As you scurry around the kitchen today, doing all the prep work that goes into your Thanksgiving feast, you probably have yet to ponder one of the big challenges you will face after the big day: What to do with all the leftovers?
We are talking turkey — literally — plus the dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry relish and that go into the annual poultry fest.
If you have a houseful of teenagers, the problem will take care of itself soon enough. But you, as an adult, can only eat so many turkey sandwiches.
Here are some recipes that can help you resolve this delicious dilemma.
Turkey and Squash Stew
This hearty dish comes from Jason K. Morse, executive chef of the Douglas County School District. If you have leftover dressing,this goes well spooned on top of it. Serves 8.
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
6 celery ribs with leaves, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 butternut squash, cooked and diced
1 acorn squash, cooked and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves, broken in half
2 teaspoons Italian herbs
3 cups turkey, cooked and diced
24 ounces tomato puree
3 quarts chicken broth
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Before making the soup, cook both squashes by roasting until fork tender, removing all seeds and cooling completely before dicing. Heat a sauté pan and add the olive oil then bring oil up to temperature. Sauté the carrots, celery, onions and peppers until lightly browned
Add the cooked squash, garlic and potatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the herbs, turkey and tomato purée, then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Cheddar Mashed Potato Cakes
This is a tasty way to get extra mileage from leftover mashed potatoes. The cakes can be dressed with almost anything: gravy, salsa or hot sauce. From William Porter. Serves 6.
Ingredients
3 cups mashed potatoes, chilled
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine mashed potatoes and cheese. (At some point you might need to use your hands.) Form the mixture into patties about 3 inches wide and 1 inch deep. Season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper.
Place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil, then put into the oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until potato cakes start browning. Flip and continue cooking until browned. Serve immediately.
Turkey Tetrazzini
This creamy winter recipe is from The Food Network’s . Her latest cookbook is “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime.” Serves 12.
Ingredients
1 ½ pound thin spaghetti, broken in half
4 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound white mushrooms, quartered
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup white wine
½ cup flour
4 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 8-ounce block cream cheese
3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or diced
1 cup diced black olives
1 ½ cups frozen green peas
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup Jack cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra broth for thinning
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions
Cook pasta until not quite done — al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain, rinse, and set aside.
In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.
Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.
Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don’t be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile; it will melt). Add the leftover turkey, olives, peas, bacon and the cheeses. Stir to combine; salt and pepper as needed.
Add the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it’s a little soupy, that’s fine. Add up to 2 more cups of liquid if you think it needs it.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.
Ultimate Turkey Sandwich
This is a soul-satisfying mix of two Thanksgiving staples, roasted turkey and pan dressing. It can be served hot or cold. To get the proper 1-1 ratio of poultry and dressing, you might have to slice a chunk of dressing in half so it won’t overwhelm the bread. Brave diners can also spoon on some leftover gravy. This recipe makes 1 sandwich and goes great with . From William Porter.
Ingredients
2 slices toasted bread
Mayonnaise
Cranberry sauce or relish
Sliced turkey
1 wedge leftover dressing
Directions
Smear one slice of toasted bread generously with mayonnaise. Smear the other with cranberry sauce. Pile on the sliced turkey to taste, then add the chunk of dressing. You’ll probably want to press down on the sandwich just a bit after it’s assembled.
Yam and Black Beans Enchiladas
A few years ago, I created a recipe for chipotle-glazed yams because I wanted a savory, Southwestern-style alternative to traditional candied yams. It’s simple. You slice the yams about ¾ -inch thick, boil them for about 10 minutes, then chargrill them for a few minutes in a glaze of butter, diced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and the juice of an orange. When there are leftovers, I combine them with black beans (and sometimes Mexican chorizo) as an enchilada filling. Recipe by William Porter. Serves 8.
Ingredients
2 cups chipotle yams, chopped
1 15-ounce can seasoned black beans, such as Kuner’s, drained
½ diced onion, sautéed until translucent
Cumin
Salt and pepper
1 dozen medium flour tortillas
2 cups enchilada sauce, canned or homemade
1 cup cotija or grated jack cheese
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine yams, black beans (drained but only lightly rinsed) and sautéed onions. Add a few dashes of cumin, then salt and pepper to taste.
Soften each tortilla by running it briefly under hot water. This will make it more pliant and easier to load and fold. Spoon the yam-bean mixture into the center of the tortilla, fold the ends and roll up, then place the enchiladas folded-side down into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, making sure it runs into any spaces between them. Cover with grated cheese. Cook for about 20 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven until the cheese has completely melted. Serve immediately.
Southwestern Turkey Chili
This recipe from Andrew Weil’s cookbook, “Fast Food, Good Food,” serves 4. It calls for ground turkey that you brown, but you can substitute leftover cooked turkey and chop it into bite-sized pieces.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, pressed and allowed to sit for 10 minutes
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ pound ground turkey
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
In a soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and sauté for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, jalapeño, red pepper, oregano and spices and saute another minute
Add turkey and ¼ teaspoon salt. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and let it brown, about 3 minutes. If pan is dry or the spices stick, pour in a little juice from the tomatoes to deglaze.
Add tomatoes, beans and another pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Bring the chili to a simmer, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove lid and simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add lime juice and a generous pinch of salt to taste.
Ladle chili into 4 bowls and garnish with cilantro and your favorite go-withs.
Turkey Stock
This recipe takes just under 6 hours to cook, much of it untended, but the prep time is only 15-20 minutes. The stock is perfect as a base for soups and rice dishes such as risotto. From William Porter. Makes 7-8 quarts.
Ingredients
1 turkey carcass
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, quartered
1 large carrot, chopped
2 large bay leaves
1 ½ tablespoons whole black peppercorns
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions
Break up the carcass so it fits in a large 4-gallon stockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and fill with enough cold water to cover the bones by 2-3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to a simmer, occasionally skimming the fat that will rise to the surface. When you can taste the turkey flavor in about 2-3 hours, continue cooking for another 2-3 hours.
Pull the turkey carcass from the pot with a spoon or tongs, and let stock cool. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into freezer-proof containers. The stock can be used immediately or frozen.
William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or @williamporterdp Photos, Thinkstock by Getty Images
