There are so many creative, and delicious ways to use up the last of that holiday bird, but this super simple turkey rice recipe might be my favorite. This is easy, comforting, and won’t remind you that you’re eating leftovers. That’s what turkey sandwiches are for.
And, as always, enjoy! If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
Even if your turkey is perfectly cooked, the reheated
leftovers can be a little dry and uninteresting, especially since the gravy
always runs out before all the meat is gone.
That’s why soup is such a popular
choice for using up the last remnants of your bird, but this tamale pie will
serve the same purpose, only in a significantly more exciting, and flavorful way.
There are two basic types of tamale pie. One features a
cornbread topping, which is like eating chili with cornbread, and the other a
traditional masa dough, which is like eating chili with polenta on it. Here, I
wanted to create something that gives us the best of both, and I was very happy
with how this came out.
While I’m branding this as a post-Thanksgiving leftover
turkey recipe, it’s really a “how to make tamale pie” video, since you can sub
in virtually any other meat and/or vegetable, and it should work just as well.
In fact, I’m actually thinking of doing a version using cubed butternut squash as
a turkey-adjacent side dish. Regardless of what you use, I really do hope you
give this easy and delicious tamale pie a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 Portions Turkey Tamale Pie: (I used a 9" X 12" baking dish)
As I joked about in the intro, for something to be called a
“Hot Brown,” and still become so wildly popular, is a true testament to just
how amazingly delicious this really is.
Invented at the Brown Hotel in
Louisville, Kentucky, to help late night partygoers keep going, this hot turkey
gratin may be my all-time favorite, fork and knife sandwich.
And for something that seems so decadent, I don’t actually
find it to be all that heavy of a meal. Of course, that could be the bourbon
talking. I guess you could use milk instead of cream to lighten this up, but
unless you’re going to start eating these several times a week, I think you
should stick to the original formula.
I’m sure this would be okay with some thickly sliced turkey
from the deli, but roasting your own is pretty easy, and you can use the
leftovers for a few less extravagant sandwiches. Either way, I really do hope
you give this Kentucky classic a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for the sauce (enough for 4 small or 2 giant
portions):
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for grating on top
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
For the turkey (enough for 4 portions): 1 teaspoon oil or butter to grease baking dish
2 pound boneless turkey breast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, or other dried/fresh herbs of
your choice
- Roast at 350 F. to an internal temp of 148 F.
For each Hot Brown:
2 pieces white bread, toasted
6 ounces roast turkey breast (3 thick slices)
3 slices of tomato
enough prepared cheese sauce to cover
grated Pecorino Romano for the top
paprika or cayenne for the top
2 slices bacon, precooked
chopped Italian parsley
- Finish under a low broiler, or in 475 F. oven until the
sauce is bubbly and browned, and the bacon is cooked. To cheat, you can cook
bacon crisp separately, and just top the finished dish, but I think it tastes
better if you brown with the bacon on top.
Everyone loves a traditional turkey dinner with all the
fixings, but because of the time and work involved, we usually only get to
enjoy it once a year on Thanksgiving. So, what if we create a second holiday,
called “Little Thanksgiving,” and feature this smaller, and much easier,
Hasselback turkey?
By the way, when I say easier, that assumes we’ve figured
out how to carve it significantly better than I demonstrated in the video.
A thinner, more flexible knife would have been much better,
as well as just slicing off one section at a time. I may try another one,
but before stuffing, I'll go around the outside edge of the breast with a knife, cutting in about an inch, where it attaches to the bone. This would still leave most of the meat attached at the
center, and probably make slicing simpler.
I guess we could try using a boneless breast, but I really
think the ribcage is important for keeping the meat, if you’ll pardon the
expression, moist. If you’ve tried this sans bones, please let me know how it
came out. Regardless, since these breasts can really vary in size, be sure to use
a thermometer to check doneness. So, whether you do this for regular Thanksgiving,
or that new “Little Thanksgiving” everyone is talking about, I really do hope
you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:
one 2 to 3 pound split turkey breast, bone in, skin on
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing on before roasting
For the very basic stuffing:
2 cups small dry bread cubes
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (dried sage, rosemary, and thyme)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
1/2 cup diced onion and 1/2 cup diced celery sautéed in
butter until golden
1 cup hot chicken broth, plus more if needed
1 large egg yolk
NOTE: In the video I said to roast at 350 F., to an internal
temp of 150 F., but in hindsight, I’m thinking that a 375 F. oven would work better.
For the stuffing, try these recipes, and cook the extra
mixture in a pan alongside your Hasselback Turkey Breast.
Most normal people cook a bigger turkey than they need, so
they can enjoy some leftovers. There’s nothing better than a fresh turkey sandwich,
or three, but after a couple days, that bony carcass is that last thing you
want to look at; and that’s where these crispy flautas come in.
As I joked about in the video, when it comes to leftovers, the
“add cheese and fry” system is a proven crowd pleaser, but to hedge our
bets, we’re also topping with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. This creates
something so different from the holiday meal that you might forget where the
turkey actually came from. Depends on how much you’ve been drinking.
Regarding my comment about pre-grated cheese being coated
with saw dust – many people on YouTube thought I was joking, but this really is
true. That shredded stuff in the bag is coated in a fine cellulose dust, which
prevents the pieces of cheese from clumping together. The good news is, grating
cheese only takes a minute, and almost anyone can do it.
And if you don’t have old turkey to make these flautas with,
eventually you will have some leftover chicken, which would obviously also work. Either way, I hope you give these delicious, crispy flautas a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 large turkey flautas:
24 small, white corn tortillas 1 egg white to seal flautas, optional
*1 pound cooked, shredded turkey
6 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese, sharp cheddar, or a
combo of the two (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup chopped green onions
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
*I’ll assume you’re going to use one of our turkey recipes,
so your bird will be super moist, but if it isn’t, you can always add a 1/4 cup
of chicken broth to the mixture to compensate.
- Garnish with shaved cabbage, guacamole, sour cream, salsa,
and freshly chopped cilantro
Making delicious meatballs with fatty, flavorful beef is no
great feat, but creating something as delectable using ground turkey is another
story. As the old joke goes, it may be bland, but at least it’s dry. So, you’re
going to need a very specialized strategy, and by “specialized strategy,” I
mean some cold, leftover rice.
As these simmer in your sauce or soup, the grains of rice absorb
moisture, swell up, and create a relatively tender, moist meatball. Above and
beyond that, you’ll also want to look for ground turkey thigh meat (available
at most of your higher-priced grocery chains).
By the way, like all meatball/meatloaf recipes, you can test
your seasoning by cooking a small piece of the mixture before rolling your
ball. Even though the meat hasn’t simmered in the sauce yet, at least you can see
if it needs more salt. I’ll just fry up a little patty, and adjust if need be,
and suggest you do the same.
I didn’t intend this recipe to be a Thanksgiving dinner
alternative, but now that I think about it, these could actually work. Maybe
you have a small group, or don’t like looking at a giant carcass on the table (hey,
some people are weird like that), or your in-laws are Spanish, and you want to show
them you can pronounce “albondigas.”Whatever
the occasion, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 20-24 small meatballs:
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat
1 packed cup cooked white long grain rice 3 cloves crushed garlic 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley 1 large egg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce (I didn’t measure these ingredients, so these
are just guesses)
2 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley salt and pepper to taste
One of the great blessings, and curses, of Thanksgiving is leftover
turkey. The next day it’s great reheated, or made into sandwiches, but by Day 3
you want something that tastes like not turkey. That’s where this spicy Thai coconut
soup recipe comes in.
This is my take on Tom Kha Gai, and as usual I make no claim
as to its authenticity. I do know it tastes amazing to me, and will make you forget
you even roasted a turkey. There’s lots of everything going on here, so be
prepared to adjust radically to your tastes. It should be fairly spicy, sweet,
sour, and salty, all at the same time.
If you can, see if you find galangal, or galanga root, as it's sometimes called. It looks like a thin-skinned ginger, with a sort of similar flavor, although people that make this soup for a living will say it's much different and far superior. I decided to use ginger, since that's what the majority of my audience will use, but I thought it was worth mentioning, in case you live in an area where this rhizome is available.
As far as the chili oil goes, all I did was mash together a
couple tablespoons of sambal with twice as much vegetable oil with a mortar and
pestle. Once it settles, the gorgeous, red oil rises to the top, and you’re
ready to drip. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and that some of your
leftover turkey finds its way into this delicious soup. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 serving: 6 cups turkey or chicken broth
3” piece ginger, sliced thin
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, bruised and sliced
kefir lime or lemon leaves, sliced
2 tbsp cilantro stems
1/2 tsp chili flakes, or to taste
Simmer for 15 minutes
Add:
1 pound cubed turkey or chicken
1 cup little mushrooms
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 (13-oz) can coconut milk
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup green onion
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
Chili oil, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges to garnish
If you’re a turkey, and you’re getting boned-out, there’s a
good chance you’re about to become Turducken, which in this chef’s opinion, is
one of the most overrated recipes of all time. When was the last time you sat
down in a restaurant and thought, “I hope the chef’s doing a turkey, duck,
chicken trio.”
However, the idea of removing those pesky bones before your
bird makes its grand entrance may be worth considering. Not only do you get an
impressive looking roast to wow the table, but carving is significantly easier. I didn't have time to show here, but of course you are making a killer turkey stock with all those bones, so that's another advantage. Also, if you're worried about losing flavor, don't. This tastes virtually identical.
If you’ve ever found yourself hacking up a perfectly good
turkey in front of the family, while flop-sweat drips onto the mangled meat,
then this approach may be for you. Sure, it takes a good hour to prep, but
that’s pretty much where the hard work ends.
These types of videos are near impossible to edit into any
reasonable length, but the good news is this is a lot easier to do than I make
it look. Just go slow, and keep that knife against the bone, and you’ll be
fine. By the way, chickens make an affordable and delicious thing to practice
on.
I’ve included my “prop” stuffing below, which was great.
It’s more the style you’d see in a stuffed pork chop, but as I said in the
video, your favorite stuffing will work beautifully. I’ve also posted a bonus
video below that goes into more detail on the tying technique.
So, if you’re looking for a new and exciting challenge for Thanksgiving, I hope
you give this a try. Enjoy!
Notes:
My turkey was about 15 pounds, but this will work on any
sized bird.
I wanted to try salt only on the outside, without butter or
oil, like in our salt chicken recipe, just to see what would happen, but nothing
did. So, feel free to slather on the butter.
You’ll need about 3-4 cups of prepared stuffing depending on
the turkey.
My pan sauce was nothing more than the drippings with a big splash of cream, reduced until slightly thickened, and strained.
Procedure:
Start in a 450 F. oven for 15 minutes
Reduce to 325 F. until you get an internal temperature of 150
F. (mine took about 1 1/2 hours more)
For the stuffing I used:
1 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup finely minced onions, sautéed golden
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup turkey or chicken broth, or enough to moisten
You may be wondering why I’m posting a Thanksgiving-themed
video in the middle of summer. It’s a great question – I even annoyed myself
with this way-too-early reminder of things to come – but I do have a great
explanation.
As some of you may know, I write a quarterly article for
Allrecipes Magazine, which requires producing the content months in advance,
and this cranberry stuffed game hen recipe is going to be my item in the
November issue. And yes, you should buy the magazine anyway.
If you’re cooking for a smaller group during the holidays,
game hens are a fantastic way to downsize, without losing any of the special
occasion feel. What we have is basically a miniaturized version of the traditional
holiday turkey, featuring an easy, walnut bread and dried cranberry stuffing.
If you’ve never worked with game hens before, they’re very
user friendly. Even stuffed to excess, they only roast for about an hour in a
hot oven, and as long as you don’t overcook them (use a thermometer!), you’ll
be enjoying the kind of juicy, flavorful meat that people cooking turkey
only dream of.
As far as portioning goes, half a bird makes a nice serving,
but I suggest doing one hen per person. I’m sorry, but regardless of bird-size,
a holiday meal without leftovers is just not a holiday meal. So, whether you’re
looking for a smaller, more manageable menu, or just want to feel bigger in
proportion to your poultry, I hope you give these “micro turkeys” a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for Cranberry & Walnut Stuffed Game Hens
(Makes 2 whole or 4 half portions)
2 whole game hens (about 1 1/4 pounds each), fully dressed,
and seasoned with salt to taste
For the stuffing:
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tbsp chopped green onions
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups toasted, crispy walnut bread cubes
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 tsp freshly minced rosemary
1 large egg, beaten
For the sauce:
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup fresh cranberries
2/3 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
- Roast at 400 degrees F. oven for about an hour or until
the internal temperature in the middle of the thigh is 160 F. Let rest, covered
loosely in foil for about 10 minutes, while the sauce is completed.
Thanksgiving is almost here, and we'll assume you already have a great turkey and gravy recipe, so today we are focusing on the side dishes (btw, if you are still sans bird recipe, don't panic, and just check out our critically acclaimed, two-part video series, How to Make Turkey and Gravy).
Everyone knows, it's not a great turkey that makes the meal, it's what you pair it with. What good is a beautiful bird sitting next to a bunch of so-so sides? With that in mind, here's a little collection of thanksgiving appropriate dishes from days gone by. Don't let the poor producton value on the older videos fool you, these are some great sides, and would make a lovely addition to your holiday spread. Enjoy!
Soup is always an obvious choice for leftover-turkey-themed
videos, but it wasn’t until I heard about “Thanksgivingukkah,” that I knew that soup
would be turkey matzo ball. This year, Thanksgiving and the first day of
Hanukkah fall on the same date for the first time since 1888, and this rare
occurrence has been deemed, “Thanksgivingukkah.” And when we say rare, we mean
rare, as this convergence will not happen again for another 77,000 years!
As I mention in the video, while pleased with my matzo ball
skills, I’m not sure I’ve ever had the real thing (if that even exists), and so
I don’t have anything to measure mine against. I’ve had it at delicatessens out
here, but never in NYC, or other more legit locations. I’m using what seems to
be a fairly standard formula, and they are quite light and tender, so until
informed otherwise, I’m going assume these are pretty good.
However, there is one thing I would love to know. Why do
“we” boil the matzo balls in salted water, instead of the soup? I’ve heard it’s
so the broth doesn’t get cloudy, but is that really all there is to it?
Speaking of the broth, yours will undoubtedly be superior to mine. By the time
I got to this video, I only had a few scrawny pounds of meat and bones left,
and yet it still came out wonderfully flavorful.
If you use all the scraps from a decent sized bird, you
should get an incredibly rich broth, which is exactly what you want to be
ladling over your matzo balls. As far as extra ingredients go, I like a
minimalist approach with this soup, but of course, feel free to embellish your
stockpot with whatever you see fit.
Some of this will be determined by how you season your
Thanksgiving bird, and I can personally verify that this year’s Peruvian version worked nicely. So, I hope you enjoy the coming Thanksgivingukkah, and
here’s hoping the end of your turkey means the beginning of a delicious matzo ball soup. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions (I only served one matzo ball, but this will make enough soup for 4 portions with 2 matzo balls per serving):
For the turkey broth:
3-4 pounds of roasted turkey bones and meat scraps (use
everything you have, the fattier the pieces the better)
at least 2 quarts water or chicken broth, or enough to cover
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery
- simmer on low for 3 hours or until all the meat falls off
the bones and it’s flavorless.
- skim and reserve at least 4 tbsp of the melted fat that
rises to the top
- strain, and you should have about 6 cups of broth. If you
have more, reduce down to 6 cups (do not season with salt until reduced). If
you didn’t get quite 6 cups, just add some chicken broth to make up the
difference.
Note: my turkey was already very well seasoned, so I didn’t
need to add much to the stockpot. You can adjust your broth according, and can
certainly add things like bay leaf, thyme springs, parsley stems, etc.
For the matzo balls (makes 8):
2 large beaten eggs
2 tbsp rendered melted turkey fat
1 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
2 tbsp seltzer or club soda
1/2 cup matzo meal
- Mix and chill 30 minutes at least
- Boil in salted water (1 1/2 quarts water with 1 1/2
tablespoons salt) for 30 minutes and serve with turkey broth
For the soup:
2 tbsp rendered melted turkey fat
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
6 cups very rich turkey or chicken broth (see recipe above)
It funny how certain food memories stick in your brain, and
this maple walnut cranberry sauce is the result of one such remembrance. I
can’t tell you when or where, but sometime during my formative years I saw a
cranberry sauce loaded with chopped walnuts, and I totally freaked.
Not
outwardly, as I have a decent poker face, but inside I was like, “what the hell
is that?” That’s how it was for me early in life. If I saw a food
prepared differently from the way I’d always seen it, I just assumed it was a
terrible idea. Like ketchup on a hot dog…okay, so I happened to be right that
time, but generally it’s not a great attitude to have.
As I pondered this season’s annual Thanksgiving cranberry
sauce, and which styles I hadn’t tried yet, I remembered how off-putting that
walnut-studded version was, and I decided to face my demons. I’m happy to
report, as usual, I was totally wrong. It works perfectly. Besides the nuts, I really enjoyed the job the maple syrup
did sweetening the acidic berries. I recommend using a Grade B maple syrup if
you can find it. It’s darker and thicker, and boasts a stronger maple flavor,
so it’s the preferred syrup for cooking and baking by those in the know (also
know as, “Canadians”).
So, if you’re looking for new and exciting cranberry sauce
recipe this holiday season, I hope you give this a try. You’d be nuts not to.
Enjoy!
Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce Ingredients: (makes about 2 cups)
1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries, washed
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup port wine
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped walnut, toasted a light golden-brown
I love, love, love Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, and
have been meaning to do a video on this magical marinade forever, so it’s kind
of funny that it makes it Food Wishes debut slathered all over a Thanksgiving
turkey.
By the way, to the hundreds of you who requested Peruvian chicken, I
checked with our legal department, and this counts.
My usual ethnic food disclaimer applies; I have no idea how
close this is to your “authentic” recipe, but based on what I’ve tasted at some
very good Peruvian restaurants here in San Francisco, I think I did pretty
well. I also think this technique translated beautifully to the much larger
bird.
Above and beyond the vibrant taste, the spice rub formed an
almost airtight crust during the long, slow roasting, and it was truly one of
the juiciest turkeys I’ve ever tasted. It was almost reminiscent of some
salt-dough versions I've enjoyed before.
As I mentioned in the video, I took some of the same
ingredients used in a green sauce that’s usually served along side, and used it
to make a pan gravy. I was very pleased with this last minute experiment, and
it actually reminded me, in taste and texture, of a Chile Verde, which is never
a bad thing.
Below the ingredients, I’ll give you the rather simple
formula for achieving perfect doneness, which will work no matter how you
flavor your turkey, but if you’re looking for something deliciously different
on your Thanksgiving table, then I hope you give this Peruvian turkey a try.
Enjoy!
Peruvian Turkey Ingredients:
1 whole turkey, ready to roast
For the spice rub:
12 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup ground cumin
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
Rub turkey all over, and under the breast skin with the rub.
Let sit out at room temp for 1 hour. Rub extra rub inside cavity, but save a
1/4 cup or so to use as a glaze later. Tie legs, season with kosher salt, and
roast at 325 F., for about 15 minutes a pound, or until the internal temp in the
thickest part of the thigh is 170-175 F.
Let rest 20 minutes before carving.
*I like to cover the breasts with foil about halfway through the estimated cooking time. I also like to remove it, and brush on any extra spice rub (thinned with a little oil) about 30 minutes before it should be done.
For the sauce:
1 cup crème fraiche
juice of one lime
I cup chicken broth
2 jalapeno
1/2 cup cilantro
Place roasting pan (pour off excess fat) on med-high heat.
Puree above and deglaze roasting pan with the mixture. Bring to a boil, and
cook until the mixture thickens into a gravy. Season and serve!
This rich and creamy, smoked turkey and spring pea
fettuccine recipe is inspired by a pasta I learned long ago, working at my
first real chef job in San Francisco.
You may have heard me mention Ryan’s Café
in the past, especially if you’ve tried our famous chicken Marsala, and it was
at this same restaurant where I learned what I still consider one of the best
pasta recipes ever.
As I mention in the video, the original was done with smoked
chicken, but for whatever reason smoked turkey is much easier to find at the
market. I blame the sandwich industry, but no worries, as the turkey is just as
good. There’s just something very special about the way the creamy, slightly
sweet, aromatic sauce pairs with the smoky meat. Which reminds me, this is also
wonderful with leftover ham.
Regarding what many would consider the dangerously large
quantities of cream, I’d like to take a moment to do some math. The recipe
makes four appetizer size portions. There’s about 1 3/4 cups of cream used,
which is roughly 350 calories worth of butter-fatty goodness per serving. To
put that into perspective, those two small ladles of dressing you used during
your last trip to the salad bar had about the same amount. So, long story
short, relax.
Anyway, now that I’ve armed you with a comeback for when
your (probably too thin) friend questions your copious cream usage, I hope you
give this very simple, but extraordinarily delicious pasta recipe a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 small or 2 large portions:
8 oz dry fettuccine noodles, boiled in salted water
Thanksgiving is almost here, and we'll assume you already have a great turkey and gravy recipe, so today we are focusing on the side dishes (btw, if you are still sans bird recipe, don't panic, and just check out our critically acclaimed, two-part video series, How to Make Turkey and Gravy).
Everyone knows, it's not a great turkey that makes the meal, it's what you pair it with. What good is a beautiful bird sitting next to a bunch of so-so sides? With that in mind, here's a little collection of thanksgiving appropriate dishes from days gone by. Don't let the poor producton value on the older videos fool you, these are some great sides, and would make a lovely addition to your holiday spread. Enjoy!
As I pondered this season’s annual Thanksgiving cranberry
sauce, and which styles I hadn’t tried yet, I remembered how off-putting that
walnut-studded version was, and I decided to face my demons. I’m happy to
report, as usual, I was totally wrong. It works perfectly.
