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HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS 'Amazing' Soup Turkey carcass is a perfect vehicle for making stock Comment By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 3, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 3, 2014 at 12:01 AM --> If you go What: “Soups,” a demonstration cooking class with chef Constance Jesser When: 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 Where: Jacksonville Mercantile, 120 E. California St., ... » Read more X If you go What: “Soups,” a demonstration cooking class with chef Constance Jesser When: 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 Where: Jacksonville Mercantile, 120 E. California St., Jacksonville Cost: $35 To register: Call 541-899-1047 For more information: See www.jacksonvillemercantile.com » Social News Turkey was not the leftover Thanksgiving dish to inspire one of Constance Jesser’s favorite soup recipes. Just a sprinkle of breadcrumbs tops the chef’s signature dressing of chestnuts, pearl onions and chanterelle mushrooms. The side dish’s simple but distinctive combination of ingredients, she realized, is “the basis for a really good soup.”    “It was amazing.” Now a post-holiday tradition in its own right, the soup is among several that Jesser plans to share in a Sunday class at her specialty-foods store, Jacksonville Mercantile. It comes right on time for cooks making stock from the Thanksgiving bird and planning lighter meals between weeks of feasting. “You’ve got this perfect carcass, you might as well us it,” says Jesser.  Put the turkey carcass — bones, skin and all — in the largest stockpot available, she says. Toss in a couple of halved onions, carrots, celery stalks, bay leaves, garlic cloves and a few sprigs of thyme. Let it simmer for two hours, then strain through a fine sieve. Surprisingly light in flavor, turkey stock is suited to a variety of soups, including basic butternut squash, says Jesser. Her latest variation on the ubiquitous squash soup, which she also plans to demonstrate Sunday, is taken from Thai cuisine.  “I got really bored with butternut squash soup,” says Jesser.  But because the dish is perennially popular, Jesser readies a new recipe whenever soup is on the Mercantile’s class schedule. Sunday’s soup features Thai red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce. Jesser skips coconut milk, which is “almost overwhelming,” a move that minimizes the soup’s fat and calories without skimping on flavor, says Jesser. “OK, here’s another winner,” she says. “It’s more healthy.” Perfecting the flavors in a favorite lentil soup, the third in Sunday’s lineup, required much more trial and error, says Jesser. Lavishing praise on the lentils served in a Chicago Lebanese restaurant, Jesser convinced the owners to divulge their secret ingredient: grains of paradise. The spice, a seed harvested from an African plant related to ginger, is just one of many obscure but inimitable seasonings available at the Mercantile. Imparting peppery notes with hints of citrus, grains of paradise complement any legume, says Jesser. Also in the Mercantile’s inventory, duck demiglace can be reconstituted into broth for the ideal lentil-simmering liquid, says Jesser. She starts the soup with guanciale, or cured pork cheek, also stocked at the Mercantile, but says diced, slab bacon is a fine substitute. Lentils du Puy, or French lentils, don’t fall apart when cooked like other types. “They actually hold their shape,” says Jesser, explaining that she purees half of the cooked lentil mixture and adds it back to the soup pot.          Try these recipes for squash and lentil soups, courtesy of Tribune News Service. Find Jesser’s recipe for Chestnut, Wild Mushroom and Onion Soup in the Mail Tribune’s Recipe Box, a free, online database of more than 3,700 recipes.    Simplify the soup’s preparation by purchasing cooked, peeled, vacuum-sealed chestnuts from specialty retailers, such as the Mercantile. While in season this time of year, fresh chestnuts require no small amount of time and effort to excise from their papery shells.   Butternut Squash Soup 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 2 onions, peeled and chopped 4 fresh sage leaves, slivered 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 pound prepared) 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 4 cups chicken broth In a soup pot set over medium heat, heat the oil and butter. Add the onion, sage, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until onion starts to color, for about 15 minutes. Stir in the squash and beans. Pour in the broth. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until squash turns tender, for about 20 minutes. Scoop out 1 cup soup (squash, beans and all); set aside. Remove and discard bay leaf. Use an immersion or standard blender to puree soup remaining in pot until smooth. Return reserved 1 cup chunky soup to smooth soup (providing a little texture). Reheat over low. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.   Squash Maple Bisque 6 pounds winter squash (weighed whole) 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2/3 cup flour 3 cups milk 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or half-and-half 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or nutmeg Pinch of cayenne pepper White pepper, to taste Salt, to taste 1/2 to 3/4 cup maple syrup (depending on desired sweetness) Toasted pecans or pepitas (pumpkin seeds), for garnish (optional) Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a roasting pan that has 1-inch sides with some cooking spray. Halve the squash and remove seeds. Place squash, flesh side down, on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until squash can be pierced easily with a fork. This usually takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of squash. Remove and cool. Scoop out squash flesh. In a large stockpot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, for about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over onion-butter mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk, broth, cream or half-and-half, spices, salt, maple syrup and prepared squash. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 20 to 30 minutes. Puree soup using either a food processor (you will need to do this in batches) or right in pot with an immersion blender. Blend until smooth. Taste soup and adjust seasonings as needed. Garnish soup with the toasted pecans or pepitas, if desired. Makes 10 to 12 servings.   Papa Bear’s Own Lentil Soup 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or 2 large tomatoes, seeded and quartered 1 pound dried lentils, washed and picked over 2 medium onions, peeled and diced 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil Salt, to taste In a large pot, bring the stock and 1 quart water to a full boil. Add the remaining ingredients all at once. Return to a full boil and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Recipe from “Beat This Cookbook,” by Ann Hodgman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011). Reach freelance writer Sarah Lemon at [email protected]. By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 3, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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