Thursday, November 17, 2011

Of Cabbages and Kings - Turkey, Leftovers and Julia Child's Senegalaise Soup





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbage and kings....." Even the Jabberwocky would be impressed by the amount of ground we are about to cover. So, relax, grab your favorite beverage and once you're comfortable, we'll start talking turkey, or lack thereof.

Many of you were surprised to learn that my holiday dinner plans did not include a turkey. Rest assured, there is nothing subversive or elitist in that decision. As it happens, there will be no children at the table this year, so I felt no compunction to prepare a ritual meal. I've made a lot of turkeys in my day. When my children were small, we had turkey at least once a month. Back then, turkeys weren't brined or salted, so roasting a bird was a simple undertaking. It was also a marvelously inexpensive way to feed a family. Some of you may be old enough to remember when supermarkets actually gave turkeys away during the holiday. Even in off-season, it was not unusual to find birds that cost 19 to 29 cents a pound. A lot of us ate a lot of turkey back in the day, and I suspect it lost its "special" status because of that. Those of you who worry about such things will be happy to know we had turkey for our dinner last night. While a just roasted bird may not be our favorite meal, the dishes made from its leavings number among those at the top of the list. This soup is one of them.

The soup, called Veloute De Volaille a La Senegalaise, is Julia Child's version of curried turkey soup. It is made from carcass stock, good curry powder and leftover vegetables. The finished soup is worthy of company and I guarantee it will impress your guests. As a matter of fact, I'll be serving it as a first course on Saturday night as a prelude to the star of the evening, a gorgeous beef filet . The soup is a two step process that I hope you'll try. I use a mild curry powder to make this. If you prefer to use one with more heat, proceed with caution. The soup can be made well ahead of time, though you'll want to film it with a light coat of cream to prevent a skin from forming. You can also freeze it.



Before moving onto the recipe, I wanted to let you know about a cookbook that has been written by a fellow blogger, Stephen Crout. Stephen's blog is called The Obsessive Chef and his new book, A Cook's Book for Cooks, can be purchased here. Stephen is a talented writer and while his book is more a dialogue on food than a standard recipe book, I think you'll find it both interesting and provocative.






Julia Child's Curried Turkey Soup - Veloute De Volaille a la Senegalaise...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Julia Child

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely minced onions
1-3 tablespoons curry powder
4-8 tablespoons flour (dependent on amount of mashed potatoes, if used)
5-6 cups poultry stock (see below)
Optional: leftover vegetables
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 cup diced cooked turkey meat
4 tablespoons minced parsley or chives

Directions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in curry powder and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes without browning. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Vigorously beat in poultry stock with a wire whisk. If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, they should be added at this time. Return soup to heat and whisk in cream, one tablespoon at a time, until soup is of desired thickness. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in turkey, herbs and up to 1 cup diced leftover vegetables, if using. Bring to a simmer just before serving. If soup is not to be served immediately or will be served cold, film surface with stock or cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill if to be served cold. Yield: 6 servings.


Julia Child's Poultry Stock


Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass
2 to 3 pounds turkey necks, hearts and gizzards
2 tablespoons salt
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 leeks, roughly chopped
2 peeled onions stuck with 2 cloves
1 large herb bouquet: 8 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme or sage

Directions:

Chop up carcass and place in a large kettle with necks and other poultry parts. Cover by 2 inches of water. Add salt and bring to a simmer. Skim surface to remove scum for about 5 minutes, or until it almost ceases to rise. Add vegetables and herb bouquet and simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours, skimming fat and scum as required. Add water if required to keep ingredients covered. Strain liquid into a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool uncovered, then chill. When chilled, scrape off surface fat. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Stock can be frozen.

28 comments :

Anonymous said...

Nothing wrong for not having turkey for Xmas.Other choices are endless;)Because its middle of teh summer here we have picnic on a beach with BBQ..lot of fish wine salads and laughs;)

Prema said...

wow yummy combo and the soup is really delicious...

Alessandra said...

I'll go and have a look inside the book :-).

Ciao
Alessandra

Diane said...

Mmmmm can I join you on Saturday :) Diane

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I just made turkey yesterday (And I did brine it) just so I could have the leftovers. And today I'm making the stock. This is the best part of making a turkey. The soup sounds heavenly and I'll probably end up buying the book. I have a weakness.

Unknown said...

I bet no one will know this soup is made from leftovers! It sounds wonderful!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

very nice looking bird!

Sue/the view from great island said...

such a fun concept...fiddling with the traditions of Thanksgiving in such a delicious way. But it could only be done in the absence of children, so I guess it's one of the perks of maturity!

That Girl said...

We usually do turkey soup after Thanksgiving!

Clint said...

Looks Mahvelous.

But I have to have turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I just love knowing there is plenty of turkey meat waiting in the fridge, just sitting patiently there for me to open the door and make sandwich after sandwich. I like my turkey sandwich with mayo and iceberg lettuce on rye. Now, there's a blog idea...

Linda Starr said...

That soup is oh so elegant in that black bowl.

Unknown said...

I know people freaked out when I told them we weren't going to do a turkey this year either! It's just Chris and I this year... they don't even make a turkey small enough for just the two of us :) I might have to keep this soup in mind though.. it sounds absolutely delicious!!

Tanna said...

Mary, half the fun of having turkey on Thanksgiving for me is making soup from the carcass over the weekend following. I am excited to have this version.

And, the roasted apple and bacon salad sounds delcious. We had lots of bacon drippings/ vinegar type dressings when I was growing up. Not sure why, but I've hardly ever made any myself. This one might be a good trip down memory lane. Thank you. Have a wonderful day. blessings ~ tanna

Big Dude said...

We’ve been on the road without wi-fi access since Monday morning, so I’m behind in my blog reading. If it were up to me, turkey wouldn't me on the menu either (but dressing and mashed potatoes would), but Bev is a traditionalist. I really like the salad below and fried sweet potatoes are a favorite of mine. Hard to go wrong with a nice brined and roasted pork loin.

What's Baking?? said...

I enjoy reading your blog. Always with an interesting write-up. Turkey in my part of the world is expensive, so we only have it once a year ie. christmas time. thanks for sharing your recipe as it will come handy next month:)

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

While I never suspected you to be subversive, I do appreciate the explanation, as I did wonder at the time. I think the very best thing about Thanksgiving is that, by its very nature, it is a holiday where you can choose whatever dish makes you happy and thankful.

Priya Suresh said...

SOup looks simply irresistible..

Stéphanie said...

So so good !

Eileen said...

The soup sounds wonderful. Glad to have her stock recipe handy, too. :)

Bossy Chef said...

How funny "The time has come..." was in the title of my blog this week but I didn't have any fun food puns to go with it. I always love your comments come see me at the new site. Have a Blessed Day. (darn I don't think it links to my new site.... forgive the address in the comment... www.bossychef.com formerly Coulis and Compote. That soup looks fantastic by the way.

Cheryl said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment on my Christmas blog! I do appreciate it.

I'm gonna have to come back here when I can spend a little more time.

Take care.
Cheryl

Unknown said...

Mary,

Thanks for your kind comments on my blog :)

I love your Thanksgiving feast!


www.atasteofkoko.com

Ellen Whyte said...

For us it's duck or goose that's traditional (Dutch). Turkey is ok but I still prefer chicken as it's more tender. Turkey soup though.... sounds good!

Cindy@NorthofWiarton said...

Hello Mary, I so appreciated that you happened upon us "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard". Thank you for you most wonderful kind words before you took your leave. I, in turn, enjoyed going through some of your beautiful collections of recipes. Such a beautiful talent you have. I look forward to you dropping in to see me again. Blessings to you as well. Cindy

Joanne said...

Your thanksgiving sounds like it's going to be ridiculously awesome! I wish my family would go for non-traditional!

Nicole said...

I eat turkey maybe once a year around this time, but there's no law saying it's a holiday necessity, right? I've never tasted any kind of turkey soup before, but now I want to go out and buy the bird for the sole purpose of making some. It looks so flavorful and inviting, which is just what I need as winter rolls in...

Kim said...

This soup really looks good! I love Julia Child recipes!

Claudia said...

Sometimes I look forward more the Sunday after Thanksgiving soup than the turkey. I do remember free turkeys, cheap turkeys and we do indeed have it more than once a year. My husband insists on the same dinner - every year - with the same recipes. It - gets old - but don't tell him - because I love him.

And the curried soup now has a place in my home.

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