Thanksgiving...now what to do with all that Turkey?

If you're like most households you make this great turkey on Thanksgiving day, everyone stuffs themselves then seems to pass out on the couch.  Did you know that its not really from the tryptophan? Yes turkey does contain a small amount of tryptophan (which really works best on an empty stomach) but really it's the eating of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that makes a nap irresistible!  The average dinner is about 3000 calories and just shy of 250g of fat!!  All those lip smacking carbs and heavy foods kick our body into overdrive just to digest all of that.  Not to mention if you have a glass of wine...you might as well eat in your pjs with a pillow.

Anyway back to the couch or recliner...you wake up from your siesta seeing the kitchen chaos so you begin to clean and then either send leftovers home with your guests or spend the next week racking your brain for what else you can use this turkey in. 

Well I do a few things with my left overs: Ham and cheese melts, omelets, Thanksgiving quesadillas, turkey club sandwiches, and so on.  But one of our favorite recipes is chicken noodle soup (you can sub in turkey instead)!  Especially with the temps dropping its just so comforting.

In a large stock pot, add water, leeks, carrot, ginger, peppercorns, and chicken.

This was already cooked...tried to get the hubs to take pics but he just likes to cook.

Cover and let this cook.  Now start the noodles.  Yes I make my own noodles for soup.  You just can't beat it!  You know those thick al dente noodles you ate at your grandmas or the local diner? Oh man those are the best.  For those of you who really just think its too intimidating (at least promise me you'll try it once) I recommend Reames noodles, located in the freezer section of your local grocery.  There as close as you can get in my opinion.

So combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt, and butter.  Knead for about 10 min then let rest for 10.  I am immensely blessed to  have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer so I use this with the dough hook.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick.  Up to this point my hubby did everything (Thanks babe!) so now he wanted me to do this bit.

Cut into desired shapes, hubby requested long noodles even though I tried to sway him to squares.  I just use my pizza cutter since I don't have a fancy pasta cutter.    So just cut long lines.  I'm not picky about if they are all the same width or straight.

Now make perpendicular cuts at the desired length.

Look at all the pretty noodles!

Yum!

Once the chicken is totally cooked, strain the broth and let the chicken cool.   Return the broth to the pot and peel and chop carrots and ginger and chop some celery then toss into the pot with a few chicken bouillon cubes.

Hubby took over again so this is the only pic until I add the noodles!

Bring all the above to a boil.  Make a cornstarch slurry while you wait.  When the boiling begins add the noodles!  Let it boil a bit before you add the slurry as the flour on the noodles will also thicken.  Add as much or as little of the slurry as you like to thicken accordingly.

 Shred the chicken then add to your soup and the soup is ready.

After not all that much work, here is what you get:

 

Um I strongly advise using a sieve or a cheese cloth for the peppercorns...or you'll have a bit more work in store.

And what's better than chicken noodles with mashed potatoes...ok maybe mac and cheese, but I'm still searching for a good homemade recipe!

Here's the recipe.  I'm working on figuring out how to get it to print here...sorry :)  ANy tips would be greatly appreciated!

Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Broth:

• 1 leek, sliced in half and thoroughly washed
• 1 carrot, chopped in half
• 3-inch chunk fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 chicken breasts on the bone, with skin removed
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
• 3/4 c peeled and sliced carrots
• 1 c sliced celery
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water 

Noodles:

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup milk (more or less as needed)
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Pour 10 cups water into a big stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the leek, carrot, hunk of ginger, and peppercorns.
2. Skin the chicken breasts, remove any excess fat, and add to the pot. Allow the broth to come to a boil, and then turn it down and let simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. While the broth is cooking start the noodles. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
4. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
5. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes. Set aside.
6. Once the noodles are done and the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken and allow to cool. Strain the stock and discard the leeks, carrots, ginger, and peppercorns.
7. Add the strained broth, bouillon, chopped ginger, sliced carrot and celery to the pot.
8. Keep the soup at a simmer while you remove the chicken from the bone and shred finely using a fork.
9. Turn up the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the noodles. The more flour on the pasta from rolling it out, the thicker your soup will be.
10. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the cornstarch with the water until smooth. Add half to the soup while stirring. Allow to boil until thickened to the desired consistency. Add the shredded chicken and serve.

Until we eat again!