Ok all you soup people, let's hear it

This thread is inspired by CynthiaM. Something she said somewhere else gave me the image that when she leaves someone's house after dinner she has a carcass under her arm to create bounty at home!   

So lets hear it soup people. How do you do it? What is your favourite? Little secrets that make yours the best. This is the time for using all the left overs, how many of you do SOUP!

coopslave wrote:This thread is inspired by CynthiaM.  Something she said somewhere else gave me the image that when she leaves someone's house after dinner she has a carcass under her arm to create bounty at home!    

So lets hear it soup people.  How do you do it?  What is your favourite?  Little secrets that make yours the best.  This is the time for using all the left overs, how many of you do SOUP!

After the post meal clean up, I put all the bones and pieces of skin in a large pot with a few bay leaves, some thyme, salt and pepper. Add just enough water to cover the bones, simmer at the barest of simmers for 24 hours. This makes a very nutritious and delicious bone broth. After learning this method, I will never make chicken/turkey/beef broth any other way. I passed this method on to a friend of mine at Thanksgiving and she raved about her turkey broth for days!

I throw the neck wing tips and all the bones into my pot cover with water and a few bay leaves then summer for couple hours. I then cool to peel the last meat scraps off the carcass, toss the bones and either can the broth or throw it in the fridge for soup the next day. I dont add any seasonings so I can use my broth for whatever type of base I want. I use it for making cream soups, chowders, chicken soups or in mashed potatoes if I end up with a jar with not much in it for meat

I always add a touch of AC vinegar to the carcass water to draw out more nutrients from the bones. As for soup, here it is an anything goes. My husband hates that a great soup will never be duplicated. Recipes are guidelines for me -lol

Here's what I did this year ...

Strip as much meat as possible from bones. After draining off some of the liquid from roasting pan, return skin, wings, bones etc. back to the roasting pan. Put pan on counter so you can take it to the downstairs fridge to deal with tomorrow.

The next morning, realize you left pan out all night. Sigh and feed to dogs. Merry Christmas, mutts.

Grandma's soup
I always throw my carcasses in the freezer with the skin other bits. Then when i am making soup, i have extra flavour.
My grandmother made the best chicken/Turkey soup ever and i think i do too!
i put a whole chicken cut up into a large pot with celery, onions, garlic, carrots and parsnips and all the carcass stuff.
Cook it for hours-then drain it- take the meat off the bones, throw out all the vegis

Then i start fresh with my broth skimmed of fat and bring it to a boil -throw in all new vegis
onions, garlic, carrots, celery, parsnip and fresh spices,...rosemary, sage, thyme.salt and pepper...
throw in the meat and cooked noodles and after 3 minutes you have a very flavourful soup with fresh vegis....
yum..yum!

Authentic, I make soup the same way!

Had funny mental picture of CynthiaM going to someone's house for a big feast. NExt day home owner looks around and asks, has anyone seen the dog? Cut to shot of CynthiaM in her kitchen, merrily stirring a bubbling cauldron with a collar and bits of fur bubbling to the surface, let nothing go to waste!

uno wrote:Authentic, I make soup the same way!

Had funny mental picture of CynthiaM going to someone's house for a big feast. NExt day home owner looks around and asks, has anyone seen the dog? Cut to shot of CynthiaM in her kitchen, merrily stirring a bubbling cauldron with a collar and bits of fur bubbling to the surface, let nothing go to waste!

Guess you want to be sure you are the only person who accepts invites to CynthiaM's home!
What a wretched image you've put in my mind. Ugh!

mostly in our house we use the whole of the roast/bird/portion of animal that is there until nothing else can be given  -  dried up bones?     Unless it was a commercial birdie which got fed all those chemical nasties  -  don't make stock or soup from the carcass of those because that is where the nasties get stored, in the bones (and fat I guess).  Otherwise I put all the left overs, bones, skin, neck etc. into pot and cook for long time or use a pressure cooker for shorter time.  pepercorns, salt, bay leaves or whatever herbs I can lay my hands on  -  no set pattern.  let cool, discard bones, skim off fat and put any groovy jelly/skin/fat parts aside for chickens to have blended with scratch.  Then put into containers for stock in freezer OR make into soup with any left over pieces of meat and veg  -  gravy extra good flavor :-).