Turkey Legs Noodle Soup with Fennel

What could be better than a steaming hot bowl of America’s No. 1 comfort food — soup? So why not put those turkey legs from the tom turkey you harvested this past fall to use with this tasty recipe from the field-to-table book, “Hunting for Food?”

Servings: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr & 45 mins

Ingredients

2 wild turkey legs and thighs

7 cups of water

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

¼ of a medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon of white pepper

½ teaspoon of coriander

¼ teaspoon of Hungarian paprika

1 generous pinch of dried thyme

2 teaspoons of fresh parsley, chopped

2 cups of egg noodles, uncooked

3 to 5 fronds of fennel

Directions

1. Place turkey legs and thighs in a large pot with seven cups of water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes, covered. Take out the legs and thighs and shred the meat with forks, reserving the bones. Set the meat aside and return the bones to the broth and simmer for an additional 45 minutes, covered.

2. Remove the bones and discard. Add chopped carrots, onion, celery and shredded turkey meat into the broth, followed by white pepper, coriander, salt, paprika, parsley and a pinch of thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Then increase the heat and add egg noodles. Cook until tender, following the package directions and stirring occasionally. During the last five minutes of cooking add the fennel fronds and simmer. Then remove and discard the fronds. Make sure the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasonings then serve soup with crusty bread or crackers.

For more wild game recipes, check out “Hunting for Food,” co-authored by Jenny Nguyen and Rick Wheatley at www.ShopDeerHunting.com.