Turkey Broth
This year, we are not in charge of making the Thanksgiving turkey. We do want to contribute a gravy, so we buy turkey giblets separately to make a stock the night before Thanksgiving. This method would work well for other turkey innards and wing tips, or even for chicken another time of the year. Whether called a broth or stock (made from bones), this flavorful liquid can be used as the basis of a sauce or soup. Originally served as part of Turkey Before Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 1.3 pounds turkey gizzards giblets (rinsed and patted dry)
- ½ tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium onion (rinsed and halved)
- 1 stalk leaves on celery (cleaned)
- from 2 cleaned carrots carrot peels
- from 2 cleaned parsnips parsnip peels
- 4 cups water
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (cleaned)
- 1 sprig fresh, Italian leaf parsley (cleaned)
- 1 sprig fresh sage (cleaned)
Instructions
We start by heating the oil in a medium pot, one that is wide enough to fit the gizzards in one layer. We add the gizzards and brown, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. This browning step will provide a roasted flavor and a deeper color to the broth.
When the turkey innards are nicely browned, we add the vegetables, water, and herbs and bring it to a boil (we could have of course substituted homemade or canned chicken broth for the water for an even stronger poultry flavor). We lower the heat, and cook for 1 hour, skimming the "scum" with our skimmer as it appears on the surface.
We strain the turkey broth into a large bowl, adding the gizzards to the bowl for additional flavor as the liquid cools. The turkey broth is refrigerated overnight.