I baked a turkey yesterday. In one sense, it’s kind of silly to bake a turkey, even a relatively small 12 pounder, for two people. On the other hand, that turkey will be providing the basis for a multitude of meals. Starting with stock.

This morning, I boned the leftover turkey. I left the white meat on the breast bone to be used for other things, but tossed the legs, wings and the bones from the thighs into a deep soup pot. I added washed, but unpeeled, carrots, parsnips, celery and a quartered onion and covered everything with cold water. I seasoned the mixture with some salt, pepper and dill and set it on the stove to come to a boil. After it had reached a boil, I lowered the temperature to keep it to a simmer for the next two to three hours.

Later this morning, I’ll let things cool down a bit, and then pour everything through a strainer to separate the turkey bones and vegetables from the broth. End result will be about two quarts of liquid gold that will be a great base for soups and braises.

If you think about it, it’s really a bonus to get great stock from bones that would otherwise end up in the garbage. As for the leftover white meat, I’m thinking about Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya or a simple cacciatore with onions, mushrooms and peppers. And there’s always chicken salad.

Nothing will go to waste.