PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Hopefully you had a wonderful Thanksgiving — and now you’ve got a fridge full of leftovers! If you’re wondering what to do with all that turkey we called in the pros to kick your leftovers up a notch.

Ryan Eckersly is the Chef De Cuisine at Quaintrelle makes a spicy soup as a way to use your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Leftover Turkey Spicy Coconut Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp canola oil 
  • 4 large onion sliced thin 
  • 6 cloves garlic chopped 
  • 1 large bulb fennel 
  • 2 large bunches chard 
  • 4 bay leaves 
  • 2 stems celery chopped 
  • 4 jalapeños sliced. Add more or add spicier chilies if you want some heat! 
  • a nice chunk of peeled and sliced ginger 
  • 2 sprigs of lemongrass, beaten but left whole for easy removal 
  • 4 makrut lime leaves -between half and a whole pound of whatever mushrooms you like or what the farmers market has. Make it as mushroomy or not as you like. 
  • 1 tbsp red miso -1 large cubed sweet potato 
  • 1 tbsp store bought sambal chili paste
  • Cilantro stems in soup/keep leaves for garnish 
  • Equal parts coconut soup to turkey stock, depending on how many people you are feeding. About 32oz of each is good for this recipe, but you could make more. 
  • fish sauce to taste -lime juice to taste 
  • 1 bunch basil picked 
  • 1 bunch mint picked Garnish with fresh cilantro, basil and mint, super thinly sliced fennel, fresh jalapeno, a wedge of lime, chili crunch

Directions

  1. Pick Turkey meat and reserve in bowl. If there are wings and legs left, keep separate to simply reheat near the end. In a large pot sweat 2 onions, celery, bay. Add carcass and cover with water. Bring to almost a boil and then let gently roll for a few hours. 
  2. Strain out stock and continue to reduce, skimming as it simmers, until you have 4-6 cups of rich turkey stock. 
  3. Add Oil to pot and start onions, 1.5 bulbs of fennel, chard, mushrooms, garlic, makrut lime leaves, ginger. Slowly cook until most of the vegetables liquid has evaporated. Lightly caramelise, its an added layer of depth. Add lemongrass, miso, and sambal, mix until evenly distributed, then add stock and coconut. 
  4. Tie the cilantro stems with a piece of butchers twine and toss into mix. Add cubes of sweet potato, turkey and fresh jalapenos. Bring to a roll and let simmer until the sweet potatoes are cooked and soft and the turkey has a braised texture, around an hour. 
  5. When almost done carefully place any wings or legs on top to steam through, but still stay on the bone. Pull out lemongrass and cilantro stems. Add Fish sauced lime juice to taste. For a batch this big would be ready to use at least a cup of each…maybe more! We aren’t using salt, so the fish sauce is really important in reaching a balanced dish, along with a dish with good acidity from the lime. Add in small amounts when close…you can’t un-salt! 
  6. Dish into bowls and top with garnishes. As with all dishes, make changes where you like and add whatever veggies you find at the market. If you want more heat adding fresh chilies in the garish mix is great too. Have fun!!