Cockatrice Soup

Cockatrices“A fool will buy a sack of feathers for his pillow, but a wise man… he’ll buy the whole stinking cockatrice and get his fill of meat into the bargain.”

—Jules, FFXII

Shot a cockatrice? Save the leftover bones and meat for this healthy soup.

  • 1 meaty cockatrice frame (you can substitute turkey)
  • 1 large onion, quartered (leave the skin on for color)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion or 2 small onions, peeled and diced (about 1½ cups)
  • 3 large carrots or 6 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped (about 1½ cups)
  • 8-12 garlic cloves (1 bulb), peeled and halved
  • 1 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, crushed
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 lb. cooked turkey, chopped
  • 12 oz. broccoli florets (about 8 cups)
  • 12 oz. cauliflower florets (about 4 cups)
  • 8 oz. whole-wheat rotelle pasta (about 3 cups)

Place the cockatrice frame in a large pot. Fill with water to cover. Add quartered onion. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Let cool for 1 hour.

Put a colander on top of a large pot. Drape with cheesecloth. Strain the bones and stock into the colander. Discard bones. Cover the stock and refrigerate overnight.

Skim the fat from the broth. Bring to a simmer over low heat.

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, covered. Stir frequently and reduce heat if the onions are browning too quickly.

Add carrots and continue to cook, uncovered, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and spices and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour in 16 cups turkey stock. Freeze any leftover stock for later use.

Stir in cooked turkey, broccoli, and cauliflower. Add thyme sprigs and bring to a boil.

Stir in pasta and continue to boil, uncovered, about 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.

Makes about 14 heaping 1-cup servings. Per serving: 162 calories, 4.1 g. fat, 0.8 g. saturated fat, 0.7 g. poly. fat, 1.7 g. mono. fat, 24.2 mg. cholesterol, 99 mg. sodium, 307.9 mg. potassium, 18.4 g. carbohydrates, 2.8 g. fiber, 13.4 g. protein, vitamin A 20%, vitamin C 54%, calcium 4%, iron 9%