Turkey & Sausage Gumbo

I know I preach it all the time, but SAVE and FREEZE your turkey carcass. After last year's Thanksgiving meal, we removed the remaining turkey left on the bones and wrapped the carcass in a double layer of foil. Then, it went into a heavy duty freezer bag. When I was ready to make gumbo this past weekend, it went into the crock pot with vegetable trimmings (also saved in the freezer), a bay leaf and a tablespoon or so of whole pepper corns. I covered everything with water and set on high for about 5 hours. After straining all the solids, I was left with a rich, flavorful 4 quarts of turkey stock.

4 quarts turkey stock

3 - 4 cups cooked turkey, cut into cubes

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into slices

3 T. flour

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

2 medium green bell peppers, chopped 

3 ribs celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. chopped flat leaf parsley

1 - 2 T. Creole seasoning

a few drops your favorite hot sauce (optional)

cooked white rice

sliced green onions

  

Bring turkey stock and turkey to a simmer over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.

In a large skillet, cook sausage until well browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from skillet and add to the turkey stock.

Using the same skillet the sausage was cooked in, lower heat to medium, and add flour. Stir to combine with the sausage drippings and continue stirring for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Stirring constantly, let cook until vegetables begin to soften, 3 - 4 minutes.

Add vegetables to stock mixture and stir to combine.

Next, add parsley, Creole seasoning, and hot sauce, if using. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Let cook for a few hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. 

Ladle over cooked rice and top with sliced green onions.