What Shall We Do With Yesterday’s Turkey?

After 60 years of cooking holiday turkeys, I’ve developed strong opinions about what tastes good and what doesn’t. For example, I think using the carcass to make turkey soup after the holiday is a total waste of space in the soup pot. You might as well add bamboo sticks.

What does make a delicious soup the day after is using leftover turkey stuffing and some of the gravy. I always make the same sage stuffing, and whatever is left over goes into a simple soup. The stuffing and the gravy together capture the rich flavor of roast turkey.

I also find that cooked poultry or meat can develop a slightly off taste when it’s reheated. This is why I add leftover turkey cold at the last minute to any hot dishes I make (after the turkey sandwiches and salads).

The exception to this no-reheating rule is when the turkey is added to a highly seasoned dish. Turkey tacos, for instance, and curried turkey dishes work well with reheated meat. What’s more, after consuming an American holiday meal, it’s nice to have the dramatic tastes of Mexico or East India.

A good curry dish with chutney can be splendid. The following chutney recipe keeps for weeks in the refrigerator in a jar with a lid. It also makes a good gift and can be useful in your culinary medicine chest for curing a dull dish.

Cranberry Chutney

Active Work Time: 5 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 35 minutes * Vegan

1 (12-ounce) package or 4 cups cranberries

1 cup golden raisins or muscats

1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped ginger root

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon whole allspice

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

2 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks

Put cranberries, raisins, ginger, sugar, vinegar and water into 3-quart saute pan and stir to mix well.

Put allspice, cloves and cinnamon sticks into small piece of cheesecloth and tie cloth with string or plastic bag tie. Add spice pouch to cranberries and push down into mixture so its flavors are absorbed.

Bring cranberries to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook 1 1/2 hours, checking and stirring often.

Taste and add more sugar or bit of salt if needed, or add more water if chutney dries out. If flavors seem flat, add bit of ground ginger, allspice or cinnamon, stirring in one spice at a time until flavor is lively. Store chutney in jars with lids when done. Cool and refrigerate up to several weeks until needed.

About 3 cups. Each tablespoon: 39 calories, 1 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 grams fat, 10 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams protein, 0.16 grams fiber.

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Curried Rice With Turkey

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Both the rice and the curry take about 20 minutes to cook. If you make the rice ahead of time, keep it warm by putting it in a bowl and keeping it in a 250-degree oven until the curry is ready. Serve the curried rice with a little Cranberry Chutney on the side.

1 quart water

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 cups rice

1/4 cup butter

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 (16-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 cups leftover cold turkey pieces, finely chopped

Bring water with salt to boil. Add rice slowly, stir to mix, cover pot and reduce heat to low. Set timer for 20 minutes and check. Rice should be just soft and all water absorbed. Taste, and if rice is soft, it is done.

While water comes to boil for rice, melt butter in skillet. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Stir over low heat until vegetables soften, but don’t brown. Add stewed tomatoes and curry powder. Stir and cover pan, then cook over low heat about 20 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. If sauce dries out, add bit of water.

After 20 minutes, taste and correct seasoning if needed, adding little more salt or curry if needed. Remove from heat and stir in turkey. Put mound of rice on each plate and spoon curried turkey over.

About 8 (1-cup) servings. Each serving: 288 calories, 589 mg sodium, 33 mg cholesterol, 8 grams fat, 43 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams protein, 0.54 gram fiber.