Turkey Udon with Butternut Squash and Corn

Post-Thanksgiving: dealing with leftovers, and lots and lots of stock. With some of yesterday's ingredients and this morning's stock, I concocted this soup.

Turkey Udon with Butternut Squash and Corn

Serves 4

6 cups turkey stock
1 medium sized butternut squash, cubed
1 cup corn
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried lemongrass
3 bunches of udon, cooked to package directions
1 cup cooked turkey, shredded (I prefer dark meat, but white is also delicious)
Salt and white pepper to taste

Chopped green onions

4 eggs, optional

Bring 3 cups of turkey stock to a boil with an additional cup of water. Boil squash until fork-tender and remove with a slotted spoon. Add remaining turkey stock, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass, and simmer until fragrant (10-15 minutes). Add corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Divide the udon into four large, deep bowls and top with butternut squash and shredded turkey. Cover with boiling turkey soup and garnish with green onions and a hard boiled or poached egg, if desired.

My moody squash, posing.

Creamy Veggie and Shrimp Udon

I'm always looking for new things to do with udon. With a bit of cheese and milk, plus tomato and spinach and basil, add some shrimp and ginger, and you have east-meets-west udon. It may sound strange, but it's a great combination of flavors.

Creamy Veggie and Shrimp Udon

1 bundle udon

1 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (I like to freeze ginger, and then grate it on the fine part of a grater; no skin, no ginger hair)

3 shiitake mushrooms, chopped

½ cup spinach, chopped

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1 tablespoon dried basil (If I had fresh, I would have used two tablespoons chopped)

1 cup milk

¼ cup grated parmesan

5 raw shrimp, peeled, chopped

salt and black pepper to taste

Cook udon, drain and rinse.

Brown onion, garlic, and ginger in oil. Add spinach, tomato, shiitakes, basil, and a dash of salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the milk and parmesan bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, add shrimp and cook until pink. Add udon and cook until heated through. Serves one hungry person, but easily multiplied for the masses.