Does anybody have any interesting or unusual recipes for leftover Thanksgiving turkey?
Yes, traditionally we always shove whatever’s left of it on Friday into a Ziploc baggie and stick it in the freezer, and eat it in December.
You could use the giblets to make pop art.
I don’t think this is really unusual, but in my house we have turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey pot pie, and turkey stirfry. Not all at once, of course. Since I’ve learned how to make chicken and dumplings, I’m gonna try turkey and dumplings this year.
By the way, homemade turkey pot pie is VERY good.
Be warned: Bachelor chow.
Inky Turkey Burritos (they rock!):
First off, it’s great to have some pre-cooked rice in your freezer to add to the mix (as I typically do) but it’s not totally necessary.
Boil up 2 cups of black beans in 4 cups water enhanced with three chicken or vegetable bullion cubes at high heat (if you over-do it with the water, no biggie. Split skins are fine by this recipe). Cook until tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork with a good ¼" chunk of butter.
In (preferably) a cast-iron skillet place about 1½-2 cups diced turkey and enough water to cover the meat half way. Add one healthy tablespoon chili powder, and if your daring, one well chopped whole chili – sans seeds (they’ll knock your head off). This is also a good oppurtunity to get rid of the parsley and chives in your crisper which are starting to show their age, well-chopped. Cook just a few minutes (about five or six), until meat is really tender and the broth is thick.
Combine equal parts rice, beans, meat to taste, low-fat sour cream, any left-over cheese you have (chedders great, but even Camembert works) tomatoes, lettuce in a tortilla. Enjoy until February.
Turkey Salad: Mix up mayo, diced turkey, fresh & cut cranberries and pecans. Better than traditional turkey sandwiches because it isn’t dry and it is easy to make a bowl full at once for multiple sandwiches.
We’re low on gravy already, so we’ll only get one more meal from the leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. Then I’ll make the turkey salad from the rest.
Gobbler Sandwiches:
Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, all on leftover Thanksgiving rolls. Yummmmmy!
turkey sundowner curry.
basic curry with onions, garlic turmeric, garam masala powder, cumin and medium curry powder, add turkey and a can of tomatoes plus veg of your choice.
serve with rice, use cream or coconut milk as a topping.
yum yum.
xmas tradition in my house.
Combine leftover turkey, macaroni, cooked peas, two cups of shredded cheese, and cream of mushroom soup in a 9×15 baking pan & top with two more cups of shredded cheese. Bake at 350° for half an hour. Transfer to broiler until top is brown, if desired.
:: worships Athena 'cause she listed the best leftover turkey recipe of them all ::
Fenris
Why, thank you, Fenris!
I had my first gobbler at about 9:30 this morning, followed by a slice of pumpkin pie. I plan on eating them every 2-3 hours all day.
Once you try one of these, you’ll never go back. There used to be a place in Boulder than sold sub-sized gobblers, all year. They made 'em from canned stuffing, canned gravy, canned cranberry sauce, and lunch meat turkey slices, and they were still good. But there’s nothing like the gobblers made from real homemade thanksgiving leftovers.
Similar to the Tetrazinni…
Sautee some onions and mushrooms (brown as you like them)
Add butter and heavy cream, simmer (But watch as the cream can break) add cubed turkey and seasonings as you please, simmer.
If done properly the turkey falls apart lovely and no thickner is needed.
Serve over pasta. (My personal favorite is Alphredo noodles unrinced please)
Our carcass is becoming Noodle soup as I type.
[Homer voice]Mmmm…gobbler sandwiches[Homer voice]
Here’s a good one for turkey carcass gumbo.
Cut off whatever good meat is left on the carcass and chop it up.
Throw the rest of the carcass into a pot with some celery stalks and onions and water to cover. Simmer slowly over low heat to create a stock.
Meanwhile make a roux with oil and flour in another large pot. use about 4 parts oil to three parts flour. Stir constantly over medium heat until roux turns a nice chocolate brown color and acquires a pleasant, nutty aroma. (warning: do not leave roux unattended for any length of time. It burns instantaneously)
Throw some chopped onions, celery, peppers and garlic into the roux to sweat.
Strain the turkey broth and discard the bones and the vegetables. Skim the fat from the stock and then pour stock into the pot with the roux. Stir it up over medium heat until broth thickens up and turns brown.
Throw in reserved turkey meat and season to taste with cajun seasonings (either store bought or your own)
Serve piping hot over rice.
Flaming Turkey wings!
I was going to mention Turkey Tetrazzini, but I see it’s more popular than I thought it was…we always went to the JOY OF COOKING recipe for chicken tetrazzini, which doesn’t use canned soup.
The two things we’re going to do over the next few days are a turkey picadillo, rolled up in corn tortillas, and a cold soba-noodle salad with chopped turkey. Between those and the sandwiches, we should have the leftovers covered.
Ike, I’m intrigued by the soba salad idea. How do you make that exactly?
It’s from the current issue of COOKING LIGHT magazine.
Combine six ounces of cooked, rinsed soba with:
3 cups chopped leftover turkey
one thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tblsp chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Combine the following and dress the noodles with:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 tblsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
4 tsp sesame oil
Toss salad gently to coat with the dressing.
Thanks, Ike, I think I’ll give it a try.
From my bachelor days, when I always went home from the family Thanksgiving dinner with a “care package” of leftover turkey:
Cut turkey into bite-sized pieces and put in saucepan with one can cream of mushroom soup. Add sauteed onions, mushrooms or green peppers and vegetables as you prefer and if available. Season to taste (I usually threw in some oregano). Simmer until heated through. stirring occasionally; do not let it actually start boiling. Serve over rice or noodles.
This has the obvious advantages of being easy and quick to fix, as well as a way to use up whatever other leftovers you might have.
leftover turkey!?!?!?!?
amatuers