Turkey Sandwiches of the Third Kind

TURKEY SALAD SANDWICHES   
    Since so many of us have extra time off during December and many celebrate the holidays, this season is popular for sharing good food with friends.    One of my standby entertaining foods are finger sandwiches. Now turkey sandwiches can become a little boring when your trying to finish up leftover turkey but I always like to freeze a little leftover turkey, de-boned and skinned, and save it for finger sandwiches at a moments notice.  Chicken works well for this too but moist marinated turkey makes a great turkey salad.  Just cut the pieces up enough to make them easy to fit in a freezer bag.  When you're ready, defrost it slightly then put in a food processor and coarsely grate.  You can grate it first then freeze but it seems to grate easier when it's slightly frozen.    
Once you've got your grated poultry, here's the finishing touches:
 
ADD:

• Mayonnaise or salad dressing to taste, a little at a time till it's the consistency you prefer
• Finely chopped celery (ground celery seed will work)
• Finely chopped onions
• Garlic Powder to taste
• Pinch of curry powder (optional-only add it if you like the scent-it tastes like it smells)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 
    Don't hesitate to add other spices or ingredients you like.  Some use pickles, finely chopped, radishes, sprouts, sliced green grapes or olives sliced.  It's best if the consistency is pasty.  Spread it evenly on bread slices and cover with another slice then cut in quarters.  Mixing bread types makes for a pretty platter.  Another option is spreading it on petite croissants, filling pita pockets or spreading a light layer on a tortilla and rolling it up.  Lettuce, spinach and tomato are great toppers too.
    We even have this for a light dinner on the road or after a long day of traveling in the RV or catching the local sights.  You can add a bowl of soup if you're real hungry.  This is great for a potluck contribution, too.
Please comment if you've got any additions or suggestions to add. 

Designer Curry in A Hurry

This recipe delighted my family for years while I was growing up.  My grandmother was a world traveler and brought back this recipe from the far east.  We made it a family affair and would award the family member who could come up with the most condiment ideas and prepare them.  One time we had 25 different condiments to sprinkle on the smooth Indian stew.   Read on for a great way to use up your turkey leftovers. 

Ingredients:

Ready to design with your favorite condiments

*2 cups cooked chicken or turkey or even pork
1 pound whole fresh mushrooms, quartered if very large
1 tablespoon oil or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
**1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder to taste
1 cup finely chopped tart green apple
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 cup dairy product (milk, skim milk, sour  cream or even yogurt)
1 cup turkey or chicken stock (or use water with bouillon)

Condiment Possibilities:

Major Grey Chutney

raisins & other dried fruits

peanuts

diced raw apple

mandarin orange pieces

scallions (green onions) sliced thinly or french fried onions

celery in small chunks
diced tomato

scallions

bell peppers in tiny bite size pieces

braised bananas (plantains are even better-braise them in butter and brown sugar) 

coconut

cucumbers diced
jicama cut in bite size bits 
cilantro leaves

In a large skillet, saute chicken, mushrooms, and onions in oil until chicken is lightly browned on all sides.   Stir in flour, salt, and curry powder. Add apple and parsley, then pour in milk and stock. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes or until apple pieces are tender-crisp. 

Serve over rice with a half tsp of turmeric mixed in if you have it, just for color.  Now here's the fun part.  Assemble in individual bowls, as many of the above condiments you have on hand or think of your own favorite flavors.  The trick is to just sprinkle on the condiments-not mix them in. Then the varied textures and tastes create a unique burst of flavor in each bite.  Cool vegies and fruits contrast with the spicy curry.  When RVing this is a great recipe because it can all be done in advance.  Most of the condiments can be prepared earlier and stored in baggies or a several-sectioned Tupperware dish.

Yield 4-6 servings, approx. calories/serving 235 (or 335 with 1/2 cup rice)

*When using chicken, some use whole pieces but it tends to be messy and saucy, so I prefer cut pieces with no skin.  Chicken legs are the exception and can be used whole easily.

**Curry is a wonderful spice that adds a mouth-watering smoothness to gravies and broths.  Use it sparingly in most dishes but heavily if you like a spicy dish.

Turkey Leftover No Brainer

There was a time when if mom said "Salad's ready, come and get it!" the whole family would laugh and think mom was kidding.  But with our heightened knowledge of healthy eating habits, namely lighter eating, especially in the evening, salads have become popular fare.  A chef's salad is so easy and a variety of add ins can give it enough protein for a healthy meal AND enough substance to satisfy a hearty appetite.
Start with:

6 cups torn mixed salad leaves (I like the the bag of baby field greens if I'm in a hurry)

4 ounces sliced or small cubes of meat, turkey (and ham, if desired.)

1 cup cubed cheese
 
2 medium tomatoes quartered or cherry tomatoes halved

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped into quarters or slices

1 cup croutons


Other add ins: cucumbers, bell pepper, carrot slivers, avocado chunks, red onion slices, artichoke hearts, black olives, sprouts, sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese.

1/2 cup salad dressing of choice (dijon, ceasar, italian or ranch)

In a large bowl, toss the salad leaves. Arrange the remaining ingredients over the top. Pour the salad dressing over the top and toss to coat. Divide out into 4 bowls and serve.
A sourdough bread slice, corn bread muffin or artisan garlic bread will round out the flavors.

Turkey Leftovers BEFORE Serving the Turkey?

    When I was growing up we threw out NOTHING.  This custom was our practice most especially in the kitchen.  I had four siblings and we all had pretty hearty appetites so our leftovers were usually scarce except on holidays when my mom would cook enough for an army.  (We never had an army at our house so I could never figure that out.)  Always daring to be different my mom would often prepare what many would consider nontraditional holiday fare but since we all loved a good turkey leg, AND the great leftovers, turkey was usually on the menu as well.
Turkey sandwiches are great but if you've got a lot of leftovers, they can get boring.  Following in my moms footsteps, when I make a turkey, I start making the leftovers even BEFORE the turkey is served.  Let me explain.  

    On the bottom of your roasting pan layer a mirepoix, a mixture of celery, carrots and onions chopped in chunks.  This layer keeps the turkey from sticking and also flavors the bird with it's essence. 

    Before I roast the turkey I marinate it (recipe below) by 'massaging' the marinade between the skin and flesh, gently separating the two as I massage.  Very messy job since the main ingredient of the marinade is olive oil.  Make sure to remove the giblets and reserve in a pot of water.  Put it on to boil while preparing the turkey.  Cut a few scores in an onion and stuff into the turkey.  A handful of fresh herbs could also be used, rosemary, sage, thyme, etc. 

 

 The marinade should also be rubbed all over the outer skin.  Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the legs together to keep the turkey in shape. and 

 A lid or a foil tent should be used for about 3/4 of the cooking time to keep the turkey moist.  I've used turkey bags but with a large turkey they always mess up the breast skin.  Put the bird in a 325 degree oven according to the directions on the label.  A thermometer should be used at the end of cook time.  Plug it into the breast and look for a reading of 160 and in the dark meat thigh area you want a 180 reading.  The turkey will continue to cook for a little after removed from the oven and should be allowed to sit for 15 minutes or more.
 

    After roasting, the skin can be easily peeled from the body in one piece.  Now comes the real artsy part.  Setting the skin aside, I carve off the dark meat and remove it from the bones (save all the bones, they are the GOLD of this leftover) in neat little pieces, slices if possible.  I do the same with any white meat I can remove from the wings.  

 

    When I'm left with only the breast, I cut it in half lengthwise down the breast bone and remove the breast bone.  Then you're left with two large breast halves to slice.  Carefully slice them, an electric knife can be helpful, making sure to keep them in the shape of the breast. You can "pump up" the breast size by putting some of the other white or dark meat under the breasts on the platter.  
Then gently transfer the breasts as they were when attached to the bone, onto a platter.  Then place the whole skin you removed earlier on top of the breasts.  On this one I left the legs and thighs in tact.
It appears like a WHOLE  small turkey once you dress it with the remaining sliced dark meat and other trimmings yet is completely SLICED and READY TO EAT once the skin is lifted.  If needed, you can set the oven proof platter in a very low oven while you use the drippings to make gravy.  Use some of the drippings drained of grease to drizzle on the bird so it stays moist while warming. The giblets need about 45 minutes to boil.  If they are tender you can chop them into little pieces and add to your gravy.  They give it a great texture.

    Now comes the leftover part.  Have a large stock pot on hand. 
 

 

 As you're de-boning the white and dark meat from the carcass, transfer all the bones to the pot.  When the carcass under the breast is removed, break it in pieces, halves or less, and add to the pot.  Also throw in any other turkey remains like gizzards and livers (if they're not already living in your gravy) and any extra skin.  Add water to the pot to cover the bones.  While you sit down to eat your dinner, boil the pot full to pull the flavor out of the bones.  After dinner throw (literally if you're feeling frisky) a quartered onion, and some celery chunks and maybe a garlic clove or two into the mess and simmer for several hours.  Let it cool a tad then use a large slotted spoon or preferably a colander to strain out the solids.  Now you have a wonderful stock to make soups for some time.  Stock from bones is virtually fat free but you can see there is a little in this batch.  If you refrigerate it overnight you can scoop that off before storing.  The longer you simmer it, the more concentrated it gets.  If it's a strong stock you can add more water when you use it.  I separate the whole batch into 2 cup containers and freeze it for the future if I'm not making soup within a day or so.  When you use the stock remember to add salt and pepper.

                                                                  

Here's the marinade recipe:
2 cups oil (olive or a lighter oil)
whole head of garlic, peeled and minced
paprika (I like 1/4c but some like less)
salt and pepper
juice of a whole lemon

Just mix these ingredients together in a large measuring cup or bowl then dig in to the bottom of the bowl to get the goodies in your palm and mush them between the skin and flesh of your washed turkey moving as far down the legs with the marinade as you can.  Rub a generous amount on the outer skin as well and any remainder can be poured into the cavity.
Cover the turkey in foil, bake in a turkey bag or in a covered pan but make sure the foil or bag do not touch the skin too much or it may rip the skin when removing (not the end of the world if it does.)
Just follow the turkey package instructions for roasting times and temps.

Stay tuned for a "leftover a day" in this series for your turkey eating pleasure.  I plan to make a turkey this week and will take pictures of this process so check back on the recipe shortly for updates.