Lentil Soup with Homemade Turkey Stock - Amazingly Delicious Soup

Thanksgiving: THE best time to make the turkey stock.
That roasted turkey carcass, will make an extraordinary rich delicious poultry broth.
Chop up that carcass or pull it apart so that it fits into your biggest pot. Cover it with water, enough so it’s covered by an inch or so of water. Bring it to a simmer. Skim off anything that rises to the top that you wouldn’t want to eat if you saw it floating in a bowl of soup. Cook for about two hours then add a couple carrots and a couple big onions, cut up, celery, parsely, thyme, garlic, bay, peppercorns, these are good to add as well, and continue cooking for another hour. Strain through a colander. Then, strain it through a kitchen cloth, cheese cloth if you have it, or any kind of cloth. Now it’s ready to use. Great to try a consomme with. Make a risotto. Any soup or souce. And it freezes great.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups homemade turkey stock
• 1 cup smoked turkey, diced
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed well and drained
• 1/2 cup split peas, picked over and rinsed
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, smoked turkey and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.



Stir in the homemade turkey stock, the lentils, split peas, potatoes, paprika, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the thyme.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Serve immediately.