Don't Throw Away Those Precious Bones!

We received a gigantic roast turkey last December 24 -- juicy, tender roast turkey. Our community at De La Costa House took the opportunity to have an early community Christmas dinner. I roasted some potatoes, mixed my favorite Santa Sangria, and tossed some green salad (combination of arugula and romaine lettuce topped with kesong puti and grapes). Only six people ate lunch and so only half of the turkey was consumed. I carved the rest of the turkey for future use (for our sandwich, turkey waldorf salad, etc.)and decided to keep the bones for a hearty and tasty Turkey Noodle Soup. Yes. Don't throw away those precious bones! Here's how i got the most out of the turkey bones.

Preparing the Stock
1. Put the leftover bones into a large stock pot and cover with water by an inch. You may want to break up the bones a little to save space.
2. Add two bulbs of onions (quartered), half a teaspon of peppercorns, one or two stalks of celery and leeks, and some chopped carrots.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to bring the stock just below a simmer.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste (you may do this gradually, putting only a little amount and adding some more as you cook the noodle soup later).
5. Cook for three to four hours. (To remove oil from your stock, I suggest you let it cool (room temperature) and place it in your ref for at about 30 minutes. The oil will solidify which will make it easier to remove.)
6. Strain the stock and set aside.

Preparing the Noodle Soup
1. Saute half a cup of chopped onions in two tablespoon olive oil until they become caramelized.
2. Add chopped carrots, potatoes, celery (or parsley), a dash of dried thyme leaves.
3. Add a handful of broken spaghetti noodles. you may also use fusilli or macaroni.
3. Simmer until the vegetables and pasta are cooked through.

Serving Suggestion
* Pour in noodle soup in a soup bowl. Serve with slices of leftover turkey meat on top.
* In honor of my Chinese lineage, I would also recommend using hongkong style noodles (egg noodles) for the soup. But of course, we would need an entirely new recipe to give the soup a Chinese taste. I reserved some extra turkey bones to experiment on next time!!!