8 things to do with turkey leftovers
Anna King Shahab shares how to love turkey again, with no frittatas in sight.
So Christmas has been and gone, and you’ve now found yourself with a load of turkey to try to make use of. I won’t state the obvious (I told you so . . .), but there’s a reason why there’s always far too much turkey left over: because no-one wanted to eat it the first time around. It was probably overcooked and underseasoned. Apologies if you’re the turkey maestro, but most cooks just aren’t.
And did you know that turkey is a soporific food? Along with almonds, yoghurt (and a lot of other foods, actually, so this may mean zilch), it contains L-Tryptophan, which can help to boost melatonin production and guide us on our way to Snoredonia.
But there’s good news! Your leftover turkey can be better than its first incarnation. Partly because you can add a lot more interest with other flavours and textures, and because you can add back in a whole lot of moisture. Of course, you need to make sure your leftovers are kept refrigerated, and use them within 2-3 days.
Here are some ideas to get you on your way – with not a frittata in sight.
1 Chilli: Cook down onions and garlic, add tomato puree and chipotle sauce and simmer, adding shredded turkey to the mix. Add black beans if you like. Add a good whack of coriander, but save some for garnishing. Season with salt and pepper, and use to top tortilla chips to make nachos, or pop it in fresh tortillas for tacos, or inside tortillas toasted with cheese to make quesadillas.
2 Club sandwiches: Chop turkey finely and combine with mayo, a little fresh cream and finely chopped onion. Layer white bread sandwiches with the turkey mix, finely sliced celery and cashew nuts. Serve with a jug of Pimm’s in the backyard. This turkey mayo mix is also great in sliders, with dressed shaved fennel and iceberg lettuce.
3 Middle Eastern spiced pastries: Saute sliced onion and garlic and add baharat spices (a ground blend of things like cumin, coriander seed, allspice, cardamom and black pepper). Combine in shredded turkey and heat through. If you have it handy, some diced cooked potato is good to bulk it out. Remove from the heat and stir through toasted pine nuts, raisins or blackcurrants and plenty of chopped flat-leaf parsley. Using spoonfuls of this mixture, make filled parcels – you could use homemade pizza-style dough or bought pastry, depending on what you have to hand. Bake until pastry is golden.
4 Dumplings: Mince cooked turkey with garlic, ginger, spring onion, coriander, soy sauce, a little sesame oil and cornstarch, salt and pepper. Use teaspoonfuls of the mixture and bought wrappers (any Asian grocer stocks these, in the chiller) to shape dumplings. Boil, steam or fry, and serve with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and black vinegar.
5 Vietnamese-inspired salad: Shred turkey and use in a Vietnamese-inspired salad with vermicelli, shredded carrot and lettuce, bean sprouts, and toasted crushed peanuts with a nuoc cham dressing (water, sugar, fish sauce, fresh lime juice, chilli).
6 Pho broth: Add shredded turkey to a pho broth, topped with bean sprouts, fresh chilli, Vietnamese mint and coriander, served with wedges of lime.
7 Minestrone: Add diced or shredded turkey to a minestrone, spiked with plenty of flat-leaf parsley and a dollop of fresh pesto.
8 Bacon, lettuce and tomato: Add slices of turkey to your brunch BLAT.