Mom's Turkey leftover remedy: Grießklößchen soup

Every year, once Thanksgiving has passed, there's still one thing to be looked forward to in my family, and that thing is Grießklößchen (grease-kloos-hen) suppe. My mom boils down the turkey bones into soup broth and then adds these wonderful little german potato dumplings. Unfortunately, if her sister hasn't shipped some over from the old country, these little gems are pretty hard to find. If there's a german grocer or international foods market near you, you may be able to find a mix for them, otherwise you're up the creek. But never fear, folks. There is an easy substitute. Head down to the kosher section of your local bodega and pick up some matzo ball mix and you're ready to go! Read on for how to make this delicious Thanksgiving hangover after the jump!

Mom's Grießklößchen/Matzo Ball Soup
The Broth:
The leftover turkey carcass (I know it's a gross word...but that delicious rich flavor is leached out of the bones)
The Turkey neck
3-4 stalks or celery, cut into large pieces and preferably with leaves
2-3 carrots also cut into large pieces
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
a handful of parsley
a splash of vinegar
water
Put all of the above ingredients into a large stock pot and simmer for around 12 hours. I've taken to making broth in the crock pot and just turning it on high. This way I can cook it through the night without having to monitor it. The splash of vinegar will help to extract the flavor from the marrow. The neck, if you've saved it and it's still raw, will really give it some great richness. Once everything has simmered, strain the broth. I usually put it through a large colander first and then put that aside--you'll need it for the next step. Then I put the broth through a strainer to get all the little stuff out. Let the meat, bones, etc. cool in the colander for a bit. Then comb through it (probably the least appealing part of the process) and pick off all the meat. Put aside the meat in a separate bowl and discard everything else.
The Soup:
3-4 carrots, diced
3-4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
at least 1 onion, diced
at least 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
the meat you've preserved from the broth
your favorite seasoning (I recommend Chef Paul's Poultry Magic)
You'll notice a lot of the ingredients and their quantities are a bit vague. You can't really go wrong with this, folks. If you like things more garlicky, add more garlic, and so on. Cut it all up and dump it in a pot with the broth. Add seasoning to taste and a little salt and pepper. While you are bringing this to a boil, make the matzos. Usually the package you buy will have a recipe on the back. In case it doesn't...
The Matzos:
1 package matzo mix
1 egg
water salt
Add everything together, just enough water until moistened. Put the mix covered in the fridge for 15 mins at least. Then form them into little balls around 1/4" in diameter (they will expand!) and drop them one by one into the boiling soup. Cover and cook for 20 minutes and BOOM! delicious leftover soup. Enjoy!-hil