, I gather all the vegetable trimmings, throw them in a stock pot, fill up with water including the turkey carcass and make a nice rich stock. Turkey bones are where all the flavors are being trapped. Strain the stock and add two handfuls or rice and cook at low heat for half an hour or so unit the rice thickens the soup. If you have a piece of ginger, smash that in. You can add a few sprigs of bay leaves, sliced kale and diced some carrots for color.
Ladle the soup into a bowl and serve it right away with some fresh cracked black pepper and top it off with slivers of scallion. You will have created a nice delicious hearty bowl of rice soup for your family's lunch.
