The Holiday Table : At Last: Turkey Soup That Tastes Like Turkey

Along with millions of Americans, I stuff and roast three to four turkeys every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. But as much as I like turkey, I have always been mystified by the fact that many people like soup made from the leftover carcass of the roasted bird. Over the years I’ve tried a number of recipes given me by turkey-soup enthusiasts, and I always end up with the same dull bowl of hot, murky liquid.

Yesterday, I tried another version. I put the broken-up carcass into a soup pot, covered it with cold water and added aromatic vegetables and herbs. After two hours of simmering, I had a soup with the usual “blahs.” But this time I tried to salvage my mistake by adding some leftover turkey stuffing and gravy.

It worked--after a little more stirring and simmering, I had a soup filled with rich, hearty turkey flavor. At last. It was a triumph.

TURKEY-STUFFING SOUP 1 roasted turkey carcass, broken into pieces 2 1/2 quarts cold water 3 carrots, thickly sliced 3 celery stalks with leaves, sliced 1 onion, chopped 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled 2 1/2 cups leftover turkey stuffing 2 cups turkey gravy Salt

Combine turkey carcass, water, carrots, celery, onion, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, stuffing, gravy and salt in soup pot. Place over medium heat and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Stir and break up all clumps of stuffing. Simmer, covered, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove carcass, saving any meat that can be stripped, and add up to 1 1/2 cups of water if necessary to replace evaporation. Adjust salt to taste. Let simmer 10 more minutes. Serve hot. Makes about 10 cups, or 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 367 calories; 412 mg sodium; 94 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 35 grams protein; 0.67 grams fiber.

RED AND GREEN COLESLAW 1 cup dried cranberries 2 cups red cabbage, finely sliced 2 cups green cabbage, finely sliced 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion Dressing

Combine cranberries, red and green cabbage and red onion in large bowl. Toss with Dressing. Cover and chill about 3 hours before serving. Stir and drain off all liquid before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 173 calories; 8 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.69 gram fiber.

Dressing 1/3 cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup oil 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon celery seeds

Combine vinegar, oil, sugar and celery seeds and mix well to combine. Makes about 1 cup.

To complete the simple supper of Turkey-Stuffing Soup and Red and Green Coleslaw, make Pumpkin Cookies frosted with Caramel Butter Glaze .

PUMPKIN COOKIES 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup light-brown sugar, packed 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup cooked pureed pumpkin 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1 cup raisins Caramel Butter Glaze

Cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until light. Beat in pumpkin until well blended.

Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add to pumpkin mixture and beat until dough is completely mixed. Stir in nuts and raisins.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees about 7 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned around edges. Brush hot cookies with Caramel Butter Glaze (or use teaspoon to drizzle over). Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Makes about 50 cookies.

Each serving contains about: 100 calories; 29 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.21 gram fiber.

Caramel Butter Glaze 6 tablespoons butter, softened 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup cold water, about

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling pan by handle, until butter is lightly browned. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and enough water to make runny glaze. Stir until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.