Giving leftovers a makeover

Photo credit: Urbanite

By Lucy Cohen Blatter

Don’t let the party end tomorrow night. Chances are your fridge will be stocked with food, and your home filled with friends and family all weekend. So why not give your Thanksgiving meal a second chance to shine?

Since Thanksgiving dinner is all about tradition, the weekend’s meals should be a bit more creative, says Jeanne Benedict, a Celebrations.com lifestyle party expert.

“You can give leftovers a makeover by adding bold flavors and spices,” she says.

Benedict suggests adding Latin flavor with cilantro or lime, or adding Indian flavor with cumin and curry.

She said the three foods that hold up best post-holiday are cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and stuffing.

“You can make leftover cranberry sauce into a chutney by adding onion, vinegar and salt,” she says. “Sweet potatoes can be used as a filling for something else, or put in a baking cup, covered with goat cheese and warmed.”

Stuffing, she says, “can be used for stuffed mushrooms the next day. Just mix in some gouda or Parmesan cheese before stuffing them.”Cathie Filian, co-host of DIY Network’s “Creative Juice,” suggests turkey potpie as a good option. “Pre-made pie crusts are on super sale this time of year. Just mix the turkey with a can of mushroom soup and veggies and you’re done. You can also make the pies in small ramekins, use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of leftover crusts and use the shapes to decorate the tops of the pies.”

Keep in mind that for leftover turkey to be safe, it must be stored properly. “Be sure to carve the whole thing and let it cool before you put it away; you don’t want to put it in the refrigerator when it’s warm,” Filian says. She also suggests storing it with little oxygen. “You don’t need to go as extreme as vacuum-packing; if you’re using Ziploc, double bag it.”

Filian is such a fan of leftovers that she has them on the brain when she’s cooking for the main event. “If I know there’s a family favorite, I’ll double it to make sure there are plenty of leftovers.”

One of Filian’s go-to family recipes is cranberry salsa. “Thanksgiving weekend is all about football, so I like to have avocado dip and salsa. I buy salsa from the supermarket’s refrigerator section, drain it and stir in about a quarter of a cup of fresh cranberry sauce, adding more to taste. It’s great because it’s sweet and hot.”

Post-Thanksgiving meals are “about echoing the best parts of Thanksgiving but really reinventing it, and getting people excited for the holiday season,” says Benedict. “Make sure it’s all light and fun.”

RECIPES:

Crispy Sweet Potato Ravioli

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup cornmeal

1 (50-count) package round wonton wrappers (about 3-inch diameter)

Canola oil

Directions:

1. Combine sweet potatoes, and brown sugar and heat in the microwave until warm.

2. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and scatter a heavy layer of cornmeal over paper.

3. Moisten edge on one side of wonton wrapper with water. Place 1 teaspoon sweet potato mixture in center of wonton. Fold wonton in half and pinch together edges to seal.

4. Place on prepared baking sheet and refrigerate, covered, until ready to cook.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook about 6 raviolis at one time until golden brown on one side, about 3 - 5 minutes.

6. Flip raviolis and cook until golden on other side. Remove with slotted spatula on to paper towels to drain excess oil.

7. Repeat process using 1 tablespoon of oil for each batch. Serve immediately.

Courtesy of Jeanne Benedict

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound turkey, cut into small cubes

4-5 slices of butter

1 large onion

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, corn and carrots (thawed)

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

2 purchased pie crusts (rolled)

Steps:

Over medium heat in a large skillet, brown the turkey pieces in butter. Once brown remove the turkey from the pan and add thinly sliced onion, cook for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook until tender.

Remove the onions and mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Add the wine to the pan; stir to loosen the any pieces. Add the mushroom soup, Bring to a boil. Stir in the peas, corn carrots, onion mushroom and turkey. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 425°. Place one crust into a 9” pie, fill with soup mixture. In a small bowl, blend the water and egg with a fork. Brush the edge of the pie crust with the egg and water, place the second piecrust onto top. Use a fork to seal the edges together. Brush the edges with the egg and water.

Bake 30 minutes

Courtesy of Cathie Filian

Leftover Stuffing Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups of turkey, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cup leftover stuffing

1 1/4 cups organic chicken stock/broth

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup cold water

1 package frozen broccoli, cooked & drained

1/4 cup sour cream

Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the stuffing evenly across the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Next add a layer of turkey.

Heat the chicken stock to boiling. In a small bowl blend the flour and cold water. Add to the boiling stock. Reduce the heat to low and stir constantly until thickened. Add the broccoli and sour cream, stir to blend.

Pour stock mixture over the turkey and stuffing. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and top with cheese, bake for 5-10 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.

Courtesy of Cathie Filian

Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich:

Ingredients:

8 ounces sliced leftover dark and/or white meat turkey, sliced

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp mayo

2 pieces, cooked bacon

½ cup leftover stuffing

1 oz Cranberry Lambic beer to moisten stuffing

4 slices Swiss cheese

Leftover green beans or other veggies

2 slices thick white bread

Directions:

On outside of bread slices, spread butter evenly (as if you were making a grilled cheese). On the inside of the slices, spread mayo evenly. Stack turkey, cheese, bacon, stuffing (with beer) and veggies on top of one slice of bread. Place other slice on top pressing down firmly to hold together. Insert four toothpicks into each corner of the sandwich. If necessary, cut tops of toothpicks off so they are not sticking out.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a nonstick pan, brown on each side, for approximately 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and place on oven sheet. Roast for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, flipping at halfway point.

Recipe created by Samuel Adams’ chef partner, David Burke

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