Your Thanksgiving turkey has maximum appeal at precisely two moments: when the bird first comes out of the oven in all of its golden, glistening splendor, and at the end of the meal, when the bird’s remains — carved into many odd shapes — trigger delicious ideas for using leftovers.
Certainly you are beyond cold turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce? Put your imagination to work in the kitchen this year. Use these recipes as a starting point and add your own touches and favorite seasonings; you may just look forward to the day after Thanksgiving.
Southwest turkey salad with chili vinaigrette
This could not be simpler, and you can add any other topping you might like. Recipe is from “Dinner’s Ready” by Andrew Schloss. Makes four main-dish servings.
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3 cups cooked turkey
1 can (11 ounces) corn kernels, drained
2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, diced
6 scallions, trimmed of tops and roots, thinly sliced
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned and thinly sliced
Combine onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and chili powder in a small mixing bowl. Add ketchup. Whisk in the vinegar, oil and hot pepper sauce; keep whisking until mixture is smooth. In a salad bowl, toss the turkey, corn, roasted red peppers and scallions. Add dressing; mix thoroughly. Serve on a bed of your favorite lettuce.
Turkey and sweet potato croquettes
Here’s a way to use leftover turkey and leftover sweet potatoes. Recipe is from Gourmet Magazine. Makes about 24 croquettes. If you don’t feel like even looking at turkey for a few days, you can make ahead and freeze these until the taste buds beckon.
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup flour for dredging
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups finely chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 large eggs plus 1 tablespoon water, beaten
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for deep frying
In a small saucepan, cook the onion in the butter over medium-low heat, stirring, for five minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup flour; cook over low heat, stirring, for three minutes. Stir in milk and broth. Cook, stirring, until a paste forms. Cook the paste, stirring, for three minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the turkey, sweet potatoes, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Combine mixture well, then chill, covered, for two hours in refrigerator. When firm, roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Dredge the balls in 1/2 cup flour, shaking off excess. Coat balls thoroughly with the egg wash, letting excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs, transferring to waxpaper as they are coated. (Croquettes can be wrapped well and frozen up to a month at this point; thaw for an hour before cooking.) Dry croquettes at room temperature for one hour. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of the oil until 365 degrees. Fry croquettes in batches for one to one-and-a-half minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Serve warm.
Enchiladas Suizas
These easy and rich enchiladas are good with a side dish of black beans or rice. Recipe is from “Great Food Without Fuss” by Frances McCullough and Barbara Witt. Makes six servings.
3 cups shredded cooked turkey
1 cup canned chopped green chilies
3 pickled jalapeno peppers, seeded, rinsed and minced
1 cup canned green chili sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 corn tortillas
Cooking oil
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
6 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mince 1 cup of the turkey in a food processor. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining 2 cups turkey, green chilies, jalapenos and green chili sauce. Pour the cream into a shallow bowl; set aside.
Heat 1 inch of oil in a small skillet. When just medium hot, slide one tortilla at a time into the oil and turn it over with tongs. Leave just long enough to soften. Remove, letting excess oil drip back into skillet. Dip tortilla into the cream, then place in a baking dish. Spoon some filling off center on the tortilla and roll up, rolling away from you, and turn flap side down, into place. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Drizzle with remaining cream, cover with the cheese and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve piping hot.
Turkey mole
If you’ve never made mole (which means “sauce”) you’ve got to do it once in your lifetime. This dish combines five important foods introduced into the Old World by the Spaniards: peanuts, turkey, chilies, tomatoes and chocolate. Recipe is from “The Goodness of Nuts and Seeds” by John Midgley. Makes enough for 10 servings. Scale down as needed.
Boned meat from turkey, about 2 1/4 pounds
2 ounces sesame seeds
2 ounces whole blanched almonds
2 ounces raw, unsalted peanuts
Enough dried mild chilies to fill a small bowl (ancho, mulato, pasilla and/or chipotle)
3-inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 ounces (1/2 cup) sunflower oil
3 medium onions, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
4 ounces canned plum tomatoes, chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of oregano
1 ounce grated chocolate
Cut turkey meat into large, even chunks. Toast the sesame seeds and nuts in a heavy pan until lightly browned; remove and reserve. Grind chilies and spices with a mortar and pestle or in a clean coffee grinder. Heat the oil in a very large, lidded casserole. Fry turkey pieces until evenly golden; remove and reserve. Add onions to pan; fry until lightly browned. Add garlic and ground chilies and spices; mix well and saute gently for a few minutes longer. Return turkey to pan and mix well. Add vinegar, sugar, chicken stock and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and oregano. Simmer about 40 minutes, stirring a few times. Add grated chocolate and toasted nuts; mix well and continue to simmer, uncovered, up to a half hour longer or until turkey is tender and sauce has thickened and darkened. Serve hot.