OK, I don’t know about your household, but in this house my husband pays attention to what is in our freezer. Now I know that sounds strange, so allow me to elaborate.

We have a two-story house. The bottom level includes a two-car garage (including a second refrigerator/freezer combination), a work room, a storage room, a utility room (where the freezer lives), a big closet under the stairs, and a wine cellar. And most of the time, Mr. C. is the one who visits the basement on a regular basis. So, while he is downstairs doing “whatever”, I often ask him to bring up items from the freezer. And since we only have a stand-alone refrigerator in the kitchen, his visitations to our freezer is almost a daily occurrence. Therefore, Mr. C. knows what’s in our freezer much better than I. (We do have a stand-alone ice maker in our pantry adjacent to the kitchen, because, well, doing without a ready source for ice cubes would be inconceivable.)

So, yesterday morning, I mentioned that I had no idea what I was going to prepare for dinner. He hastily reminded me that there was one lone package of leftover turkey that probably should be used in the very near future. I had already been thinking of some kind of soup to serve for dinner, so I very sweetly asked him if he would retrieve the leftover turkey the next time he found a need to visit the basement. 

But I wasn’t quite in the mood for my regular standby Turkey Noodle Soup. (But I assure you, it is also a delicious way to use leftover turkey.) I was simply in the mood for something creamy. (When am I not in the mood for something creamy?) Anyway, I found this recipe (with a few adaptations by yours truly) on thefoodcharlatan.com site. And I must say, this is one of the best soups I have ever tasted. Absolutely delicious. And no, I am not going to wait to make this soup again until I have leftover turkey. I may actually buy a turkey breast next time I go to the grocery store just so that I have turkey meat available when I want to have this soup again for dinner. Like next week. It is just that good!

So, I hope you give this soup a try. It’s easy to prepare, includes every day ingredients, and is relatively inexpensive to produce. What more could you ask?

Peace and love and hot soup to all.

8 c. chicken broth, divided

½ c. wild rice*

pinch kosher salt

5 T. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

1 lg. onion, chopped

1½ c. chopped celery (including leaves)

2 c. shredded carrot

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. dried poultry seasoning

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2-4 c. chopped leftover cooked turkey (a mixture of dark and white meat if possible)

3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ c. heavy cream, half & half, or even whole milk

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh sage

½ tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

In a small, covered saucepan, bring 2 cups of the chicken stock to a boil. Stir in the wild rice and pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the shredded carrot and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Then add the seasoned salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, dried thyme, bay leaf, and remaining 6 cups of chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the shredded carrot is tender.

Add the turkey and cooked rice. Bring to a boil. While the soup comes to a boil, mush the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter together with the flour. Gradually stir the semi-Beurre manié** into the soup.

When the soup thickens a bit, add the heavy cream, lemon juice, parsley, sage, and rosemary. Bring back to a boil, remove from heat, taste, adjust seasoning, and discard the bay leaf.

Serve garnished with chopped parsley or herb(s) of choice.  

*Despite its name, wild rice is not rice at all. It is the seed of an aquatic grass like rice, but it is not directly related. Wild rice grows naturally in shallow freshwater marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes.  It is only referred to as “rice” because it looks and cooks like real rice. Wild Rice is rich in antioxidants and is considered a healthy option to white rice. The low calorie and high nutrient contents make wild rice a nutrient-dense food. It’s a very impressive source of minerals and a great plant-based protein source.  

**I call it semi-Beurre manié, because true Beurre manié is equal parts butter and flour. And for those who are unfamiliar with the term, Beurre manié (French “kneaded butter”) is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter, resulting in no nasty little flour lumps in your perfectly prepared soup or sauce. And as far as the butter part? Well, everything tastes better with a bit of butter.