Turkey Noodles
Surely one of my childhood favorites! A fantastic way to use up left over roast turkey or chicken and feed a crowd. This dish makes a great family meal and was a big hit with mine when they were kids.
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The noodles are really home made dumplings. A popular staple of pioneer cooks across the western United States. Super easy to make and tasty when served up in a rich warming broth. This is real down home comfort food!
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My grandmother used to make this with one whole fresh chicken to feed an enormous bunch of us. Double the recipe and use a large roasting pan over two stove top burners if you would like to make this with a whole chicken.
First I make the broth. I usually get tired of making leftover turkey meals for days after making a large bird so I've put whats left of the bird in the freezer for a while until I feel like I'm ready to make this and again dreaming of how lovely that holiday turkey really was.
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I bring the last of the bird out and thaw it in a large stock pot with about 12 cups of water. Just bring it to a simmer and add lots of big chunks of vegetables and a few spices that will add depth of flavor to the broth. I let this simmer for 2-4 hours, the longer the better really.
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You don't have to chop the veggies much at all and leaving the skins on is fine, yes even the onion. After simmering all day I'll pull out all of these vegetables and spices, discard them, and add fresh ones for serving in the stew.
While the broth is simmering away making the house smell amazing, I quickly mix up the noodle dough in my stand mixer, roll it out and cut up the noodles with a pizza cutter.
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After they dry for a few hours while the stock is finishing, they puff up just slightly. When it's time to finish the stew, I will add these to the stock and they will swell significantly becoming big fluffy comforting noodle dumplings.
The stock is rich and much is absorbed into the cozy dumpling noodles infusing them with so much flavor. Simple down home cooking that the whole family will love.
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Cheers!
~Melisa
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Worcestershire Butter Roast Beef
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Jamaican Beef Stew
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Zucchini Pea Soup
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Lemon-Garlic Roasted Half Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
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Black pepper Zucchini Beef
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Turkey Noodles
Ingredients
For the Stock
Leftover turkey bones with meat from at least 1/2 a turkey
12 cups water
1 large onion chopped into large pieces
3 carrots cut into large pieces
8 ribs of celery cut into large pieces
2 dried bay leaves
5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2 star anise (optional)
8 small green cardamom pods (optional)
2 tablespoons peppercorns
2 tablespoons kosher salt
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For the Noodles
3 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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To finish the Stew
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2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
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Method
Add the leftover turkey pieces to a large stock pot. Cover the turkey pieces with water, about 12 cups and bring to a simmer. Add lots of fresh chopped vegetables and the dried spices to the pot and continue to simmer 2 to 4 hours to create the turkey stock.
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Meanwhile, make the noodle dough. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the milk and egg, and mix until it forms a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Or add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer and mix on low using a dough hook until the dough pulls together then continue mixing on low to knead for 3 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Roll the dough out on a floured counter top to about 1/8 on an inch. Cut the noodles up using a pizza cutter into strips about 1/2 inch by 1 1/4 inch. Scatter the noodles in the flour and leave on the counter to dry until it's time to finish them in the stew.
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Strain the solids from the broth and allow them to cool until you can handle the turkey to remove the meat and add it back into the stock pot with the turkey stock and the diced finishing vegetables. Discard the bones and used vegetables. Bring the stock and the turkey to a rolling boil before adding the dumpling noodles to the pot.
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When the stock is boiling, add the dumpling noodles and stir regularly to keep them separate as they begin to cook in the stock. When the noodles begin to float, test one for doneness. They should no longer be doughy or floury in the middle and they will have nearly doubled in size.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste then add the chopped fresh parsley and serve.
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*store leftover dumplings and stock separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator and reheat together in the microwave for best results.
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