Quit cold turkey
By Eric Pacella & Better Get a Napkin! Productions |
|
This turkey month, we at 614 aren't going to tell you how to roast your bird. You can do that part yourselves. What we're going to tell you is what to do with the ten pounds of leftover turkey you have sitting in your fridge. We're going to help you kick your cold turkey habit - cold turkey - with a couple of dishes created by our friends, Better Get a Napkin! Productions, and inspired by the idea that leftovers don't have to be a romp through the mundane. With a little thought, a bit of effort, and some help from us, you'll be cooking up some dishes that might just outshine the roasted bird itself. You'll be thankful that you saved that carcass - we promise.
Turkey Stock
Stuffing Biscuits
How To Roast A Pumpkin
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted Pumpkin & Turkey Tortilla Soup
Turkey Sliders
Sweet Corn and Crimini Mushroom Stuffed, Fried and Oven-Baked Bone-In Turkey Thigh
The Best Pineapple Mango Chutney - EVER!
Turkey Stock
The quantity of turkey stock created by this recipe is only limited by the size of the stock pot used to cook it in. It is very easy to make 2-3 gallons of rich turkey stock from the carcass of a 12-15 pound turkey.
Ingredients
1 turkey carcass
1 head celery
6 carrots
3 yellow onions
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
5 bay leaves
Water to cover
Method
1.Cut root end off of the celery and wash the ribs.
2. Wash the carrots. It is not necessary to peel the carrots.
3. Wash the onions, remove the root end and cut in half. It is not necessary to peel the onions.
4. Place turkey parts (including bones), vegetables and seasoning into large stock pot. Add enough water to cover the turkey and vegetables.
5. Place filled stock pot on stove and bring to boil over high heat.
6. Once stock boils, reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid.
7. Allow stock to simmer for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours if there is meat left on the thighs and legs.
8. Allow stock to cool, then strain stock through a colander into a large bowl.
Remove any meat left on the bones and reserve for soup.
Note: Extra stock can be frozen for later use. Move stock from freezer to fridge the night before or the morning of cooking. The stock does not need to be completely thawed as it will be brought to a boil for any recipe.
To top
Stuffing Biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs each: sage, rosemary, thyme
4 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and herbs in a bowl
3. Add butter and combine until a crumbly mixture forms
4. Stir in milk and mix
5. Knead slightly and form into a ball then roll into a log about 2 inches thick
6. Slick into 1 inch biscuits, shape as desired, and place on a cookie sheet
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until biscuits begin to brown
8. Cool on a wire rack and slice in half
To top
How to Roast a Pumpkin
You can only do this with a freshly carved pumpkin! Do not use on a pumpkin that has been carved and sitting out for several days.
1. Halve a 6-7 pound pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings.
2. Place halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil and add a little water. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes, until the texture of the pumpkin is similar to that of a baked potato.
To freeze pumpkin puree
Put 1-2 cups in freezer bags along with spices and use in pies.
To use pumpkin puree for recipes
Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth or a flour sack dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain out the extra moisture BEFORE cooking with it. Pumpkin is very moist, so in order for your recipe to come out correctly, you MUST strain it.
To top
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1. Boil seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well.
2. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250 for 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt.
To top
Roasted Pumpkin & Turkey Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, preferably freshly made.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 small carrot
1 small stalk celery
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeno chile, seeded, veins removed and chopped
4 cups chicken broth or homemade Turkey stock
2 cups (one 14.5-ounce can) puree pumpkin, preferably freshly made.
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey breast
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
fresh fried tortilla strips or chips for edible garnish
Method
1.Cut tortillas into 1/4-inch strips.
2. In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry strips in oil, 1/3 at a time, until light brown and crisp.
3. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Reserve.
4. Heat oil remaining in saucepan over medium-high heat.
5. Cook onion in oil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chile; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften.
6. Stir in broth, pumpkin and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
7. Add turkey; heat until hot.
8. Divide half of tortilla strips among serving bowls or hollowed out pumpkin; ladle in soup. Top with remaining tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and a favorite hot sauce or sour cream.
Serves 4-6.
To top
Turkey Sliders
Ingredients
1 pound lean or extra lean ground turkey
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 cup minced mushrooms
1/2 cup shucked corn (about 1 medium ear)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
splash of heavy cream (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup crushed FRESH corn tortilla chips
1 tablespoon each of mint and basil, torn
12 mini stuffing biscuits warmed in oven
12 small lettuce leaves
12 slices each of pickled carrot and jalapeno
Thinly sliced cheese: smoked Gouda, sharp cheddar, provolone, etc.
Cranberry-Lime & Jalapeno Mayonnaise
Method
1. Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat.
Leftover turkey sliders
Photo: Eric Pacella
2. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey with sauteed minced onion, mushroom, corn and Worcestershire sauce. Divide into 12 equal portions and shape into 12 small burgers
3. Place the burgers in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Turn the burgers over after juices start to show on the top of the burger, about 2 minutes.
5. Melt your favorite cheese over the burgers
6. Cook turkey until done.*
*a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, about 2.5 minutes per side.
7. Serve the burgers with cheese, pickles on the mini biscuits with lettuce, garnished with Cranberry-Lime & Jalapeno Mayonnaise - mix chopped cranberries and jalapeno peppers with your favorite mayonnaise.
8. WOW your friends.
To top
Sweet Corn and Crimini Mushroom Stuffed, Fried and Oven-Baked Bone-In Turkey Thigh... Skin On!
Ingredients
2 Whole, Bone-In turkey thighs
1/2 cup fresh shucked sweet corn
1/2 cup each of celery, carrot and yellow onion,
fresh chopped parsley, mint and basil
1/2 cup masa harina or corn meal
1/2 cup turkey stock or other bird broth
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper
Method
1. Cut a slit down the length of the thigh and carefully remove the bone, scraping all the flesh away. Open out the resulting square and flatten it with a rolling pin. Remove as much sinew as possible. Prepare the other piece in the same way.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Mix the parsley, masa and seasoning with enough stock to moisten. Divide between the two boned thighs and press it down over the mango and celery.
4. Lay the stuffing down the middle of the boned thigh.
5. Roll up each thigh piece and use bamboo skewers to secure the stuffing inside. Place the two rolls in seasoned all-purpose flour, then beaten eggs, then seasoned flour again (a la fried chicken). Fry on all sides over medium heat until crispy. Place in roasting pan covered and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
6. Remove carefully from the roasting pan, pouring the cooking juices over the turkey. Keep the meat warm while you finish the pineapple mango chutney sauce.
7. Remove the skewers from the rolls and slice each into 4-6 rounds.
8. Arrange on heated dinner plates. Garnish with glazed cranberries.
To top
The Best Pineapple Mango Chutney - EVER!
Ingredients
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
Juice of 2 limes
1 tbs orange zest
Juice of 1 orange
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 jalapenos, minced
1/4 cup fresh cranberries
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tbs cayenne
1/2 tbs cumin
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 mango, peeled, half cubed into 1/2" pieces, half minced as fine as possible
1/4 fresh pineapple (about 1 cup) cut the same as the mango, cubes and minced
Handful fresh basil
Handful fresh mint
Method
1. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except the mango, pineapple cubes and fresh herbs.
2. Cook on medium heat for ten minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and if smoother chutney is desired, puree the sauce.
4. Return saucepan to medium heat, adding the pineapple and mango chunks. Simmer for five more minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add fresh herbs.
To top
Originally Published: November 1, 2009
