Turkey Soup With a Side of Wings

A summer cold has found me. And this means one thing, it's soup making time. As odd as it sounds, I loved the days when my mom made soup especially late in a summer day. Walking into the kitchen, my bare feet hitting the cool linoleum floor while the apartment was sweltering from the hot stove. Asking if it's done yet, lol. I actually made this last weekend because I wanted to try making grilled turkey wings and it came out great! So with this recipe you get two for the price of one, a delicious soup and grilled turkey wings which I'm sure once you try, will become a favorite at your barbecue.

• 2 turkey wings, cut at the joints
• 3 celery stalks, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
• 3 carrots, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces and then cut in half again
• 6 scallions, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled and left whole
• 1 bay leaf
• large handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Vegeta or any all-purpose seasoning that you like

In a large Dutch oven, place your wings, bay leaf and cover with water, leaving about an inch and a half to the top of the lid. Separating the wings at the joints becomes easier with practice, usually I feel where the joints meet and wedge my knife, a sharp knife is key and carefully cut in between the joints, feeling as I go along. If you are apprehensive ask the butcher and I'm pretty sure they will do it for you with no problem. Cover and bring to a boil occasionally skimming the surface of the stock. Reduce the heat and cook for an hour. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Remove the turkey wings and set aside to grill. To your stock add the celery, carrots, scallions, garlic and Vegeta. Let this simmer for 20 minutes. Add your chopped parsley, stir and you are ready to enjoy your soup. If you want to skim the extra fat from your soup just let it come to room temperature and then put it in the fridge. The next morning you can see all of the fat come to the surface and remove it. On the side you can make any kind of starch to add to your soup, macaroni, rice or potatoes. Last weekend we added couscous. My mom would usually make macaroni the first night and the second night would make rice or potatoes. But this veggie filled broth is great on it's own.

 To make your grilled wings, brush them with your favorite barbecue sauce or  sprinkle with an all-purpose seasoning. Heat up your grill up to 400 degrees and place your wings on the grill and leave them on for a few minutes per each side so they get some nice grill marks on them. These are really fun and messy to eat so save it for a crowd that isn't afraid to get dirty, lol.