Diego Argoti's Thanksgiving-Leftovers Ramen
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Every Thanksgiving, former Poltergeist chef Diego Argoti serves free bowls of noodle soup to anyone in need of a warm meal on the holiday. While the menu occasionally rotates, it always involves a Thanksgiving-inspired bowl of ramen. Here, Argoti shares his modified recipe for home cooking, making use of not only your leftover turkey carcass but also any surplus sides. Much like Argoti’s kitchen ethos year-round, nothing is taboo: Go ahead and put mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce in your ramen bowl, it only adds to the flavor.
The majority of these ingredients can be found in most big-box grocery stores, including packages of smoked whole turkey legs (often sitting in the meat section) and any remaining turkey necks and giblets (which often arrive with your whole Thanksgiving turkey). For items such as makrut lime leaves or fresh, packaged ramen noodles, specialty Asian markets like LAX-C, 99 Ranch and Silom Supermarket nearly always keep these stocked.
Cut and break the turkey carcass into smaller pieces, leaving the skin on. Separate and reserve any larger pieces of leftover turkey meat for serving.
Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat, adding half the oil. Add chicken wings and any leftover turkey necks, giblets and hearts to the pan and sear until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove and add to a large empty stock pot.
Add the turkey carcass to the skillet, largest pieces first. Sear until it receives a light char, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the pieces and add to the stock pot.
Quarter the sweet potato, leaving skin on. Halve the onions, then slice them into 1/4-inch pieces. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and clean thoroughly, then roughly chop.
Add the remainder of the oil to the skillet, then add the sweet potato, onions, leeks and garlic and cook until barely translucent, about 13 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add them to the stock pot.
Turn the skillet’s heat to low, then add 4 cups of water to it. Add the instant turkey gravy mix to the skillet and whisk until smooth, then remove from heat.
Add the gravy to the stock pot along with 10 cups of water and the whole smoked turkey leg. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, about 15 minutes, then turn heat to medium-low.
Let simmer uncovered for roughly 2 hours, then, using a wooden spoon, agitate the meat until it falls from the bone. Let simmer uncovered another hour.
After 3 hours of simmering, add the aromatics of lime leaf, rosemary and Thai basil, plus allspice, cinnamon and clove. Stir to combine, and let simmer for 1 hour more.
At 4 hours of simmering, remove the stock pot from heat. Strain the broth over another large pot and, using a ladle or a wooden spoon, press the solids of the stock against the sieve or colander to release all of their liquids. To the strained broth, add salt to taste.
Prepare ramen noodles to their directions on the package. Add each portion to a bowl, then ladle stock over the top. Garnish with fresh herbs, leftover turkey meat and your choice of heated Thanksgiving leftovers: stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and mac and cheese all work well. To serve, use dinner rolls as chopsticks holders.
