Turkey Gumbo
Makes about 24 cup-size servings or 12 bowl-size servings
Turkey Stock
1 turkey carcass, separated into 3 or 4 pieces
1 whole carrot, unpeeled
1 medium onion, unpeeled
2 ribs celery, broken in half
3 quarts low sodium chicken stock
Gumbo
1 tablespoon bacon fat or olive oil
3 pounds Andouille sausage, divided
3 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch dice
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoon dried
1 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
4-6 cups leftover turkey, diced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cups cooked rice
Garnish
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
Louisiana hot sauce
To make the stock, place the turkey carcass and vegetables in a large stock pot, pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 hours. Strain and throw away the carcass and vegetables. Save the stock for the gumbo. You can do this step a day ahead.
To make the gumbo, heat oil over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Have about a ½ pound of the Andouille finely diced and the rest cut into ¼-inch thick rounds. Add the diced Andouille to pot and stir for 5 minutes until nicely browned. Add the onions and celery and continue to stir for 5 minutes. The roux will darken. Finally, stir in the garlic and bell pepper, jalapeno and herbs and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the reserved turkey and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the okra and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the parsley, green onions and sliced Andouille and cook for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and hot sauce.
To serve, place about ¼ cup cooked rice in a bowl or mug. Ladle over the gumbo and let guest add green onions and hot sauce to taste.
