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There are people in my family who prefer the hors d’oeuvres, the side dishes and the desserts to the actual turkey on the Big Day, and I still see enough wild turkeys on my walks--and am still so foolishly charmed by Presidential Pardons for turkeys from Sure and Certain Death--that I feel strongly about this: if of these creatures has to die for my family, we had better not waste any of the meat. In any case, you may have a gigantic and barely picked-at bird after Thanksgiving. Try to make good use of it, even if you aren’t an inconsistent and sappy mommy like I am.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Turkey Pot Pie. Cube pieces of leftover turkey (at least 1.5 pounds) and leftover gravy, thinned with a little milk, plus half a chopped onion, and some garlic, and add in either leftover peas or a pack of frozen peas and carrots. Unroll a commercial roll of piecrust into a deep 10-inch cast-iron fry pan, put in turkey and veggie mix, cover with piecrust top, prick holes in for the steam, and seal edges with fork crimping. Bake at 350 until golden brown.
2. Turkey/Cranberry/Arugala Wraps. Whole Wheat wraps are nice. Spread a few with leftover cranberry sauce, and add the greens and meat. The arugala gives a contrasting bite and some tang. These are low in fat, but very satisfying.
3. Turkey Curry. Saute an onion and two sliced, cored apples with their skin on--plus 3 or 4 stalks of celery, and a little curry powder--in 2 tablespoons of oil, with fresh garlic and ginger and chili pepper. Add chunked turkey, plus one can of coconut milk, and let simmer until heated through. Serve with steamed white rice (steam some broccoli in the upper half of the rice steamer), and garnish with fresh cilantro and mango chutney.
4. Turkey and Cheese Burritos. Fill each flour burrito with 2 tablespoons green tomatillo salsa, plus some low-fat mozzarella, chunked turkey, and 2 tablespoons of cooked pinto beans. Roll up and wrap singly or in twos, and freeze in sandwich bags. Use as lunches at work (these can be heated in the microwave).
5. Turkey Soup. This takes more straining and cosmetic work than chicken soup to make it appealing visually. Make sure you first cut off at least one pound of nice-looking meat, and cube it neatly. Set it aside in the fridge. Then you can make stock from the carcass and skin, along with some pan drippings. A lemon in the water will help leech out calcium from the bones, and make it more nutritious. Add a quartered onion with the brown skin on to add color (so the stock doesn't take on a grayish tone), plus a few stalks of celery, a head of garlic, and carrots.
Either pressure-cook (if you have a large pressure canner that will hold all this), or just simmer for several hours (or overnight) on low heat. A slow cooker works fine. Then remove all the veggies and bones, and cut off any decent-looking meat left to put back in the soup. Give the mushy vegetables, skin and gristle to the animals (though it's okay to toss it, since you've extracted most of the nutrietnts) and then strain the stock to make sure there are no bones or nasty bits of skin or gristle left in it.
Put the stock in a shallow pair of baking dishes to cool quickly, and then pour into tall jugs that will fit into the refrigerator. The fat will rise to the top, and harden as it chills. Remove this stuff, and freeze it if you have cats and dogs (you'll want to give it to them in tiny amounts daily to keep their coats glossy in the wintertime). You will be left with rich, jelled turkey consomme--still a little grayish and unappetizing-looking, but flavorful and high in protein.
To make people want to consume it try: adding a couple of dashes of Tabasco for hot and spicy turkey broth, then adding back the turkey meat, some leftover cooked noodles, and sauteed onions. Or you could use it as a base for Chinese hot and sour soup. Or you could make a squash soup with the turkey stock as a base. Or you could make turkey and rice soup with the saved turkey chunks and a few sauteed veggies; use a little parsley for color. Or you could make eggdrop soup.
6. Turkey and Rice Casserole. Combine about a pound of chunked turkey, one can cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup milk, lots of grated parmesan cheese, chopped garlic, 1 pack frozen peas, pepper, and some cooked white rice. Mix, then top with light grated mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 until the top is slightly toasty and the innards are piping hot.
7. Turkey Stir Fry. Saute garlic, fresh ginger, diced celery and onions, and slivered cabbage. Add turkey, and Chinese stir fry sauce (use a commercial type, or a basic blend of soy sauce, honey, mustard, hot pepper, cinnamon, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, peanut butter and a little water to thin it, plus white vinegar and cumin). Garnish at the last minute with cilantro. Serve with rice.
8. Turkey and Pasta. Cook linguine; then toss with garlic, olive oil, and parmesan. Add chunks of turkey, sauteed onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, pignolia nuts, Italian parsley, and lightly steamed broccoli florets.
9. Turkey Pockets. Roll out pizza dough and divide into six equal squares. Fill with turkey, mozzarella, canned chopped tomato, and garlic, and fold over into triangular popover-type creations. Crimp the edges closed with a fork. Press some rosemary into the outside, and let the dough rise for half an hour. Spritz lightly with olive oil, and then bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Hm. Maybe you should cook two turkeys.
