Now that the holiday season is over, many friends are still asking about the leftovers. They had turkey for Thanksgiving and for Christmas, and they are fed up with the usual way to deal with all the leftover turkey they have. They are right. How many turkey sandwiches can you eat in a relatively short period of time? If you had turkey on both occasions, it is perfectly understandable that by the next day after Christmas, you don't even want to hear the word "turkey". The first rule of handling leftover turkey is to go at it as soon as your guests leave: slice the large pieces, clean the carcass and wrap it in aluminum foil to use it to make stock the next day, decide how much turkey you'll keep refrigerated for sandwiches, salads or soup the next couple of days, and wrap the rest in foil and freeze in a Ziploc bag to use later. One friend said that she had turkey sandwiches for three consecutive days after Thanksgiving, then she had to give away the remaining leftovers because she can't eat anymore and she refuses to keep cooked meat in her fridge for more than three days. We were having lunch at work, everybody had brought his own, so I asked her, while digging into my turkey salad bowl:"Why didn't you make a salad?" "Oh, she said, I didn't think of that!". So you see, turkey leftovers are not only good for sandwiches, you can do a lot with them. I know, you can go from a very simple sandwich, just two slices of bread and some mustard, to an elaborate double or triple deck club sandwich, but it's always going to be a sandwich nevertheless. There are a lot of options out there for things to do with cooked turkey. We can start with a simple yet delicious curried turkey salad. It's exactly like the chicken salad I made and posted during summer (July and August), but using turkey instead of chicken. You can make a chef salad, with slices of turkey, cold cuts, cheese and hard boiled eggs on a bed of lettuce with a couple of green pepper slices and tomato wedges. Hey, you can even combine both ideas and make a turkey salad sandwich if you want, with a side of pickles.
Another option is to go for soup: you can make a potato-carrot- celery and wild rice creamy soup with bits of turkey (Posted in a previous blog with chicken), or a simple
VEGETABLE TURKEY SOUP
You don't actually need a recipe for this soup. Just cut the turkey meat in small cubes, heat some stock, add small pasta, orzo or crushed angel hair pasta, wait until it's almost al dente, then add some frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans and corn) and the turkey pieces. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for a couple of minutes. The ratio veggies/turkey/pasta actually depends on your preference and how much turkey you have at hand. I usually make 2 cups each turkey and veggies to 1 and 1/2 pasta. I also like to add some fresh items: a couple of potatoes and some celery. In this case add them just after the pasta. They might need a longer cooking time that the frozen veggies and the turkey.
TIP: You can make stock by boiling the carcass with the wings. Add some celery salt, onion powder, ground cardamom, salt and pepper.
TIP: You can make stock by boiling the carcass with the wings. Add some celery salt, onion powder, ground cardamom, salt and pepper.
PASTA, TURKEY AND VEGETABLES IN A SKILLET
You must have guessed that this was another obvious option. All you need to do is boil two and a half cups of rotini or penne pasta in salted water. While you wait for it to come close to al dente, chop a cup of each: carrots and asparagus the size of the pasta. Also chop about 2 cups cooked turkey in strips the same size. Dissolve 2 tbsp of flour into 1 cup of milk. In a large non stick skillet cook the asparagus in a drop of olive oil for 2 minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt while cooking. Add the turkey and toss to reheat through. Add the chopped carrots to the pasta just before it is done so that they can finish cooking together. Add the milk to the asparagus, and keep stirring to form a white sauce.Add some grated parmigiano to it, then add the pasta and carrots. If you think the sauce is too thick add some pasta water to get the right consistency. Sprinkle with some more grated cheese and serve.
TURKEY TATER TOTS
My grandma used to make these for dinner in cold winter nights. I used to love them a lot, especially when she made them with ground meat. They were these delicious melt in your mouth meatballs that she made for us with love to keep us warm while doing our homework. I still remember when I used to sit beside her in the kitchen and she would give me the first ones to taste. I was discussing leftovers with my friend, Batta, and she told me that she usually makes turkey meatballs with 2 tbsp of bechamel sauce and a mix of onion and garlic. I was going to follow her recipe, then I remembered the tater tots. I thought that was a better idea, especially if you also have some leftover mashed potatoes. As usual I added some fresh elements to have a completely new dish. You can tweak the recipe according to the ingredients you have. You'll need:
2 cups cooked turkey, white and dark meat
2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture
2 tbsp each celery and carrots pulverized in a food processor
1 tsp each parsley and dill very finely chopped
3 tbsp mashed potatoes
2 tsp bread crumbs
Oil for frying
In a food processor liquefy the onion and garlic. I used 1/2 a medium onion and 3 garlic cloves for this recipe and the sauce below. Remove to a small bowl, then pulverize half a large carrot, then a heart of one celery head. Use what you'll need for the tater tots and leave the rest for the sauce. Give the turkey pieces a pulse or two to finely chop them. Transfer all the ingredients to a large bowl, add the mashed potatoes, the parsley, dill and the bread crumbs. Mix to combine, adjust the seasoning if you need, then form balls by pressing a small amount in the palm of your hand to get an elongated ball. Fry in oil until browned. Serve with a salad.
TIP: If you don't have any mashed potatoes left, you can use the dried product that comes ready to make. Just add the liquid and some salt and pepper, no butter.
My grandma used to make these for dinner in cold winter nights. I used to love them a lot, especially when she made them with ground meat. They were these delicious melt in your mouth meatballs that she made for us with love to keep us warm while doing our homework. I still remember when I used to sit beside her in the kitchen and she would give me the first ones to taste. I was discussing leftovers with my friend, Batta, and she told me that she usually makes turkey meatballs with 2 tbsp of bechamel sauce and a mix of onion and garlic. I was going to follow her recipe, then I remembered the tater tots. I thought that was a better idea, especially if you also have some leftover mashed potatoes. As usual I added some fresh elements to have a completely new dish. You can tweak the recipe according to the ingredients you have. You'll need:
2 cups cooked turkey, white and dark meat
2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture
2 tbsp each celery and carrots pulverized in a food processor
1 tsp each parsley and dill very finely chopped
3 tbsp mashed potatoes
2 tsp bread crumbs
Oil for frying
In a food processor liquefy the onion and garlic. I used 1/2 a medium onion and 3 garlic cloves for this recipe and the sauce below. Remove to a small bowl, then pulverize half a large carrot, then a heart of one celery head. Use what you'll need for the tater tots and leave the rest for the sauce. Give the turkey pieces a pulse or two to finely chop them. Transfer all the ingredients to a large bowl, add the mashed potatoes, the parsley, dill and the bread crumbs. Mix to combine, adjust the seasoning if you need, then form balls by pressing a small amount in the palm of your hand to get an elongated ball. Fry in oil until browned. Serve with a salad.
TIP: If you don't have any mashed potatoes left, you can use the dried product that comes ready to make. Just add the liquid and some salt and pepper, no butter.
TURKEY BOLOGNESE
Still have more turkey? No problem. We'll make a nice Bolognese sauce to top any pasta and get a delicious easy dinner. The main idea is to cook some onion, garlic, carrots and celery, add the meat and tomato sauce. Depending on the quantity of turkey you have left, you can determine the quantity of veggies. I had about 1 and 1/2 cup of turkey cooked and ground, so I added: 3 tbsp onion/garlic mixture, and 1 cup each carrots and celery. I actually made the sauce the same day I made the tots, so I processed all the veggies at the same time.
In a large non stick skillet, cook the onion/garlic in a tsp of oil, then add the celery and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and when the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes, add the ground turkey and stir for 2 minutes more. Add 1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes and 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste. Add water to half of both cans and add it to the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then keep stirring on low until the sauce thickens. Serve over pasta.
In a large non stick skillet, cook the onion/garlic in a tsp of oil, then add the celery and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and when the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes, add the ground turkey and stir for 2 minutes more. Add 1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes and 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste. Add water to half of both cans and add it to the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then keep stirring on low until the sauce thickens. Serve over pasta.
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