Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Turkey Bones . . .

In December 2023, TILife’s copy editor, Elspeth Naismith, presented "Call for Recipes!" The article showed a tea towel that hangs proudly in her kitchen and provides the ingredients for a "Traditional 1000 Islands Shore Dinner," written by the late Les Cook, renowned Canadian fishing guide. Elspeth suggested that our River communities have many farmers, restaurants, store keepers, and yes, both year round and summer residents who have favourite recipes that all have special River meanings.

Elspeth wrote: . . .

"Thousand Islands Life" is asking our readers to share their favourite River recipe with us. Tell us about the recipe, why it’s special, and why it reminds you of the River. Is it something that you only make at a specific time of the year? Is it a dish that you only make when you’re on the River?"

And this month Elspeth provides her own kitchen hack . . . making something out of those Thanksgiving bones!

Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Turkey Bones . . .

Canadian Thanksgiving is over and done, but American Thanksgiving hovers on the horizon. If you did or will roast a turkey for the event, what happened to or will happen to the carcass?

Turkey stock, of course! So if you stashed that carcass in your freezer, read on. If you’re not sure what you might do with a future turkey carcass, also read on!

It was inevitable around our home. If there was turkey being roasted, the final act of the day, after dinner was over, the dishes and pots washed and put away, was the carcass being pulled apart, stuffed into a large (or multiple) zip lock bags, then put in the freezer for ‘future reference.’ That usually meant the next rainy day, when staying inside to cook sounded like a better plan than getting wet! The bones will keep in the freezer for several months.

You’ll need a large stock pot – mine is 16 quarts, which is probably overkill – or two smaller ones, depending on the volume of bones you have.

There are two approaches for making the stock; make the stock with bones as they are, or else roast the bones first. Roasting is optional, but will result in a clearer, richer flavoured stock.

If you roast the bones, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover a large rimmed sheet pan with foil (makes transfer to the pot and clean up easier) and spread out the bones on it.

Next, add to the pan, interspersed with the bones:

1 large onion, cut into quarters (if the skin is fairly clean, don’t peel it – the skin adds sweetness)
1 large carrot, cut into 2 inch lengths (again, don’t peel it, just scrub it well)
2 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch lengths

Roast the whole works for about 30 minutes. Check periodically, to make sure that the bones aren’t starting to char.

While the bones roast, add about 6 quarts of water to the stock pot and bring to a simmer. Once the bones and veggies have roasted, add them to the simmering water in the stock pot. The water should cover the bones, but add more water if needed and bring to a simmer.

Then add:

1 – 2 bay leaves
1 generous teaspoon of whole pepper corns
a few fresh sprigs of summer savoury or thyme (optional, but adds a lovely flavour)

Simmer the stock for 2 – 3 hours. Don’t let it boil. Boiling will result in a fatty, greasy stock.

After simmering:

Remove the pot from the heat, let cool a little, then strain out and discard all the solids. Let the stock cool completely before chilling. It will form a fat layer on top, which you remove before using the stock, or before transferring it to containers to freeze. [I put 2 – 3 cups into quart or medium zip lock bags, then freeze flat. Make sure that you label it with the date and amount!]

"But what if I don’t want to roast the bones?

No problem! Just add the water to the stock pot, bring it to a simmer, then toss everything into the pot. The bones, the onion, the carrot, the celery, the bay leaves, peppercorns, and fresh herbs, then follow the instructions as written.

And what to do with all this lovely stock?

You can use the stock as the base for just about any soup. Once the stock has been skimmed and defatted, you can bring it to a boil. If you have left-over turkey meat, use the stock to make turkey and rice soup. Or, if you have lots of fresh veggies languishing in your fridge, make a vegetable or minestrone soup. The only limit is your imagination!"

By Elspeth Naismith

Elspeth Naismith grew up in Gananoque, graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton (B.Sc (Bio)), and then from Centennial College as an RN. She also joined the Naval Reserve (thanks to a high school chum), and after spending time on both east and west coasts, she took a break from nursing and accepted a 3-year posting to National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. The "break" turned into 25 years, and included jaunts to East Germany, Wales and the Irish Sea, and Bosnia. She retired from the Navy in 2011 and moved back to Gananoque in 2013. Today Elspeth not only leaves her mark on all TI Life articles, as she is the "Real Editor," "Comma Queen," and "overall lifesaver," but she is also an official recipe tester for America's Test Kitchen.

Illustration by Marie-Anne Erki

Marie-Anne Erki is a Kingston artist and emeritus professor of civil engineering at the Royal Military College. Marie-Anne initially considered a career in architecture, but her love of mathematics led her to become a structural engineer. She says, "At a time before computer assisted drawing (CAD), both disciplines required a huge amount of freehand and mechanical drawing. After a quarter of a century of great fun as a structural engineer, I decided to pursue painting full time." We at TI Life are fortunate that Marie-Anne has agreed to be our Official Illustrator and you will find her work in many of our articles. You can also see her works at marieanneerkipaintings.blogspot.com/