Thanksgiving 101 (30 page)

Pour the heavy cream into a chilled, medium bowl, and add the sugar and vanilla. Using a handheld electric mixer set at medium speed, beat just until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat or the cream will become grainy. (The cream can be whipped up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.) Whisk briskly to incorporate any liquid that may have separated out of the cream.

There’s Got to Be a Morning After…

F
riday’s leftover turkey sandwich is anticipated just as much as Thursday’s big-deal dinner. Sandwiches are great, but that’s just the tip of the leftover iceberg. When asked about their favorite leftover uses, Americans gave sandwiches top honors, with soup, casseroles, salads, and stir-fries following behind.

There are so many ways to enjoy turkey leftovers, it could take up a whole book. I have included recipes for the more involved dishes, and a detailed method for making the best turkey soup around. Recipes for using leftovers should never be difficult—after all, you probably feel that you have cooked sufficiently the day before. The cook’s creativity and what’s on hand are the main elements that turn leftovers into meals. Mexican dishes are especially delicious made with leftover turkey.

When faced with a mountain of turkey meat, there is usually a burrito, taco, or enchilada casserole in my future. And sandwiches can be just as inspired. Here are a few ideas using about 4 cups (1 pound) of leftover turkey.

• Turkey Soft Tacos:
  Roll strips of turkey into warm corn tortillas with salsa, guacamole, and shredded iceberg lettuce.
  
• Turkey and Black Bean Burritos:
  In a medium saucepan, sauté a small onion and a minced garlic clove in olive oil. Add one 15-to 19-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed, and turkey strips and heat through. Roll up in warm flour tortillas with salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
  
• Turkey and Pepper Fajitas:
  In a large skillet, sauté sliced red onion, green and red bell pepper strips, and garlic until very soft.
  Add turkey strips and cook until heated through. Stir in chili powder to taste. Roll in warm flour tortillas with salsa and sour cream.
  
• Turkey Salad Niçoise:
  Arrange turkey strips on a bed of red leaf lettuce with tomato wedges, cooked crisp-tender green beans, cooked sliced new potato, and hardboiled-egg wedges. Serve with your favorite vinaigrette.
  
• Curried Turkey Salad:
  Mix chopped turkey, mayonnaise, a little yogurt, chopped apples, raisins, and curry powder. Serve on a bed of green leaf lettuce, or use as a sandwich or pita bread filling.
  
• Hot Turkey, Cheddar, and Apple Sandwich:
  Place sliced turkey on lightly toasted bread and top with thinly sliced Cheddar cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Add some thin slices of Granny Smith apples and top with another slice of toasted bread.
  
• New Club Sandwich:
  Mix cranberry sauce with Dijon mustard to make a sweet-sour sandwich spread. Make a triple-decker sandwich with turkey slices, crisp bacon, lettuce, and the cranberry-mustard sauce.
  

Friday Turkey Vegetable Soup 101

The most common way of making leftover turkey soup is to toss the carcass and vegetables into a pot and simmer with water until the broth is flavorful. That’s a good beginning, but the flavor is also cooked out of the turkey meat and the vegetables, and you have to look out for little pieces of bone in your soup. It’s a better idea to treat this broth as the first step in the soup-making process, using it to create a perfect pot of soup that will keep everyone in the house well fed at lunchtime for quite a few days to come. Freeze the soup in 1-pint containers for those winter days when homemade turkey soup is just what the doctor ordered.

• Even if you don’t want to turn the turkey carcass into a soup, make the soup base anyway and freeze to substitute for chicken broth in everyday recipes.
  
• Trim all edible meat from the turkey carcass. Cooked turkey should be added to the finished soup just before serving to heat through. If overcooked, it will be flavorless and tough.
  
• If there are bits of stuffing in the carcass crevices, leave them alone—the bread will dissolve into the broth and thicken it slightly. If the stuffing includes flavors that would not complement the broth (such as fruit or nuts), rinse the stuffing off the carcass under cold running water.
  
• The carcass should be chopped into large pieces (3 inches square or so), which helps the bones release more flavor into the broth. Also, it takes too much water to cover a whole carcass, resulting in a weak, watery broth. A heavy cleaver works best, but if you don’t have one, use your hands to break up the carcass into manageable pieces. Of course, add any extraneous (drumstick or thigh) bones and skin to the pot, too.
  
• Sautéing the vegetables gives them more flavor. Don’t overdo the vegetables for the soup base, and let the turkey flavor come through.
  
• Use cold water to make your broth. It will take longer to come to a simmer, but it will draw more flavor from the ingredients as well. If you have any leftover turkey stock from the Thanksgiving turkey, use it in place of some of the water.
  
• Allow the broth to come to a simmer and skim off the foam before adding the seasonings. If you add the seasonings at the beginning, they’ll float to the top and be skimmed off with the foam.
  
• While a stock is unsalted because it is going to be used in sauces that may be reduced, a soup broth base should be salted. Don’t be afraid to add enough salt—it makes the difference between a well-flavored soup and a bland one.
  
• If your turkey soup base tastes weak, even after seasoning, it is perfectly fine to bolster it with canned chicken broth or bouillon cubes. I won’t tell anyone.
  
• The carcass from a brined turkey could make salty soup. Take great care when seasoning the soup.
  
• Leftover gravy will thicken and enhance the color and flavor of any soup. Stir cold gravy into the soup (not the soup base) to taste during the last 10 minutes of simmering.
  

FRIDAY TURKEY SOUP BASE

TURKEY VEGETABLE SOUP

1.
To make the soup base, in a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey carcass. Pour in enough cold water (about 3 quarts) to cover the carcass by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.

2.
Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, adding more water as needed to keep the carcass covered, until the broth is well flavored, at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.

3.
Place a colander over a large bowl or pot. Pour the soup base through the colander, and discard the solids. Let stand for 5 minutes, then skim any clear fat from the surface. (The soup base can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cool completely, then store in airtight containers.) Add enough water to make 2 quarts soup base. Or return to the pot and boil over high heat until reduced to 2 quarts.

4.
To make the soup, in a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, turnip, and garlic, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden, about 6 minutes. Add the soup base and parsley, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the turkey. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Serve hot. (The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cool completely and store in airtight containers.)

Amish Turkey Vegetable Soup:
This soup is very thick and hearty, thanks to the noodles. Substitute 2 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, for the turnip, and add during the last 30 minutes of simmering. During the last 10 minutes, add 8 ounces dried wide egg noodles and cook until tender. Season the soup with ¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads, or more to taste.

Italian Egg Drop Soup:
Mix 2 large eggs and 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. After adding the turkey, stirring constantly, add the egg mixture. Simmer until the egg mixture forms tiny flakes.

Tuscan Turkey Ribollita

Here’s an Italian rendition on the Friday Turkey Soup theme. In Tuscany, minestrone is often layered with slices of day-old bread and cheese to make a hearty baked dish called
ribollita
(literally, “reboiled”). Turkey is a natural addition to this hearty meal-in-a-dish. It is always served with a cruet of extra virgin olive oil for seasoning the soup. Make the soup in an flameproof casserole that can also bake in the oven.

1.
In a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and cover. Cook until the kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and hot red pepper flakes.

2.
Add the turkey soup base and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the turkey and beans.

3.
Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and lightly brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until the bread is lightly toasted around the edges, about 10 minutes. Set the toasted bread aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

4.
Add 4 of the bread slices to the soup, pressing them down with a large spoon or a ladle until completely submerged. Place the remaining bread on the top of the soup and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve in deep soup bowls, including a piece of the crusty bread topping. Pass a cruet of additional olive oil for drizzling.

Turkey Tetrazzini Gratin

Turkey Tetrazzini is an old-fashioned spaghetti casserole named for an opera star of the early 1900s. This is an easy-to-make spin-off of the traditional version. The golden-brown top, with ends of the pasta baked to a crusty turn, is irresistible.

1.
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a 10 × 15-inch baking dish.

2.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give up their juice, it evaporates, and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the artichokes and shallots and cook, stirring often, until the shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey and sherry, and cook until the sherry is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.

3.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is barely tender, about 8 minutes. Do not overcook the pasta, as it will cook further in the oven. Drain well.