Dinner Tonight

Following in the footsteps of LabRat and FarmMom, I thought I'd share my recipe for tonight's dinner.

Take the frozen bones from two roast chickens and the turkey I smoked on Sunday.  Place in a large turkey roaster with garlic, chives, rosemary, Old Bay Seasoning, chopped onion, red pepper flake, and Worcestershire sauce.  Fill the pan of the roaster with water until the bones are covered.  Turn the roaster to 375 degrees and leave to simmer all day while you go to work.

Upon returning home, breathe in the succulent smell of the broth that you've created.  About 1/3 of the water will have boiled off, but all of the collagen in the bones and connective tissue will have dissolved into the water, making a very rich broth.

After washing up, use a slotted spoon to remove as much of the meat and bones as you can from the broth, and then use a large collendar to strain out the juice into your largest stock pot. Let the broth settle, and then spoon off the top layer of grease.

At this point, you can stop and let the broth cool enough to pour into either several containers or ice cube trays and freeze for later use.  I went forward and made soup.

After letting the bones and meat cool for a moment, use a fork to remove the larger pieces of intact meat and put into the broth.  Make sure you wash your hands well first, and yes you will burn your fingers.  Try to fend off the felines who will suddenly be your best friend.

Add about a pound of frozen mixed vegetables and a handful of fresh or dried sliced mushrooms to the broth and bring to a boil.  Salt to taste.

Once the broth boils, add a few handfuls of your favorite pasta. I used the country style egg noodles from Sam's Club, but whatever you want to use will work.  The pasta will thicken the soup as it cooks.

Serve hot with warm whole wheat baguette, or whatever crusty bread floats your boat.

Makes enough to feed a small army.

Time to cook - 8 hours
My time to make dinner - less than an hour

Enjoy