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Turkey Leftovers (Round One)
Thanksgiving is an enjoyable meal, but, in many ways, it’s more about the company than the food. I love what can be created from Thanksgiving leftovers. A 28-pound turkey for 9 people was no mistake. I was planning for leftovers.
On Friday, we had repeat Thanksgiving for lunch and dinner, that is, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, and, for me, pink jello mold. Now, it’s time to move on to creative use of leftovers.
The day before Thanksgiving, I always make a pot of turkey stock from any turkey parts in the freezer. Usually, I use the stock for the gravy and the stuffing, to maximize the turkeyness. Any leftover stock can be used to make turkey soup. As I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post, we ended up with a tremendous amount of liquid in the roasting pan. It was enough for the gravy and the stuffing, with more left over. That leaves 6 quarts of day-before turkey stock in the refrigerator!
First order of business is a LARGE pot of turkey barley soup. This soup couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is cut things up and cook them in the pot. It’s quite flexible. Depending on what’s on hand, I’ve made it with different vegetables than these. I’ve also done this with orzo or other tiny pasta instead of barley. Here’s today’s version. (Normally, I make 2/3 of this recipe, but I was trying to make a dent in the stock.)
Turkey Barley Soup
3 cups sliced leeks (about 2 leeks)
2 cups sliced celery (about 4 stalks)
2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 carrots)
3 quarts (12 cups) turkey stock
1 tsp dried thyme
1½ cups pearl barley
2 cups diced cooked turkey
Combine vegetables, stock, and barley in a soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Barley should be tender. Add turkey, stir, and heat until turkey is warmed up. Serve.
Variations:
- Parsnips, sliced like the carrots, or quartered mushrooms are nice additions.
- Substitute 1 cup dried orzo for the barley. Don’t add at the beginning, but after about 45 minutes. Cook until tender. Then add the turkey.
Another thing I like to make with Thanksgiving leftovers is turkey pot pie. My recipe has evolved over many, many years of leftovers. This is where any leftover vegetables usually end up. The gravy too, though I often need to make more gravy to have enough. My pot pies have a lot more vegetables than meat because that’s my preference. You could adjust according to your own tastes.
We had a nice assortment left from the veggies that Laury brought to Thanksgiving dinner: red and yellow beets, turnips, pearl onions, and carrots. I also had some leftover roasted squash in the fridge. I steamed some carrots and parsnips to round it out. This works with any combination of seasonal vegetables that you like. Here’s today’s version of turkey pot pie:
Turkey Pot Pie
(Serves 6-8)
1 Tbsp butter (I have to admit I used rendered turkey fat from the roasted bird)
1 or 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
6-7 cups of cooked vegetables (all the vegetables should be cut into bite-sized pieces, about ½ inch)
2 cups diced cooked turkey
2 cups turkey gravy (see below)
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, or whatever you have)
Pot Pie Topping (see below)
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large pot, melt the butter, and sauté the leeks until tender (about 5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients, and stir gently to combine well.
Pour filling into a 3-quart baking pan, and smooth the top.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pot pie topping to the size of your baking pan. Place the topping over the filling. It doesn’t have to cover exactly.
Bake for 30 minutes, until filling is bubbling and the topping is lightly brown.
Turkey Gravy
¼ cup turkey drippings or fat (if you don’t have that, use vegetable oil)
¼ cup Wondra flour
2 cups turkey stock
In a medium saucepan, whisk the flour into the hot fat. Whisk until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually whisk in turkey stock. Continue to whisk until the gravy thickens, about 5 more minutes.
Pot Pie Topping
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp (½ stick) butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup milk
In the food processor, combine the dry ingredients. Add butter, and process until the butter is cut in. The mixture will resemble corn meal or coarse sand. Add the milk, and pulse until the dough comes together.
On a floured surface, gently knead the dough a few times before rolling it out.
Recovering from Autumn Yard Cleanup
Fall in New England means the beautiful foliage in warm autumn colors – shades of yellow, orange, red, brown. It’s an annual treat. Inevitably, those lovely leaves fall to the ground. And, we have to rake them up.
Sunday was the perfect day for the task at hand. It was Indian summer. The sun was shining, and the air was warm. We filled 21 bags with leaves. It was exhausting. As a reward, we went to the town center for pizza slices and beer at Upper Crust. We felt recharged.
I continue to look for inspiration for meals that use ingredients that we already at home. I’ve making good progress through this month’s vegetables (more coming next Saturday) and the meat in the freezer. I found a winner with the recipe for Chicken Bouillabaisse in the latest issue (November/December 2009) of Cook’s Illustrated. Wow! It was a hit. It was even better as leftovers today.
I used a package of chicken from Chestnut Farms, fennel, potatoes, and parsley from Shared Harvest CSA, and leeks from our own garden. All that I had to pick up at the store was an orange and a baguette. And, I got to use my favorite piece of cookware: a large cobalt blue cast-iron Dutch oven from Le Creuset (a gift from my sister Jane).
Chicken Bouillabaisse
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated (Nov/Dec 2009)
- 2-1/2 lbs chicken thighs & legs (or any kind of parts you want), seasoned with salt & pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed, and sliced thin
- 1 small fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, cored, and sliced thin
- ¼ tsp saffron threads
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced (I used my microplane)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 3-inch strip orange zest
- ¼ cup Pernod (anise liqueur)
- ¾ lb potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- ¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
Preheat the oven to 375. Using a large oven-proof pot, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook without moving until well- browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Add leek and fennel to the fat in the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften and turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add saffron, cayenne, flour, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, wine, broth, orange peel, Pernod, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Nestle chicken pieces into simmering liquid with skin above the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Move pot to the oven. Bake, uncovered, until meat temperature is 160F, about 20 minutes.
Remove pot from the oven and set oven to broil Once heated, return the pot to the oven and broil until chicken skin is crisp, and meat temperatures is 175F, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Rouille & Toasts
- 3 Tbsp water
- ¼ tsp saffron threads
- 1 baguette
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Yolk from a large egg
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced (again with the microplane)
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup olive oil (plus extra for toasts)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Rouille:
Use a microwave-safe bowl big enough to hold about 2 cups. Microwave water and saffron on high power until water is steaming, 20 seconds. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut a 3-inch piece off the baguette. Remove and discard the crust. Tear the bread into 1-inch chunks. Stir bread chunks and lemon juice into saffron-infused water, and let it soak for about 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture until a uniform paste forms. Whisk in mustard, egg yolk, cayenne, and garlic until smooth. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in canola oil in a steady stream until smooth. Then slowly whisk in ½ cup of olive oil in a steady stream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Toasts:
Slice remaining baguette into ¾-inch slices. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush toasts with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
To serve:
Remove chicken pieces from the pot. Stir parsley into the vegetable mixture in the pot. Ladle vegetable mixture and broth into shallow serving bowls. Top with a piece of chicken. Place a few dollops of rouille in each bowl. Spread each toast with a teaspoon of rouille, and float two toasts in each bowl,
A Plateful of Happiness 