Post Thanksgiving Re-purposing

Every Thanksgiving, there are the true "Turkeytarians" like my mom and my husband who start dreaming of turkey and all that it entails.  We've always joked that if my mom were on Death Row, turkey & dressing would be her last meal request.  My husband is the official turkey guy.  He brines it, he roasts it, he watches it, he even photographs it.  Yep, I'm not the only nerd taking pictures of food.

Personally, I'm very (extremely) lukewarm about turkey. But, I get it.  There are those like Mom and Neil who are all in. I know people like them think that a turkey, mayo and tomato sandwich later is like manna from Heaven.  Whatev.  Me, I'm the one thinking of all the ways I can turn that leftover turkey into something way more interesting.  Soup, enchiladas, pot pies, something.  This year, I decided on an old classic....Turkey Tetrazzini.

Start by cooking about 1/2 lb of noodles, whatever type you like.  I chose spaghetti but linguine or fettucine would work well too. 

Chop about 3 cups of leftover turkey.  I'm not a big fan of cubes of meat, so I chop mine roughly so the pieces are not uniform. Chop up a small onion and some mushrooms.  I used about 4 big mushrooms; you can decide how many is enough but not too much.

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 400.  Let's make the sauce now.  In a saucepan, melt about 3 Tbs butter.  Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and cook about 3 minutes or so.  Whisk in 2 3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth, 1/4 cup white wine, 1/4 tsp thyme and a pinch of nutmeg. Whisk until nice and smooth and continue to heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently.  Remove from heat and whisk in cream.  Set aside.

Melt about 1 more Tbs butter and saute onions and mushrooms.  Mix together turkey, noodles, onions and mushrooms.  

Then, add the sauce to the mixture...

Pour all into a casserole dish and sprinkle with Parmesan...

Then into that nice, hot oven to bake for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and beautiful.

  
 I served ours with some peas because I'm a freak about having something green on the plate.  Actually, the peas are good mixed into the tetrazzini too.  

I've also added pimento for color in past casseroles, which works well too.  I realize tetrazzini is probably the most 1950's type meal you can imagine, but it has stood the test of time for a reason.  It's creamy and gooey, there's pasta involved, it uses up that leftover turkey (or chicken), it freezes well and is a good dish to take to a sick friend.  Frankly, I find it more exciting than a leftover turkey sandwich.  But then again, I'm not a textbook Turkeytarian like Mom and Neil!

Trytophan Fix

What's your favorite food?  This is probably the most often asked question ever.  And everyone has an answer. Or answers, in the case of variety freaks like myself. It's an interesting question because of the wide range of answers you'll hear.  Pizza, lobster, crepes Suzette, chicken chow mein...you just never know.

But here's one you may not think of right off the bat.  Turkey and dressing.  That's right; the American Thanksgiving staples around which our annual celebration is centered.  Most people probably have this meal once a year.  But, there are others. Others who really dig turkey. Those who are connoisseurs of this great gallinaceous bird. I have known one of these people from the day I was born.  She's my mom.

"I know good turkey when I see it."

 And when I say these folks are connoisseurs, I'm not joking.  She can look at turkey in a restaurant or at a catered event from across the room and tell you if she's going to eat it or not.  You see, it has to be REAL turkey.  

I know, it sounds stupid for me to even say that, but here's what she means.  She cannot tolerate processed turkey like that log shaped "turkey roll" for instance.  She practically gags at the mere utterance of the words "turkey roll."  No, what she seeks is an actual slice of roasted turkey, sliced off the actual bird itself, having never taken a trip through any type of automated machine or formed into any shape other than turkey-shaped.

Turkeys are NOT shaped like circles

 My sister and I have joked for years that if Mom ever ends up on Death Row, she'll pick turkey & dressing for her last meal.  We joke, but it's really not a joke at all.  She'd do it.  She's like the dad on "Christmas Story." 

Interesting carving stance...he just wants that turkey!

 She loves the stuff. So, what's a turkey devotee to do once Thanksgiving comes and goes?  Oh sure, you can buy yourself a turkey and roast it at home on any given Tuesday, but really, does anyone ever actually do that?  But, my Mom has found the answer.  She has found the place to satisfy this need.  If you ever feel like you don't know what day it is, you'll know it's Thursday when my Mom mentions The Cracker Barrel.

Now, you guys know how I am about chain restaurants. For the most part, I hate them but I do acknowledge that they have their time and place.  Frankly, I think the Cracker Barrel is one of the weirdest places on Earth.  I guess their mission statement goes something like "Have the motoring public pull off the Interstate, come eat some overpriced "country food", then wander around aimlessly before ending at the cashier to pay for their meal, a pound of taffy, ballerina costumes for the grandkids and the rocking chair that the spouse is loading into the back of the van".  However, every Thursday, the Cracker Barrel serves real turkey and dressing.  The vegetable du jour is always sweet potato casserole to round out the Thanksgiving experience, if that's what you're going for. 

There you have it.  Real, sliced, roasted turkey every single Thursday of every single week.  For these trytophan fanatics this is like having lunch in Shangri-La. As much as I joke about the Cracker Barrel, I must admit that I'm happy to go there on Thursdays with my mom.  Turkey's her thing, I get it. Until she gets to Heaven... you know, the land of milk and honey turkey and dressing, I'll gladly accompany her to her occasional turkey fix.

Turkey's Day After

Turkey is the American symbol of Thanksgiving, of harvest time, of bounty and abundance.  Makes you wonder if turkeys have any sense of their importance? Maybe it's a source of great pride? Maybe it's a source of great depression? For the turkey that is.  But for us humans, the turkey represents one of our most anticipated and joyously celebrated holidays.  It's cool too that it's uniquely American.  Interestingly enough, there are some people who regard turkey as the ultimate delicacy and yet, there are those who are just ok with it and some who really don't like it.  But, we roast 'em, fry 'em, grill 'em and serve 'em every year.

Almost as anticipated as the Thanksgiving turkey itself is the leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  Some people dream about the leftover turkey sandwich. I've heard everything from a simple white bread and turkey sandwich to an elaborate turkey, dressing, cranberry sandwich tower. After all the leftovers went into the fridge, Neil & his brothers used to go retrieve the now-cooled gravy, slice it off (yes, slice it) and put a slab of cooled, congealed gravy between two slices of bread.  I AM NOT making this up! My mind usually goes to the old turkey tetrazzini or turkey enchiladas.  But, today we tried something new and I think it's now my favorite.

Back story:  as most of you probably know, my mom and I work together selling real estate.  For many years, we've been sending our clients a monthly recipe postcard.  We've had numerous clients call us to let us know that they've tried the recipe with great success.  I always mail one to mom and dad's house so that I know they've hit the mail and have been delivered.  This month, right before the holiday, the card arrived with a recipe for "Asian Turkey Soup."

We whipped up a batch of this today and served with some veggie egg rolls on the side.  Man, did it hit the spot!  Especially on a cold day. And, best of all, it was a snap to prepare.  

We had enough for the three of us and more for tomorrow.  The Asian flavors were just right for making this something new and different than the usual, traditional leftover turkey fare. 

 

Thanksgiving Newbies

Despite how much of a traditional Southerner I tend to be, there are times that changes and new things have their place.  For instance, this year is the first that Neil, Vivi and I had Thanksgiving all to ourselves.  Yep...Neil's dad and significant other were in Charleston and my parents went to Florida with my sister and her husband to visit his family.  So, the three of us were left here in Columbia...left to our own devices.

Several years ago, Neil was proclaimed the official turkey king of the family.  He brines it overnight then roasts it slowly.  The result is a ridiculously tender & juicy turkey that tastes fantastic. Frankly, until I tasted a turkey by Neil, I didn't like it.  I'd eat it because that's what you do at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it was never a favorite and certainly not something I would have requested.  But all that changed when I tried his. So, as traditions go, Neil's brined turkey is simply what we do around here.  

But, since it was just the three of us this year, I decided to change things up a bit. You see, it's not always easy to sneak a new dish in on a holiday because the rest of the family looks at you incredulously and asks something like "What is this?" even though it's freakin' obvious that it is still, in fact, a sweet potato.  In 1988, I was living with a French family for a semester.  My family called me and they all passed the phone around to say hello to me.  Well, as two members of the family informed me, my mom made the sweet potatoes that year, instead of Aunt Jennie.  They were not pleased.  Not one damn bit. My Uncle Tommy actually sounded pissed off about it.

So, as you can see, this was my golden opportunity to try out some new twists on our Thanksgiving meal.  First, you simply must have dressing.  I cheated a bit by buying the ol' Pepperidge Farm dressing in the blue bag.  After all, this is what my mom has always used.  (Tradition) But, I took a few recipes as inspiration and jazzed it up by using sweet potatoes, onion, thyme, bacon and a touch of O.J.  

Bacon cookin' up!

Gotta have sweet potatoes

Finished product!

Next, you have to have green vegetables.  Viv loves green beans, so I just steamed those.  Then, I added my piece de resistance...Brussels sprouts slaw.  I got this from www.BonAppetit.com.  I will say again to those of you who turn your noses up at the sprout, open the mind and try this one out.  I am waiting to be hungry again so I can have a plate of this stuff!  

Shredded Brussels tossed with a lemon/Dijon dressing and maple glazed pecans. To round out our meal, we made mashed potatoes (I've said it before & will again...if you don't own a ricer, go out tomorrow and get a Black Friday deal on one) to go with Neil's gravy and rockstar turkey. 

Traditions are important to me and pretty much everyone else in this Southern corner of the world.  Long live the traditions!  But, don't be afraid to introduce some new characters to the show once in awhile.  There's nothing like my Aunt Jennie's sweet potatoes, Neil's turkey and a nice, gooey green bean casserole, to be sure.  However, Brussels sprout slaw and weird dressing can shake things up (in a good way) from time to time. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!   

Casey's of Blythewood

Last weekend Neil and I met Michael Smith, owner of Casey's BBQ.  He was at Senate's End in the market giving samples of his rubs via grilled chicken skewered with rosemary springs and veggie chips with his smoked sea salt.  We began talking and Neil brought up this blog.  So, next thing I know, Michael was so generous as to give me a bottle of his Original BBQ Rub, Steak Stuff and Smoked Sea Salt.  He asked that we try them at home and blog about it.  I was so excited and flattered! 

Made right up the road in Blythewood

Rubbed down and ready for cookin'

Tonight I decided to try the Original on a turkey tenderloin.  I rinsed the turkey and patted it dry with paper towels.  Then, I liberally rubbed the chili mixture on both sides of the meat. I seared each side in my grill pan then transferred the pan to a 350 degree oven until done.  I let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  We served this with baked french onion rice and collards.

Who says turkey can't play with the big bbq boys?

 Verdict?  We were very pleased with the result.  Casey's mix is a balanced blend of spices, herbs and smoke that adds warm flavor without overpowering the meat.  It also sports some subtle spice that is a nice undertone.  (The Vivver thought it was too spicy, but to give her credit, she pointed out to me "It might not be spicy to you, but it is to a 6 year old!")  That kid always manages to make a good argument!  Back to the BBQ rub...I can't wait to try this on burgers and of course, on a steak.  I really like the flavors that Mr. Smith has concocted and will gladly use this seasoning. 

Casey's is a local business out of Blythewood, SC.  As we all know, supporting local businesses is vitally important, now more than ever.  If you're a fan of grilling or making your own barbeque, check out Casey's.  If you don't see a retailer near you, I'm sure you can contact Michael Smith directly and he'll find a way to get some rub to ya!