Turkey Day Leftovers

Turkey Day Leftovers
Anyone who loves the Thanksgiving meal knows that they will probably have plenty of leftovers and most likely will be sick of them before they run out. I was having lunch in the teacher’s lounge one of the days that I was subbing and we were talking turkey dinner. We salivated over the descriptions of sweet potato pie and dressings with everything imaginable in them. Of course green bean casserole came up and the consensus was that it is very over done, but traditional, so we can’t strike it from the menu. One teacher said “I just get so tired of turkey sandwiches.” I said, “Doesn’t anybody make turkey gumbo or turkey tetrazzini or how about a Pilgrim’s Pie?” I got blank faces, one face brightened and she said, “Some turkey gumbo sounds really good right now, can I have the recipe?” Ok, I’m going to give you some ideas here that could be very different. Your traditional Thanksgiving Day feast would be a disappointment without your much used recipes but the week after can still be memorable if those recipes are tweaked just a bit.

I started making turkey gumbo when we lived in New Orleans. It seemed I could never get all the meat off the bones and thought maybe if I cooked the bones a little it would help. WOW was that a revelation! The stock from the bones was so full of flavor I didn’t even think about the meat. I strained the stock and tossed the bones and grizzle and skin and never looked back. This really is a no brainer. Put the bones into the biggest pot you have. Break them up so they all fit. Wash an onion, skins and all cut it into quarters and throw it in. Add a whole bulb of garlic, just cut off the end that is the root, leave intact and toss that in. Three carrots scrubbed and cut into thirds, and the very outside stalks of celery that you usually toss, make sure these are clean then break them in half and add to the pot. A tablespoon of peppercorns and a bay leaf is all the seasoning you need. Don’t salt this. If you brine your turkey the stock will be plenty salty, if you don’t, it’s better to add the salt to the finished product. Fill the pot with water and simmer it for about three to five hours. Strain into a container that has been placed inside a dishpan with ice water so the stock cools fast, and throw everything but the stock away.
Gumbo is simple.

Turkey Gumbo
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup diced celery
2 carrots grated
Olive oil for sautéing
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
2 quarts turkey stock
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
(salt only if you need it after you taste it)

Hot cooked rice to serve the Gumbo over
Hot sauce (I like Louisiana brand) as needed
Sauté the onions, peppers and celery and carrots in olive oil until tender. Stir in the chopped turkey and the Cajun seasoning so all the vegetables are nicely seasoned then slowly add the stock. Bring this up to a boil and it’s ready to eat as soon as the rice is cooked. It won’t hurt it to simmer on the stove a while. If you’d like a Creole version of this just add a can of diced tomatoes with basil.

Turkey Tetrazzini is another one of those fast “what do I do with all this turkey?” kind of meals. We have enough turkey left over at my house I almost always have a nice tenderloin from the sided of the breast we didn’t eat. I wrap it well and put it way for next weeks turkey dish. If frozen for less than a month you still have a great fresh cooked turkey taste.

Turkey Tetrazzini
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
12 ounces cooked and drained fettuccini
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 bunch green onion sliced
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
Left over turkey gravy if you have it (about 2 cups but as little as 1 cup is ok, just add some chicken broth to stretch it)
½ cup heavy cream

Mix the gravy, cream, parsley and onion together in a saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and put the fettuccini into the dish. Scatter the turkey over the fettuccini and pour the gravy over all. Top with grated parmesan and bake in a 300 degree oven until it bubbles, about 40 minutes.

If you don’t have turkey gravy leftover, make a sauce by sautéing about a cup of trinity (equal parts onions, green pepper, and celery) or a French Mir pox (equal parts onions, carrots, and celery) in olive oil. Make a slurry (1/4 cup flour to 1 cup liquid) using chicken stock and pour this into the hot vegetables. This will thicken fast, add more chicken stock in small increments to make the consistency of gravy you like. Season this with your favorite seasoning or just salt and pepper to suit your family’s taste.

Turkey Salad Supreme
I use this recipe a lot when I’m catering a lunch for a friend. The cranberries make it extra special. I like to serve it on Sesame semolina bread. Panara’s has a great one.

2 – 3 cups cooked turkey
1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup mache torn
¾ cup dried cranberries
Seasoned salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper 2 or three grinds.

Put the turkey, cream cheese and cranberries into the food processor and pulse for 5 seconds each pulse lasts a second. Place into a large bowl and stir in the mache (watercress can replace the mache) and season to taste.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
I know everyone here in the Deep South seems to love sweet potatoes that are more dessert than side dish. Here is an extremely simple way to make this homey tuber and just watch the eyes roll with pleasure.

2 large sweet potatoes washed, peeled, and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 450°
Mix together the sugar and the pumpkin pie spice, set aside. In a large bowl, pour the oil over the potatoes and toss to coat all the potatoes. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat.

Using Peanut oil, coat a jellyroll pan well, you don’t want this to stick. Pour the potatoes into the prepared pan and shake the pan to distribute the potatoes in a single layer. Don’t scrunch them up, a little room makes them develop a nice crisp skin and soft succulent interior. Roast 30 to 40 minutes or until browned and a fork will pierce them easily.