Turkey day has come and gone and you just may have a few leftovers in your fridge. Now there is nothing better in my mind than a Thanksgiving sandwich; turkey, white bread, mayo, salt and pepper, some stuffing and a smear of cranberry sauce! We all have our favorites! Need some more tasty ideas? Don’t worry; I’m here to help!
A Turkey Feast!
Photo from Dishing with Kathy Casey.
Ever considered Thanksgiving for breakfast? Yes please – why not! Thanksgiving Benedict is my new favorite idea that Chef friend John Koch shared this with me. Form leftover stuffing into a patty then pan sear it. Top with some sliced turkey, a poached egg and a dollop of gravy – voila … a hearty breakfast that will have you saying YUM!
And there never seems to be enough gravy left over, right? Why not make some more? Pick that turkey clean (save the meat for soup and sandwiches) and make a Rich Turkey Stock with the carcass.
Get out the stock pot! Add in the bones, some chopped carrots, celery, onion, and cover with cold water (and sometimes I like to add in a carton of chicken broth to give it a flavor boost). Bring to a simmer for 2 hours then strain. Voilà – now you have a great stock for making more gravy or a tasty soup.
Take that extra turkey and stock and make a soup… or make gravy and add some veggies and turkey meat and serve over biscuits for a d’lish open face hot turkey sandwich.
Don’t forget about cocktails while things are cooking! Check out this post in the Chicagoist for my easy to make holiday party cocktails like my Snow Drift (flash blended Martin Miller’s Gin, fresh lemon juice, homemade cranberry ginger syrup, egg whites, and ice) and Holiday Manhattan with DIY Spiced Vermouth. And for more great cocktail ideas and recipes, check out www.LiquidKitchen.com.
Need a great gravy recipe for a crowd? Here’s my favorite – it incorporates homemade do ahead stock (recipe below) or you can make the stock from the tip above. – Gobble Gobble!!
Old-Fashioned Turkey Mushroom Gravy – THAT MAKES A LOT!
Makes 10 cups, or about 20 generous 1/2-cup servings
(Feel free to cut this recipe in half for a smaller crowd!)
You can make this a few days ahead and then re-heat in your turkey roasting pan for extra turkey flavor goodness! Read through the entire recipe before starting.
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary – or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
8 ounces (4 cups) thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup flour
10 cups Rich Turkey Stock (recipe follows or make from tip above with leftover turkey carcuss)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the rosemary and mushrooms and sauté over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir vigorously until combined and smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock all at once and whisk vigorously so as to eliminate any lumps. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the gravy is nicely thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
Now you can serve it as is OR if you are pre making this and want to deglaze your turkey pan for the ultimate gravy use the following method to add your gravy to the pan method…
Then right before serving and while your turkey is set aside to rest – ready your turkey roasting pan full of turkey goodness: remove excess fat from your turkey roasting pan. Place the pan over a burner – add a big splash of white wine, champagne, potato cooking water, chicken broth or water. Using a metal spatula – scrape up all the goodies in the bottom of the pan… this is the turkey goodness. Then add your prepared Turkey Mushroom gravy – whisk well and heat till hot. Serve up and enjoy – you’ll have lots of gravy for all!
Rich Turkey Stock
Makes about 10 cups
2 large turkey legs or thighs, about 2 pounds total
1 yellow onion, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
Up to 2 cups mushroom stems, optional
4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
12 cups water
Preheat an oven to 400°F.
Roast the turkey pieces in a baking pan for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the skin is golden brown. Place them in an 8-quart pot and add the vegetables and seasonings. Deglaze the roasting pan with the wine, scraping the pan well to loosen browned bits, and add to the pot. Add the water.
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat to low and lightly simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain the stock and skim off any fat. Discard the vegetables. (Most of the flavor will have cooked out of the turkey; however, the meat can be removed from the bones and saved for another use.)
Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.
For more great leftover ideas check out this fun post:
19 Reasons Leftovers Are The Best Part Of Thanksgiving
