Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

To my mind Turkey Soup after Turkey Day is one of the treasured bonuses of the celebration.

Most of the time the Turkey-Vegetable Soup I make is of the brothy variety.

But I'm not a fan of shredded poultry in my chicken or turkey salads, ditto with my chicken or turkey soups; so I usually always make the chunky kind.

No "mystery" shreds; I like to see and taste the chunks, and they fit on the fork or soup spoon much more neatly, too.

Yesterday (after an exhilarating trip to the coast), insteady of a brothy soup, a creamy noodle soup with plenty of vegetables seemed to be just the thing.

Many times when I'm cooking I don't use a recipe, that's what makes cooking a fun and creative outlet for me. I think many of us cooks do the same thing.

But it can be aggravating if you are one who must have a recipe to follow, so I apologize in advance. This is another one which I'll describe rather than give an exact recipe.

But it's okay! Just follow your instincts adjust to the thickness you're looking for, and taste and season until you're satisfied.

Use any vegetables you happen to like.

Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

A couple of notes to begin:

Noodles of your choice (cook them separately, or they tend to disintegrate otherwise)

Use any vegetables you happen to like, or have on hand.

My favs for this soup are onions, celery, carrots and (frozen)peas, added just before serving just to heat through, so they remain a bright green.

I like chunky chicken or turkey soups, not shredded so I cube the cooked meat.

In the soup pot heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil, add the chopped onions & stir occasionally until just translucent. Add the sliced carrots, stir for a minute or two then add the celery.

Add chicken stock or broth to the pot, (add as much in volume as soup you would like to make).

Add a sprig of thyme if you like.

Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until carrots are tender.

While vegetables are simmering make a thick white sauce in a separate pot. (Easy to find recipe for thick white sauce on-line.)

When veggies are tender, remove the thyme sprig & discard. Add one ladle-ful of the hot stock to the white sauce to loosen it up.

Then add the thinned white sauce to the pot of veggies and broth/stock. Stir or whisk until incorporated and smooth.

Note: If you like an even thicker soup (which I do in this case),make a Beurre Manié * and blend it in, a bit at a time allowing the soup to simmer and thicken until it is to your liking.

Lastly, gently stir in the turkey chunks and heat through; you can stir the cooked noodles in at this time*,

then stir in the frozen peas, they take no time to thaw and warm through.

I like to place the warm noodles in the bottom of warmed soup bowls, then ladle the soup over the top (I don't like overcooked noodles, for this kind of soup I store them separately, then reheat together for subsequent meals.)

A little extra effort, but improved texture, imo.

* Beurre Manié:

Literally; "hand butter"

In this magical French thickener equal amounts of butter and all-purpose flour are blended together to form a smooth paste, to be added to hot liquid, then simmered acting as a thickening agent.

Surprisingly, even though the flour is not cooked ahead of time, there is no raw flour taste when using this thickener.

I just mix it up as I need it (equal amount of soft butter and all- purpose flour, blended until smooth) no need to form into balls. Or you can make it in advance & shape it into convenient to use balls, to have on hand to thicken gravies, stews, soups and such.

Beurre Manié

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter

Method:

Blend butter and flour well; shape into 4 to 6 balls.

Refrigerate separately on small plate to allow to firm up; then place in covered jar and keep refrigerated until needed.

Recipe is easily multipled.

Taste and adjust seasonings; freshly ground black pepper is the friend of this soup. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs such as thyme or parsley if you like.