What's After The Lovin

What to do with those leftovers from that big Thanksgiving feast.

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

33

very Thanksgiving, Americans
have a love affair with turkey.
Nearly 50 million are consumed
on the last Thursday in November. That
translates into 50 million carcasses and
50 million leftovers.
The best meal to make with turkey
remains (bones and clinging meat) is
broth for soup. It's easy, too:
Break up the turkey remnants into a
large pot and just cover the bones with
water. Add 1 medium onion, cut in half
(onion skin and all), to the pot. Add
two carrots (cut them up or leave them
whole), a couple of celery stalks, a
handful of parsley and some salt. Bring
the mixture to a boil over high heat,
reduce heat, cover and cook for 2 hours.
Strain the mixture and you have a
good, clear turkey broth, perfect for
turning into your favorite soup (I like to
add cooked wild rice, turkey meat,
chopped parsley, frozen peas and white
beans to my soup and then add plenty
of ground black pepper).
If you find your broth is not quite fla-
vorful enough, add some chicken bouil-
lon or even a can or jar of your favorite
turkey gravy.
If you're the type that throws away
the bones, there's still the issue of what
to do with leftover meat. The large
slices go quick — Thanksgiving II, The
Sequel — or sandwiches for the second
day or night.
Then there are the leftover leftovers
— the pieces that are too small or not
everyone's favorite. These often hang
around for a few days before they're
tossed, along with the dried-up stuffing
and rock-hard mashed potatoes. And we
all feel guilty throwing it away.
This year, don't discard! Reinvent!
Turn that turkey into a sweet and
savory turkey salad. Or a pot pie or
Thai treat. You don't need much meat
to stretch surplus gobbler into meals
you actually want to eat. So after you've
loved your bird, learn to love it again ...
and again.

TURKEY CRANBERRY
PECAN SALAD
6 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1/2-
inch pieces
1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped pecans, salted or not,
lightly toasted
2 T dried parsley flakes
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 to 1 t. ground cayenne pepper
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Place turkey, celery, cashews and pars-
ley in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Set aside. Combine the cranberry sauce,
mayonnaise, lemon juice and cayenne
pepper in a small bowl and stir well
until uniform. Transfer this mixture to
the turkey and, using a large spatula or
spoon, stir together well. Add salt and
pepper to taste. Chill until ready to
serve. Makes 6 servings.

TURKEY POT ALMOND CRISP
Like a pot pie but with an easy crum-
bled topping.
Topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup oats, any kind
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Filling:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 chopped celery
6 cups cooked turkey meat, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken or turkey broth (canned
is fine)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup small diced carrots (fresh or
frozen)
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375F. Heat oil in a
large pot or Dutch oven, over medium-
high heat. Add the onions and celery
and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
While the vegetables are cooking,
combine the turkey with the flour and
toss well. Add the turkey to the skillet
and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Pour
in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce
heat slightly and cook the chicken until
the sauce becomes thickened, about 6
to 8 minutes. Stir in the peas and car-
rots and add salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the mixture among 6 oven-
proof bowls or a casserole dish. Sprinkle
the topping mixture over the pot pies

and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or
until the topping is golden and the mix-
ture is very bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

TURKEY HASH
Serve this with leftover cranberry sauce
for a great and easy breakfast or dinner.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cups 1/4-inch diced potato
1/2 cup flour
1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T. white vinegar
hot red pepper sauce (such as
Tabasco), to taste
6 cups 1/2-inch diced cooked turkey
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Heat oil in a large skillet cook over
medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell
pepper and potatoes. Cook, stirring fre-
quently, for 5 minutes. Add the flour,
and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 min-
utes more. Add the 1/2-cup of broth,
Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and hot
sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until
the mixture comes to a boil.
Stir in the turkey, and salt and pepper
to taste (add remaining broth if the
mixture appears too dry). Reduce heat
and cook the hash until the potatoes are
tender. Makes 6-8 servings.

MOROCCAN TURKEY WITH
RED LENTILS AND RAISINS
If you can't find red lentils, use brown.
Lentils:
4 cups water
1 cup rinsed and drained lentils
2T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Turkey:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 t. minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T. mild or medium chili powder
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg

6 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1/4 cup pinenuts, lightly toasted
Combine water and lentils over high
heat and bring to boil. Cover, reduce
heat to medium, and simmer until
lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain well; rinse with cold water and
drain again. Transfer the drained lentils
to a large bowl, add the 2 T olive oil,
lemon juice, parsley and salt and pepper
to taste. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medi-
um-high heat. Add the onions and gar-
lic and cook until softened, about 5
minutes, stirring frequently. Add the
vinegar, chili powder, cinnamon and
nutmeg and cook for 2 minutes more.
Add the turkey and cook stirring until
hot. Add the pinenuts and season to
taste with salt and pepper.
Arrange lentils on 6 plates. Spoon the
chicken over and serve. Makes 6 serv-
ings.

THAI TURKEY WITH CURRY
AND MANGO
Serve over white Jasmine, Basmati or
long grain rice.
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 t.Thai red curry paste
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch
long strips
6 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1/2-
inch pieces
1 T. palm sugar or brown sugar
1 T. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
1 mango, cut into small dice
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Combine coconut milk and curry
paste in a large saucepan and bring to a
boil. Add the onions, bell pepper and
turkey and cook for 1 minute. Add the
palm sugar and soy sauce and cook for
2 minutes more. Remove from heat,
season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir
in the tomatoes, mango and basil. Serve
immediately over rice with lime wedges
on the side. Makes 6 servings.

For more recipes, see
www.detroitjevvishnews.com

11/26

2004

59