Viva La Turkey Leftovers!

11/21/12 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Yes I know, tomorrow is the big day but it’s never too early to be grateful for our many blessings—and food is certainly one of them.

I imagine that most of you have already posted your menus and are working on preparation of salads, stuffing and pies. Personally, I’m thinking about what to do with the leftovers.

Friday, there will still be lots and lots of turkey. But there will also be a dab of mashed potatoes, a few vegetables, several sticks of cheese-stuffed celery, some fruit salad, homemade rolls and too much apple, pecan or pumpkin pie waiting to be consumed

Leftovers on day #1 are easy. We eat pizza for lunch—yes, I know, we’re supposed to eat turkey sandwiches but not yet. Pizza is sort of a cleansing the palate tradition. Then, for dinner, we can enjoy sort of a mini-Thanksgiving feast by re-heating the turkey, dressings, etc. It’s a holiday from cooking while savoring the memories.

Leftovers on day #2 are when the first of many turkey sandwiches are consumed. We like them on leftover dinner rolls layered with cream cheese, cranberry sauce, a little mayonnaise, red onion and lettuce. This is also when pies appear—again.

Leftovers on day #3 are when the challenge begins to creatively use up the last of the turkey. In addition to sandwiches, there’s always enough turkey for a pot of soup and a pan of enchiladas or some other flavorful casserole. The great thing is that it can be substituted for chicken in any recipe that you have filed away.

Thumbing through my what-to-do-with-leftovers file, I found a couple of ideas from the New York Times on what to do with leftover stuffing. We seldom have much too much leftover but stuffing peppers with dressing and pan frying it in little cakes sounds good to me.

My go-to recipes for turkey usually involve green chilies, chili powder and tortillas. In other words, some sort of enchilada or Mexican casserole. Today’s Turkey Tortilla Soup (originally chicken) goes together quickly and can be easily doubled for a crowd.

 “Viva la Chicken” by Paquita Machris is a staple in our family that I cut out of the L.A. Times in the 1970s. It’s simple, tasty and makes a great pot luck dish. It can be made the day before, refrigerated and baked before serving. Viva la Turkey!

TURKEY TORTILLA SOUP

(Adapted from  “Pioneer Woman Cooks!”)

3 cups turkey, shredded or diced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Diced Onion

1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper

1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 can (10 Oz.) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies

32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

4 cups Hot Water

2 cans (15 Oz. each) black, pinto or chili beans, drained

1/2 cup frozen cup

3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa

Tabasco (as desired)

5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips of 2 To 3 Inches.

GARNISHES:

Cilantro

Sour Cream

Diced Avocado

Diced Red Onion

Salsa Or Pico De Gallo

Grated Monterey Jack Cheese

 Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt in small cup. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the spice mix. Stir to combine and add shredded turkey.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, your choice of beans and corn. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings and add Tabasco. Turn off heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, top with your choice of garnishes. Serves 6-8

VIVA LA TURKEY CASSEROLE

4 cups turkey, chopped

12 corn tortillas

1 (10-1/2 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10-1/2 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

1 onion, minced or grated

3 cans green chile salsa

1 pound cheddar cheese, shredded

Cut tortillas in 1-inch strips and set aside. Mix soups, milk, onion and chile salsa in saucepan and heat on low. Grease large shallow casserole. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons water or chicken broth.

Place half of tortillas on bottom of casserole. Cover with half of turkey and a third of sauce. Repeat layers ending with sauce. Top with cheese. Refrigerate 24 hours. Next day, bake at 300 degrees 1-1/2 hours. Serves 8

Note: if you have trouble finding green chile salsa, add a can of green chilies to Pace Picante Salsa.

PAN FRIED STUFFING CAKES

2 cups crumbled stuffing

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup flour

Garnish

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

Mix ingredients together and form into small, flat patties. Fry in butter or oil until brown on both sides. Garnish with a dollop of the cranberry-sour cream.

STUFFING-STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

4 Bell peppers

Stuffing moistened with chicken broth (enough for 4 peppers)

Grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and stems. Microwave in a small amount of water about 3 min. or just until barely limp.  Mix stuffing and Parmesan together and fill the peppers. Place in a baking dish, drizzle with oil and roast until the peppers are tender and brown, about 30 min. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Note: For a main dish, sauté ground beef or pork and add to the stuffing.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Contact her at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com