So Stocked

You can give thanks the day after Thanksgiving, too. Thanks for the gigantic 40-quart stock pot that Josiah uses for his beer making, because it was the only thing to fit our 20-pound turkey carcass, simmered into stock with a huge bundle of celery and leeks, onion and carrots.

The first thing I made was, of course, last week's off-the-cuff invention: American Leek Soup (riffed from French Onion, bien sur). Caramelized leeks with sherry sauteed into a heady turkey stock, then dashed with crisped-up but still verdant Brussels sprouts leaves before the coup de grace, a pumpernickel crouton smothered with blue cheese. I'm a genius, no?

And after that, I made a smashing Italian soup with my freezer full of meatballs, fresh spinach, caramelized grape tomato jam, jalapeno, basil and tubettini pasta covered in Asiago. Felt like home sweet home.