Ever since I learned how to roast a whole turkey, it has been a favorite dish among my family and friends. Two secrets to making the turkey delectable and flavorful are to season it adequately with salt (you can exclude the pepper), and to massage it generously with butter before putting it in the oven.

Another secret is not to overcook the turkey. You must remove it from the oven just at the point of doneness—otherwise the turkey will come out dry.

Because it can take quite long to cook (about two-and-a-half hours for a six-kilo bird), you must make the most of it once you’ve succeeded in roasting a whole turkey. That means, after most of it has been eaten, make use of the leftover carcass as well.

One of my favorite ways to use leftover turkey is to make turkey noodle soup. It’s a rich, comforting soup that tastes even better than plain old chicken soup. Here’s the recipe, in case you happen to have some leftover turkey at home.

Turkey noodle soup

1 turkey carcass (bones with some meat attached)
12 c water for the turkey
carcass
8 c water for the noodles
250 g noodles (fettuccine, macaroni or spaghetti)
1-2 carrots, sliced
Leftover turkey meat
Salt and pepper, to taste

Make the broth: Put the turkey carcass into a large stockpot and pour in the 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes to extract flavor from the bones. Remove the carcass and strain the resulting broth into a large bowl. Pry off any remaining meat from the turkey carcass and set the meat aside.

Cook the noodles: Meanwhile, in a separate pot, bring the eight cups of water to a boil. Add the noodles and let simmer until half cooked, about five minutes.

Return the strained turkey broth to the stockpot and bring to a boil. When the broth starts to boil, transfer the half cooked noodles to the broth. Add the carrots and the meat from the carcass as well as any leftover turkey meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Let simmer for about five minutes or until the noodles are cooked al dente. Serve hot.