Just in time for Thanksgiving! Here’s Sarah Pearsall’s delicious recipe for Turkey Stock. Sarah’s foodie Facebook site, “The Florida Foodie” offers links food-themed blogs and restaurant reviews from the South Florida food scene.

What you’ll need: Turkey wings, celery, carrots, yellow onions, garlic (peeled & whole), peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, and chicken stock in carton

What you’ll do:

1.) Roast turkey wings in oven at 400 degrees till deep brown and some bones become exposed. Maybe an hour or more? Don’t sweat this step too much, as you just want the deep golden brown skin, the pan drippings and the bones to start to be exposed. The bones are what we really want for the collagen in them = awesome stock!
2.) Add half of the veggies (carrot, celery, onion) to the turkey wings about 30 minutes after you put them in. Roasted veggies help to add depth to the stock later.
3.) When the turkey wings and veggies are shriveled, brown and yummy, take them out of the oven and put them into a large stock pot.
4.) De-glaze the roasting pan with some store-bought chicken stock, scrapping all the little brown bits stuck on the pan. Pan should be hot when you do this for maximum release. Get every last bit! This is gold for stock making, even if it looks kind of gross.
5.) Put this liquid in the stock pot with veggies and turkey wings.
6.) Add other half of fresh veggies to the pot along with the garlic and peppercorns.
7.) Tie a bunch of the herbs up with kitchen string and put in pot.
8.) Add water till it covers the contents of the pot.
9.) Bring stock to a low-simmer – barely a bubble rising to the top. I know this seems really slow, but this is what you want!
10.) Simmer like this for 8-10 hours till stock is golden, deep brown and reduced by at least 1/3. All meat should be off bones of wings. Don’t rush it! If it looks pale, keep going!
11.) Turn off stock and let cool for a bit.
12.) Strain out large pieces and discard.
13.) I do a 2-step straining process after this: 1.) I strain through a mesh strainer (one of those metal fine strainers) and then, 2.) I use cheese cloth to make sure I have a pure liquid. All contents get tossed out – we just want the liquid!
14.) I then de-fat the stock using a de-fatter you can buy at any kitchen supply place – it looks like a measuring cup with a low spout – fat rises to the top and you pour the liquid out the bottom!
15.) Pour refined liquid into freezable containers. Chill in fridge, then freeze for up to 6 months.

Sarah Pearsall, a South Florida native, is an adjunct instructor at Florida International University and Palm Beach State College where she teaches Writing & Rhetoric and Creative Writing. She also is the owner and cake artist of Cakes by Sarah, located in Lake Worth, FL. When they are not out having adventures and exploring South Florida, her two young sons, Hayden and Merrick, love to help Sarah taste-test new recipes.

Remember: You can visit Sarah’s foodie Facebook site, “The Florida Foodie” for food-themed blogs and restaurant reviews from the South Florida food scene.