Ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers if you still have them

One must get creative the week after Thanksgiving in order to use all of those leftovers. I am a big believer in turning leftovers in to something new and exciting. Not that I never throw away food, much more than I am proud of! But, I have seen hunger and it is not an easy sight to see. On one of my trips to Kenya, I met a woman in an IDP camp who had not had any food for 5 days straight and very little water. It was very hard to tell her we did not have enough for everyone! However, I greatly appreciate the lesson and the respect for food it has given me.

I will give you some ideas based on the categories around the Thanksgiving table. I won't have any pictures for you since this is all coming right out of my head as I write this.

Turkey

First of all I hope you made stock from the carcass; if not shame on you! It's not hard or labor intensive as popular belief. I even made mine from the smoked turkey we bough and now have 3 quarts of delicious smokey broth to use in things like cassoulet, red beans and rice, jambalaya and other delicacies which call out for that yummy smoky goodness.

I couldn't make my stock the day of so I had the Producer freeze the bones for me and I made it on Monday once all of the offspring returned full and sassy to their own homes. 

Take your largest stock pot, put the carcass in, try not to put too much if any skin in, fill the pot about 1-2 inches from the top with water. Add in the bits of root vegetables you don't use ( the peel of the onion, greens of the leek, fennel fronds, celery hearts, carrot ends...) or if you don't have the bits, use the good parts of said veg. You can also throw in some garlic. I add 2-3 T. Whole peppercorn and 2-3 bay leaves and a sprig of thyme.  Put the pot on medium high and cover. When it starts to boil, take the lid off and let it simmer for at least an hour, longer is better. Let the stock cool. Strain it in a colander lined with cheese cloth to get a nice clear stock. I have been known to use coffee filters when out of cheesecloth but it does take a lot longer to strain.  Once your stock is cooled, transfer to quart containers leaving 1 inch at the top. Label the lids and freeze for up to 6 months. 

I try to make stock whenever I have bones or shells. The homemade is so much more flavorful than the boxed kind, although I use that too!

Turkey pot pie

Use the leftover turkey and any veg you have. Use your leftover gravy or add it to a Bechamel ( see gnocchi post). If you still have a crust use it on the top or just use frozen puff pastry. Don't bother with a bottom crust, it will just be soggy!

Turkey melt. I made this last night. Start with bread that gets crispy when grilled. I love whole grain sourdough.  Use shredded cheese since you need less and it melts better. Cheese should go on the inside ofeach slice to hold the sides together when melted. Add some good mustard or something like pepper spread to kick up the flavor. I added leftover braised greens in with my leftover turkey. A little butter in the pan on low/ med go low and slow to melt the cheese. A little more butter when you flip. Sometimes. I put a lid over it for just a minute to get the cheese melts before flipping. You just don't want to keep it on or your sandwich won't be as crispy.

Turkey posole

(See the posole post), add turkey, especially if it is smoked. 

White turkey chilie

Sauté  a chopped onion in  olive oil in the bottom of a medium sauce pan. Add a clove of chopped garlic, 1 tsp. cumin, and  1/4 c corn meal. Get a little color on the cormeal.  Add a quart of your turkey broth, 1 jar salsa verde, 1-2 cans white beans ( cannelini), chopped turkey. Simmer for about 20 minutes and test for salt, season as needed. Garnish with tortilla chips, lime and cilantro. 

Mashed potatoes

I like to do 2 different things with mashed potatoes. By far my favorite is to make potato cakes for breakfast. You can use the mashed potatoes as is or add some goat cheese and green onions or bacon or shredded cheese of choice. Make pancake sized patties of the mashed potatoes and crip them up like pancakes in a skillet with a little butter. Be very gentle when flipping. I like to top mine with a soft poached egg...oh my, my mouth is watering as I type!

The other idea is to use the potatoes as the base for potatoes leek soup. Sauté some sliced leeks in butter in the bottom of a medium saucepan add in a pinch of fresh thyme.   Heat some broth in with the leeks and whisk in the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fried leeks and crumbled bacon. If you want a smooth bisque , blend the leeks with the warm brothin a blender and strain out the bits.

Acorn or butternut squash

Use the soup idea, but you will need to blend it all ( no peels!)I like to start squash soup with both an onion or leek sautéed as well as a Granny Smith apple chopped and sautéed. I also like a little curry with squash soups.

Stuffing

Chop your stuffing up fine. Mix with some goat cheese and chopped sautéed spinach or greens. Mix it all together adding 1 raw egg. Form into bite size balls and freeze to bake later ( ie Holiday party appetizers) or bake at 350 until golden and toasty. 

Cranberries

Use them as the fruit in an upside down fruit cake ( Mario Battali) has a good recipe. Or use them as a topping on french toast, pancakes, gingerbread...

So if you read this too late and dumped those leftovers, there is always Christmas leftovers and next year!

Enjoy! 

Xo MamaP