WONDERFUL LEFTOVER ROAST TURKEY

                                        Wonderful leftover roast turkey

 

           Our kitchen and dining room once again look their normal state after the overload on Thanksgiving, but as any cook knows – Thanksgiving leftovers ‘linger on’. The bones and trimmings have become a rich turkey stock for soup. Leftover stuffing has become a bag of croutons after being crumbled and baked in a 300-degree oven until toasted and dried. And those first wonderful turkey and cranberry-relish sandwiches seem to have unfortunately lost their initial zest.

          However, leftover turkey is one of those cherished gifts to the cook, that provides ready cooked meat for countless imaginative everyday meals for the Holiday season, when time is of essence. If you did not cook a Thanksgiving turkey at home, the following recipes are equally applicable to leftover roast chicken or chicken from the supermarket rotisserie.

          Plain roast turkey may have its own flavor, but it is equally adept at assuming new identities with the help of intriguing flavorings, such as curry or soy.

                                      Turkey Madras

          Pour boiling water over ½ cup golden raisins to cover, allow to plump-up for 3 minutes, drain and set aside. Cut 3 cups leftover turkey in bite size and set aside. Heat to simmer 2 cups turkey or chicken broth and keep hot.

Melt 2 tblsp. butter with 1 tblsp. olive oil in a large pan and sauté ¾ cups chopped onion, ¾ cups chopped celery and 4-5 mushrooms finely chopped for 5 minutes, stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves and continue to cook on low heat for 2 additional minutes. With a wooden spoon stir in 1-3 tblsp. curry powder to taste, 1 tblsp. tomato paste ¼ cup flour. Slowly incorporate the simmering broth until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Season with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the turkey and raisins and bring to boil.  Stir in ½ cup cream, heat to boiling and serve over cooked rice.

          Turkey with Hoisin sauce and water chestnuts

In a small bowl mix 2 tblsp. Hoisin sauce, 1 tblsp. soy sauce, 2 tsp. rice vinegar, ¼ cup water. Assemble: ½ thinly sliced onion, ½ seeded green pepper cut in 1-inch pieces, ½ can drained water chestnuts cut in 3 slices, ½ carrot cut 1-inch pieces that are quartered lengthwise, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tsp. freshly peeled chopped ginger, and 2 cups bite size pieces of turkey.

Heat 2 tblsp. vegetable oil in a large pan and sauté the onion with the carrots for 5 minutes, stir in 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger and green pepper and sauté for an additional minute. Stir in the Hoisin sauce mix and when blended add turkey and water chestnuts. Heat thoroughly for a few minutes and serve over cooked soba noodles.

                                                        Turkey Nachos

This must be the easiest way to prepare leftover turkey, simply assemble and bake. Toss 2 cups of bite size cut up turkey with 1 tblsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. oregano and ½ tsp. sage.

Spray a baking dish or a pie plate with baking spray and spread a layer of corn chips on the bottom, then ½ of the chicken, layer of Jack cheese, some rinsed and drained black beans, a few jalapeno slices, pitted black or kalamata olives. Followed by another layer of corn chips, chicken, and everything else as above. Finish with a light layer of corn chips and finally some Jack cheese or cheddar. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and enjoy.

Welcome back winter. One can only hope Oscar Wilde knew what he was talking about when he said, “Wisdom comes with winter”.

    (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

 

ALTERNATIVE THANKSGIVING SIDES

 

                            Alternative Thanksgiving sides

           Thanksgiving, originally celebrated in many cultures as a ‘harvest festival, in North America dates back to the day set aside by Pilgrims to give thanks for their first harvest. Our images of bountiful Thanksgiving tables in the twenty first century have little resemblance to that first gathering, though both tend to focus on food and gathering of friends and family.

          Historians continue to argue whether that first Thanksgiving featured turkey on the menu. Today the Thanksgiving menu has assumed an inviolate traditional cast for many families and you disturb it at your peril of offending great aunt Augusta, if the table does not feature string beans and corn pudding dictated by tradition.

          It may be foolish to try and temper too much with such basics as turkey and mashed potatoes, but great aunt Augusta may not notice the improved flavor of gravy made with a splash of Madeira and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice as a finish. Vegetables add color to the Thanksgiving table. Retaining the tradition of corn and beans as a side, make a colorful dish of succotash that is easy to prepare.

                                                  Enriched succotash

          This recipe is for 4 servings but can easily be scaled up for a larger group.

On medium heat 1 tblsp. olive oil and 1 tblsp. butter in a pan, sauté 2 chopped shallots and ½ diced red pepper for 5 minutes without browning and set aside.

          Bring 1 cup chicken broth to boil in a pot, add 2 cups frozen baby lima beans and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in 2 cups frozen corn and the cooked shallots and peppers and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper, swirl in 1 tblsp. additional butter and serve.

          Many families serve creamed onions as a side dish to pair with turkey. An amazing and deeply flavorful alternative is a side dish of balsamic roasted onions.

                             Balsamic roasted onions

          This dish can be made with either red onions or small peeled boiling onions. In a small pot melt 2 tblsp. butter, add 2 tblsp. olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. thyme and 1tsp. salt.

           Cut tops off 2 large red onions and peel all but the last outer layer of the peel. Cut each large onion into 6 wedges and dip in the butter-vinegar mix. Place wedges cut side down on an oiled baking dish without touching and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, turning the wedges several times during baking. When they start to look dry, sprinkle with HOT water or chicken broth to loosen and glaze. Remove from oven and peel off the outer layer of the skin. The cut sides should be browned. These can be made ahead and reheated briefly in the oven. If using small peeled white onions, make 2 partial cuts in each as to quarter the onion as a chrysanthemum and stand them upright in the pan for baking.

          Pumpkin and apple pies are everyone’s standbys for this holiday. A recent exploration of a recipe for a fruit galette came up with a tempting and visually appetizing alternative for my traditional apple pie.

                                                   Apple-almond galette

          The filling: whisk together ½ cup almond flour, 2 tblsp. flour, ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. cardamom, ½ tsp. salt.  Melt 4 tblsp. butter and when slightly cooled, beat into 2 large eggs with 1 tsp. almond extract. Thoroughly mix the eggs with the flour mixture.

          Roll out a sheet from 14 oz. thawed puff pastry, place directly on the pan and score a ½ inch border around the edges with a sharp knife, without cutting all the way through. Spread the filling over the pastry within the borders of the ½ inch scored edges. Peel, core and thinly slice 2 large Cortland or other baking apples and layer in slightly overlapping rows over the pastry. Brush apples with 2 tblsp. fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with 2 tblsp. Demerara sugar.

          Beat an egg with 1 tsp. water and brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle edges with slivered almonds and slightly press with your fingers to adhere to the glaze. Bake 40 minutes in a 375-degree preheated oven with the pan in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes to deep golden. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and slide on a rack covered with parchment paper. In a small pot melt 1 tblsp. butter with 2 tblsp. honey, stir to blend and brush the top of apples for a moist glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

          All the temptations of the Thanksgiving table should leave us mindful of Molière who cautioned us in his play The Miser: “One should eat to live, not live to eat”.

    (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

 

PORK CHOPS AND MADELEINES

 

                                 Pork chops and Madeleines

           The ghouls and goblins have fled until the next year, leaving us bereft of their elusive whimsy of shape and excitement as fall fades in November. October has lingered with colors slowly fading, but after a couple of days of Indian summer chill has come here to stay and we turn to the warmth of indoors.

          The kitchen takes again its place for warmth and as a place for creating more hearty meals to send us to outdoor activities well-nourished. Pork like chicken can come in a variety of cuts and is amenable to an infinite variety of flavors in preparation.

Beginning cooks find pork chops, like steak, one of the easiest to prepare. Presumably, all you have to do is salt and pepper the chop, heat a pan with a little oil and fry it until done on both sides. Unlike steak, pork needs to be cooked thoroughly and more likely than not, these simple directions will give you shoe leather. Because pork is not marbled like a good steak, the lean meat dries out quickly on a hot pan, unless you take some measure to prevent this from occurring. One of the easiest ways to prepare tender pork chops is to dredge them in a coating such as egg and breadcrumbs or panko before cooking. Flavorful oven roast pork chops are equally tender and involve less guess work about the heat of the pan for cooking and allows you to roast potatoes at the same time to accompany the meal.

 

                                          Flavorful oven roast pork chops

In a small bowl mix: 3 tblsp. whole grain Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. Kosher salt, 1 ½ tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. thyme, 1 tsp, chopped rosemary and set aside 2 tsp. of the mix. In another shallow bowl mix 1 cup panko with 1 tsp. salt and 2 tblsp. olive oil.

Preheat the oven to roast at 425 degrees and set the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Rub 4 thick bone-in pork chops with the mustard mixture and dredge one side of the chops in the panko mixture. Set the chops on one side of the pan with the panko side up and sprinkle with some additional panko for a thick coating. Peel 2-3 potatoes and cut in 1 ½ inch chunks, peel and halve 4 shallots. Toss the vegetables in 2 tblsp. olive oil and arrange on the other side of the pan. Sprinkle the vegetables with some garlic salt and roast the meat and vegetables for 20 minutes, remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. In a small pan stir together and heat 2 tsp. of the reserved mustard mix, 2 tblsp. olive oil and 1 tblsp. apple cider vinegar and drizzle over the pork chops. Serve with colorful red sautéed cabbage.

                             Red sautéed cabbage

Heat 2 tblsp. vegetable oil in a large pan to hot without smoking and stir in 5 cups coarsely shredded cabbage, 2 sliced shallots or ½ thinly sliced red onion, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. carraway seed and ½ tsp. lemon pepper. Stir fry for 2 minutes, turn heat down to medium heat and add in 1 tart apple, cored and sliced thin. Continue to sauté for 4 minutes. Stir in 1-2 tblsp. apple cider vinegar and continue to cook until all liquid is absorbed.

Thousands of essays have been written by students in French classes about Madeleines, the French desert cookie made famous by Marcel Proust in his “Remembrance of Things Past” novel.  Some years past Gourmet magazine came up with a savory version of Madeleines that was worth retrieving for some informal entertaining at our house.

 

                               Savory cheese and zucchini Madeleines

Coarsely shred 2 small zucchini on a box grater, sprinkle with 2 tsp. coarse salt, allow to sit for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly, drain and squeeze out all excess moisture.

Heat 2 tblsp. olive oil in a pan and sauté 1 small, chopped onion for 10 minutes without browning, set aside.

In a large bowl stir together 1 cup of flour, 1 tblsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt. In another bowl beat 3 eggs, 1 ½ tblsp. milk, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp. basil, ¼ tsp. pepper, the onion and zucchini. Stir the egg mixture in the flour and mix thoroughly.

Butter and flour 2 Madeleine pans or 1 ½ in diameter muffin pans, fill with the batter and smooth the tops. Bake 16-17 minutes in a 400-degree preheated oven. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, and gently release the Madeleines with a spatula, bottoms up. Lightly brush with melted butter and serve warm or at room temperature.

   (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)