There is a wonderful line in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in which the protagonist speaks to his friend and says, “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
There’s also a lot more going on with leftover turkey than you might imagine.
The most obvious is stick-to-the-ribs turkey soup. Then there’s turkey hash (made with browned potato cubes, chopped onion, celery, mushrooms with leftover gravy on leftover stuffing), which is popular in the Midwest and the South.
Barbara Baker of Canon City has her own take.
“By Friday evening, after turkey sandwiches and other turkey reruns, the family and I have had it with turkey, for the time being,” she says. “So my most favorite thing to do with turkey is freeze at least two 1-quart plastic bags filled with two cups of diced leftover meat with a little juice or gravy for later use when I can appreciate turkey once again. I find that freezing prepared turkey with a little moisture helps maintain its flavor and texture.”
Baker, semiretired director of sales and marketing for Arvada-based Grandma’s Noodles, uses turkey in stroganoff, tetrazzini and a green-chile noodle bake.
Myriad variations on the turkey sandwich abound: Dress it up with avocado, bacon and lettuce. Or walk the straight and narrow with Jennifer Arthur’s combo of sliced turkey, leftover pickles from the relish tray and lots of mayonnaise. Arthur is office manager at a Denver law firm.
“You can’t get thick slices of turkey in the deli like you can when you have a whole turkey,” she says.
For Edmond Louie Bache, a chef in the prepared foods section of the Cherry Creek Whole Foods Market, it’s bread pudding – between two slices of bread.
“You take the bread slices, put some mayonnaise on both of them, then a slice of bread pudding, turkey, cranberry sauce and another layer of turkey,” he says. “My mother is from El Salvador, and my father is from France, so we can come up with some pretty unusual ideas for what to do with food.”
For registered nurse Catherine Benavides-Clayton, turkey is the foundation for laying on green chile.
“If there is any leftover turkey, we have turkey, beans, green or red chile on eggs for breakfast; beans and chile for lunch; or a sandwich of turkey and cranberries.”
What suits Kimbal Musk, executive chef at The Kitchen in Boulder, is what might be called The Everything Casserole. Musk, a native of South Africa, was introduced to Thanksgiving by his wife, Jen Lewin. Unfettered by preconceived notions of what should or shouldn’t be done with the big bird, he devised his own recipe, which consists of all complementary vegetables being layered into a casserole and baked.
Turkey is the prime ingredient, but the rest is … we’ll let him tell it.
“Basically you slice the turkey off the bone, then add on everything that matches, similar vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing, baby green beans, what have you, and make it into a casserole,” he says. “When it’s all done, you slice it and put it between two pieces of bread. Drizzle some gravy over it and you’ve got something quite delightful.
“I believe it’s called ‘heart attack on a plate.’ But look at it this way: You’re only eating it once a year.”
Staff writer Ellen Sweets can be reached at 303-820-1284 or esweets@denverpost.com.
Turkey Soup
This recipe, which serves 6-8 hearty eaters, was the real reason food writer Ellen Sweets’ family looked forward to a big bird. The carcass is simmered until the bones are white, marking the official end of Thanksgiving turkey.
Ingredients
Directions
Place the turkey carcass in a large stockpot. Add onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cover the turkey with 6 quarts of water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2-3 hours.
Remove stockpot from heat. Line a large colander with cheesecloth and transfer the stock to another pot. This will guarantee removal of small bones that separate from the carcass during the simmering process. (You could also use a large slotted spoon, but that doesn’t assure removal of little bone bits.) Return strained broth to large stockpot, and bring contents to boiling.
Add the remaining vegetables and garlic. Simmer low for 30 minutes. Add pasta and turkey and cook over medium heat for another 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is done. Stir in herbs and parsley. Heat through.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread.
Bolognese Sauce with Leftover Turkey
This recipe is adapted from Chef Mark Prece, corporate executive chef for the American Italian Pasta Co. Pasta always is part of his annual family holiday celebrations. Serve over 1 pound pasta, cooked according to directions. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook over medium heat until tender. Add herbs and cook 1 minute, then add ham, sausage and turkey. Add red wine and let simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Stir in the tomato paste until it is smooth.
Slowly stir in the beef consomme and let the sauce simmer gently for 30 minutes. Stir in cream, season with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to serve. Do not allow the sauce to boil.
Roast Turkey, Avocado and Bacon Sandwich
Sometimes a turkey sandwich is more than just meat, mayonnaise and bread. Tyler Florence of Food TV fame is known for looking at food through a different prism, and this sandwich, adapted from an original recipe, is no exception. If Philadelphia can have its Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, this can be your very own Denver Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Sandwich. You’ll need enough sliceable leftovers to make three generous sandwiches.
Ingredients
Directions
To assemble the sandwich: Spread a thin layer of butter on 1 piece of bread. Place 1 slice of the cheese and several slices of turkey on the unbuttered side of the bread.
Peel and slice the avocado, toss with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add avocado slices, crispy bacon slices, lettuce and another slice of fontina cheese to the top of that. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Spread the remaining piece of bread with butter and place on unbuttered side out, on top of the bacon.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt, swirling the pan around to coat. Put the sandwich in the pan and weigh it down with a heavy pot or can (or wrap an ordinary brick in aluminum foil and set it on top to compress the sandwich.) Toast for 1 minute, turn the sandwich when the bread is brown. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Cut sandwiches into quarters on the diagonal and serve with parsley and 4 grape tomatoes per plate.
Next Day Turkey Potpie
This recipe, adapted from the Martha White Kitchen, converts leftovers into a familiar comfort food. For individual servings, grease six 2-cup baking dishes. Divide filling among dishes. Top each evenly with crust batter, then bake as directed. Makes 6-8 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 400. Grease shallow 3-quart baking dish. In large skillet, cook chopped onion, carrots and celery in vegetable oil until tender. Stir in peas and potatoes; pour into baking dish. Add shredded or chopped turkey and chopped ham; distribute evenly in baking dish.
In medium bowl, combine undiluted soup, 1 cup milk and freshly ground pepper; pour over turkey mixture. In medium bowl, combine remaining milk, flour, grated cheese and melted butter or margarine; stir until smooth. Pour over ingredients in baking dish.
Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Turkey Tetrazzini
This can be made two or three weeks ahead and frozen if wrapped well, so that turkey overload can ebb. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
In a large heavy saucepan sautee onion in 3 tablespoons of butter until onion is translucent. Add garlic and bell pepper and sautee until pepper softens. Cook mushrooms in remaining butter over medium heat, stirring, until most of the liquid evaporates. Stir in flour and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Slowly stir in milk, broth and wine. Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce thickens slightly.
In a large bowl combine spaghetti, mushroom sauce, turkey, peas, thyme and parsley. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, and transfer the mixture to a buttered shallow 4-quart casserole. In a small bowl combine remaining Parmesan and bread crumbs. Salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle evenly over the casserole. Dot the top with bits of the remaining butter. Bake the casserole for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it bubbles and the top browns.
Friday’s Fancy Stir-Fry Rice Noodles with Basil
It doesn’t get any easier to assemble a quick dinner than opening a package of noodles, tossing in some vegetables and a bit of leftover turkey to help dispense with leftovers. Try this recipe for an Asian spin on turkey. The ingredients can be found in the Asian food aisle of most grocery stores. Serves 2.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Turn off heat and soak noodles in hot water 3-5 minutes, until soft. Drain and rinse well with cold water. In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil. Add garlic, scallion and noodles. Stir fry for one minute. Add fish sauce, sugar, chili and pepper. Toss for an additional minute. Add turkey and basil to combine.
A hearty thank-you
The food staff would like to thank those who contributed to our Countdown to a Colorado Thanksgiving.
The pear platter, courtesy of Thea Tennenbaum and Lele Malferrari of Longmont and available at Artisan Center, 2757 E. 3rd Ave., 303-333-1201; the apple crisp dish, courtesy of Ruth Briggs of Crestone and available at Boulder Arts & Crafts co-op, 1421 Pearl St. Mall, 303-443-3683; beaded pie/cake server, available at Two Wired Women, Highlands Ranch, 303-475-8735 and The Colorado Cupboard 2001 N. Main Street, Longmont, 303-485-0605; pie plate, courtesy of Ruthann Mazè and available at Boulder Arts & Crafts co-op, 1421 Pearl St. Mall., 303-443-3683.
Colorado wines featured in the Thanksgiving sections were Bookcliff Viognier; Boulder Creek Riesling; Grande River Meritage Red; Plum Creek Cellars Palisade Red; Redstone Meadery Mountain Honey Wine; Balistreri Syrah; Plum Creek Cellars Riesling; Carlson Vineyards Tyrannosaurus Red (Lemberger; Grande River Meritage White; Trail Ridge Winery Gewurztraminer; and Stoney Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon.
