day-after turkey

When I was growing up, one pound of meat per person was the rule of thumb for planning the amount to buy for dinner. My mother took that ratio to heart; 15-25 pound turkeys were the norm at our Thanksgiving dinners for the same number of people. The suggested quantity worked in 1950, leaving our family with one thin turkey sandwich each the day after the feast.

The pound-per-person ratio gradually lowered over the decades to today’s 4-6 ounces, compliments of an emphasis on weight control. But my mother kept to the 1950 standard; there was simply something festive, even patriotic, about serving a huge turkey on a platter, surrounded by vegetable decorations, on our most quintessentially American holiday.

^[1] Mom specialized in plain cooking, so leftovers morphed from that one slim sandwich to thickly layered ones. And not just for one day. For the entire week of school lunches after Thanksgiving. By the end of the week I could barely choke lunch down. There was nobody to trade with, either, because all the other mothers were doing the same thing. Everybody seemed to want to get rid of the leftover turkey as quickly and efficiently as possible; wasting food simply wasn’t allowed. There really weren’t too many other choices as freezers were small and usually not frost-free. With no other way to use up the food, we all got those turkey sandwiches, usually slathered with mayonnaise.

Trying to keep food edible for future use is nothing new to deal with. Cheese and sausages were invented as long term keepers, as were smoked and salted products, then canned foods in the early 19th century. Cool cellars were winter homes to root vegetables and cabbages. Ice houses filled with ice harvested from winter- frozen rivers kept dairy products viable. Today saving leftovers is simple with ample freezer space and plastic containers.

But the problem of not serving repetitious meals from leftovers remains; most people aren’t willing to eat turkey sandwiches seven days running. Food can be portioned and frozen for weekly Thanksgiving meals for months, but that’s boring in today’s food crazed world. Happily there are hundreds of options well beyond the overused Turkey Tetrazzini. And the options are not just for the turkey. There are numerous solutions to using leftover cranberry sauce, pies and veggies, too. The simple trick is to think about how to incorporate the food into familiar preparations.

Let’s start with cranberry sauce. It’s basically a jelly, ready with a bit of thinning with water and an addition of sugar for pancakes and waffles instead of maple syrup. A smooth sauce goes into doughnuts, a chunky one becomes a cake filling when mixed with whipped cream.

Do you like soup? Most vegetables can be cut into chunks and tossed into turkey stock for soup, along with corn and potatoes. Stuffing can be used for thickening and flavor; the bread will largely fall apart in the liquid. If you have a sausage stuffing instead of bread, whirl potatoes or starchy beans such as lima, or even peas, in a food processor with some stock and use that for thickening. And do be adventuresome. Even well cut up leftover salad—minus the dressing, radishes and cucumbers—can be incorporated into soups.

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^[3]If you prefer, take very dry lettuce leaves, line rice paper wrappers with them, stuff with asparagus, green beans, cucumbers and carrots, then roll up the paper. Serve with cranberry sauce thinned with water and lime juice, or hoisin sauce right from the jar. Pita bread can be substituted for the wrappers, but use tahini or tzatziki (cucumber and yogurt sauce) instead.

Has the crust gone soggy on the pumpkin or pecan pie? Scoop out the filling, thin slightly with cream, then roll it into crêpe wrappers, or lather it on pancakes and waffles; pecan filling can be also be used on cakes. Most muffin recipes can stand up to substituting one-half of the liquid for the pumpkin. Or use pumpkin in a risotto.

As for the turkey, making stock from the bones is a flavorful necessity. Freeze in small portions for sauces or larger ones for soup. It’s tempting to just substitute turkey for chicken in recipes, but the flavors are different. Chicken is a mild-flavored meat and, like veal, can be paired with almost any sauce or accompaniment. Turkey, on the other hand, has a deeper, more robust flavor, demanding a highly flavored preparation. A Mexican mole is a perfect, although time consuming; see recipe online at www.lebomag.com. Try a lasagna of turkey with leftover veggies, preferably roasted, layered with a creamy tarragon/pepper sauce and thick slices of gruyère cheese or almost any cheese from that big dinner.
The chart below has lots of ideas for preparations to make sure that turkey day leftovers are not feared anymore.

Morning-After Frittata

^[4]Preheat oven to 400°
2 c stuffing
1 c of diced turkey
1 c of shredded cheddar cheese, or hard cheese of choice, or combination of cheeses
8 large eggs
3/4 c milk
1/4 tsp each nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper
(Adjust or omit these depending on the amount of seasoning in the stuffing.)
2 T chopped fresh parsley, or mixture of parsley, tarragon and Thai basil
1.  Heavily oil a medium sized, straight edge skillet or casserole.
2. Mix the stuffing and turkey in a bowl, then place it in an even layer in        the casserole.
3. Put the casserole in the oven and just warm the stuffing/turkey   mixture.
4. Beat together the eggs, milk and seasonings.
5. Pour the egg mixture over stuffing/turkey, shaking slightly to make sure that the eggs distribute evenly.
6. Spread the cheese evenly over the top.
7. Bake about 15-20 minutes until the eggs are set and puffy, but not fully cooked and dry. The cheese should be just melted and slightly golden.
8. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting. The eggs will continue to cook, which is why it is important to take the dish out of the oven while they are still slightly undercooked.
Garnish with leaves from the green herbs.