TURKEY CARCASS GUMBO

TURKEY CARCASS GUMBO image

Number Of Ingredients 22

Ingredients

Ingredients
1 leftover turkey carcass with about 6 Cups of meat on it
12 Cups mixed water and chicken broth
2 Cups leftover cornbread stuffing
3/4 Cup flour
3/4 Cup bacon fat or oil
2 Pounds frozen cut okra
1 Pound kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut into small pieces
1 very large onion
1 large bell pepper
3-4 stalks celery
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves or 1/8 teaspoon ground bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt if needed (sausage and stock may contain enough salt)
Gumbo file powder when serving
rice for serving
Serves / Yields
12-16

Steps:

Preparation Instructions Simmer Turkey carcass in water/stock about an hour -pick meat off bone. Strain the stock and put the stock and turkey in large stock pot. Discard picked carcass. Add the stuffing and mix it in. Make Roux from the flour and oil / bacon fat till it is pecan colored - stir often. Whisk into broth in stock pot. Saute the okra on med/hi stirring till its fairly dry (about 20 minutes); add to pot. Saute sausage in another pan on high till browned. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to sausage and wilt. Add sausage and veggies to pot. Stir in herbs and bring to a boil, the simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Stir often. Serve with about 1 teaspoon File Powder (added after cooking) over rice. Garnish each serving with green onion tops and parsley if desired. Helpful Hints Get all of your stuff ready ahead of time ( mis en place), chopping onions and stuff in food processor, put herbs on a paper plate, slice the sausage, etc. this will help the gumbo go quickly and eliminate missing an ingredient. Don't cook the gumbo file' powder in the gumbo it will make it slime This looks complex, but it isn't ---- its worth the effort, and can be done in stages, such as preparing everything, and cooking the next day. I like to use a few pans - one to fry the okra, the other for the roux, and one for onion mixture and sausage and the large pot for boiling the carcass and cooking the gumbo. This takes a little time preparing, but the rewards are great and it can be frozen in 2-3 cup portions. Also, don't eliminate the gumbo file' powder when serving if you want an authentic Louisiana gumbo flavor. You can, but it won't taste the same. Credit This recipe was provided by Helen Smith from Escondido.