This hearty Caesar salad with leftover turkey will be a refreshing change from the carb-heavy feasts of Thanksgiving. To save time, the croutons could be made ahead.
Shredded turkey and arugula Caesar salad with croutons
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
1/4 pound baby arugula (about 5 cups loosely packed), washed and dried
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 slices French baguette, cut 1-inch thick on an extreme diagonal
2 cups shredded cooked turkey
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
Heat a gas grill or the broiler. Place the arugula in a large bowl, then cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate.
In a blender, combine the lemon juice and zest, anchovies, garlic, peppercorns, six tablespoons of the olive oil, the mustard and half teaspoon salt. Blend thoroughly until most of the peppercorns are well broken up and the dressing is emulsified.
Add two tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and blend to incorporate. Leave the dressing in the blender.
Brush the bread with the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, then season each slice with salt. Grill or broil the bread until dark around the edges and golden brown at the center, one to two minutes per side.
If desired, cut each bread slice into 10 cubes. The bread also can be served whole.
Pulse the dressing in the blender. Add a bit of the dressing to the arugula and toss to coat.
Divide the arugula among four serving plates and sprinkle with some of the remaining Parmesan.
In a medium bowl, toss the turkey with the remaining dressing, then divide it between the plates of arugula. Sprinkle with Parmesan and arrange the croutons and tomatoes around the salad.
(Recipe from “How to Cook a Turkey and All the Other Trimmings,” by the editors of Fine Cooking magazine, Taunton Press, 2007)
Turkey vegetable soup
Delicious and soul-satisfying, homemade turkey vegetable soup is made hearty with rice, fresh corn and frozen lima beans.
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium stalks celery, 1/2-inch slices
1 cup frozen lima beans
6 cups homemade turkey broth (below)
Salt and pepper
2 cups cooked rice
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cups (chunks) skinless leftover turkey
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine on medium. Add onion and cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring often.
Stir in carrots, celery, beans, broth, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir rice and corn into soup; heat to boiling. Stir in turkey and heat through. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in parsley. Makes 4 main-dish servings.
• Each serving: 435 calories, 9g fat, 62mg cholesterol, 970mg sodium, 58g total carbohydrate, 7g dietary fiber, 32g protein.
Homemade turkey broth
Homemade broth is so simple, but it makes a huge difference when it comes to flavor. It can enrich everything from soups to stews and sautéed dishes.
Turkey carcass, scraps and neck from roast turkey
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into quarters
1 large stalk celery, cut into 2-inch chunks
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Parsley stems from 1 bunch
In 10- to 12-quart stockpot (if you don’t have 1 pot large enough, divide ingredients between 2 smaller ones), combine turkey carcass, cut up if necessary, scraps and neck with carrots, onion, celery, thyme and parsley. Add enough cold water just to cover ingredients; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 3 hours.
Slowly and carefully pour turkey broth through colander into very large bowl set in sink. Discard solids.
To cool broth quickly before refrigerating, set bowl with broth in sink filled with ice water and stir broth occasionally until cool, adding additional ice if necessary.
Cover bowl and refrigerate turkey broth overnight. Spoon off and discard fat. Refrigerate broth up to 3 days, or freeze in 1-quart portions to use up within 6 months. Makes 4 1/2 quarts.
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King Feature Syndicate
Curry and chutney can spice turkey too
By J.M. HIRSCH
AP food editor
Curries typically are served with rice or flatbread. To put yet another Thanksgiving leftover to work in this turkey curry recipe, serve it over a bed of mashed potatoes. The curry sauce and cranberry chutney will be delicious on the potatoes.
The chutney — an Indian condiment that usually blends cooked sweet fruit with pungent spices — calls for whole-berry cranberry sauce, but fresh whole berries could be used, too. Add a little extra water and simmer until the berries pop.
The turkey curry calls for coconut milk. You can make a lighter version of this dish by substituting an equal amount of lite coconut milk or chicken broth. With the later you won’t get the same rich, thick sauce as with coconut, but it will still be great.
And if you are craving soup instead of curry, skip the chutney and follow the turkey recipe as written. At the end, add 4 cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer for a delicious curried turkey soup.
The fastest way to make this recipe is to set the chutney to simmer, then prepare the curry while it cooks.
Cranberry chutney
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon diced jarred jalapeno slices (more or less to taste)
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender. If the chutney gets too dry, add about 1/4 cup water.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 124 calories; 1 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 2 g fiber; 90 mg sodium.
Leftover turkey curry
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
4 cups leftover vegetables (such as green beans, peas, carrots or parsnips), roughly chopped
3 cups chopped cooked turkey
15-ounce can coconut milk
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the oil, onion, garlic and curry powder. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Add the vegetables and toss to coat with the curry powder mixture.
Add the turkey and coconut milk, then bring to a simmer. Heat until warmed through, then season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, flatbread or mashed potatoes, and warm cranberry chutney.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 339 calories; 189 calories from fat; 21 g fat (14 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 45 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 3 g fiber; 175 mg sodium.
Turkey popovers for breakfast
If yet another round of soups, sandwiches and casseroles cobbled out of Thanksgiving leftovers leaves you uninspired, try these popover-style breakfast treats studded with chopped turkey and stuffing. The combination of eggs, stuffing (think toast) and turkey works wonderfully together. They would be delicious served with maple syrup.
Leftover turkey popovers
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 6
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup stuffing
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Heat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 6-cup muffin tin with baking spray.
In a blender, whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs, thyme, salt and pepper, then blend again until smooth. With the blender running on low, sprinkle in the flour and blend until smooth.
Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Divide the chicken between each cup, dropping it into the egg mixture. Top each serving with a spoonful of the stuffing, then sprinkle it with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned. Cool briefly.