Trying something new: Turkey and dumplings recipe

Turkey and dumplings is another of The Boy's favorite meals. I made it with leftover turkey while he was home for Thanksgiving. I'm a little late in writing about this recipe. But, I figure, some families have turkey for Christmas too, so it's still timely.

This is not a quickie dinner recipe. You can cut back on the cooking time by using pre-made chicken stock instead of the homemade. In my version, I make my own stock base from the leftovers and build the soup from there. I also tend to make my soup thin. If you like a thicker turkey and dumplings, you can thicken the soup before adding the dumplings by stirring 2 to 4 tablespoons of corn starch or flour into some of the broth. Then slowly pour it back into the simmering soup while stirring. Let it thicken. Add more if needed.

TURKEY AND DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENT

leftover turkey, can be bones and all, about 1/4 of a whole

turkey, can be cooked or raw

1 large carrot, quartered

1/2 medium onion, quartered

1 tomatoes, halved

1 apple, quartered and cored

8 cups water

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter, very cold

1 cup milk

1) Place first seven ingredients in a large stock pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for two hours. After the first hour, add salt and pepper to taste. It's better to under-salt the stock because it will become concentrated as it evaporates.

2) After two hours, remove from heat and cool thoroughly. Strain the liquid stock to be used as the base for the soup. Separate the edible turkey meat from the rest of the ingredients.

3) In another large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until slightly softened.

4) Pour in the reserved stock and turkey meat into a large pot. Cook until the carrots, celery, and onions are soft. (You can add other vegetables if you wish. Green beans, cabbage, or tomatoes would be good.)

5) Add in the peas and corn. Season the soup to taste.

6) While the peas and corn are heating, make the dumpling dough. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Cut the butter up into small cubes.

7) Using a pastry cutter, or two forks or knives, cut butter into flour until it is the size of small peas. (I use a fork and a knife, the crumble the bits using my fingers. If you use this method, just be careful to try to keep the butter as cold as possible.)

8) Stir with a fork while pouring the milk into the flour and butter mixture. You might not need to use all the milk, or you might need a little more. Stop adding milk when the dough is still thick but sticky. Do not over stir.

9) Reduce the heat on the soup until it is just simmering. Gently, gently place scoops of dumpling dough onto the soup. I have the most success with placing the dough on the vegetables. If the dough falls too hard into the liquid, or it is boiling, the dough can disintegrate into the soup.