Thanksgiving Leftovers

Every year we sit down and give thanks for all that is good in our lives. I am particularly thankful for many things this year: that my parents and Larry's are with us this year, and in relatively good health. The same goes for our respective siblings and their families. Larry and I are both thankful that our daughter Elinor has graduated from college and is striking out on her own in Denver. (Although we would be more thankful if she was in New York - but finding her own voice and path are important.)

I was thinking in this week's post it would be fun to come up with a couple of  ideas for your leftovers this weekend. Bear in mind that you should really try to use up your leftovers within 3 or 4 days. After that you run the risk of your food developing bacteria and making you sick. (We don't want that!)

I'm starting with three leftover ingredients: turkey (of course!), acorn squash and my sweet potato's from last week.  

 

Let's first talk about the binder I will be using: it's a Velouté Sauce. Velouté is one of the five Mother Sauces. It's made with a vegetable, chicken or beef stock and thickened using butter and flour. "Velouté" translated means "velvety" which is your goal with this sauce.

First up is my Tex-Mex Pot Pie. I have a recipe for this below as well, but you can add whatever ingredients you have on hand. (Use my list as a guideline for quantities.) Since I am using the sweet potatoes I created last week I wanted to use ingredients that would work with the base chipotle flavor.

First I sautéed the red onion and bell pepper; then added the black beans. At the last minute I remembered I had some frozen corn and added that too. Once the beans and corn were warmed up I tossed in the turkey, stock and chili powder. Tasted for seasoning and was quite happy. Before I go any further let me say that this concoction can be easily used in a warm corn tortilla and topped with a little salsa and cheese too.

  

After I placed the filling in an oven-proof ramekin I got to work on my topping. I simply placed the potatoes in the bowl of my mixer and whipped them with a little Fat Free Half and Half. No fuss!

Then pipe the potatoes over the filling and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Every part of this works in unison - needless to say I was very happy when I dug into it!

My second idea is a play on Turkey Tetrazzini. After doing a little research on this dish I found a few fun facts about how the dish was created. The dish is named after an opera singer from the turn of the century named Luisa Tetrazzini. It seems that a chef in San Francisco created and named the dish after her. I could not find definitive  information that the story was true, but I did enjoy reading a little about her.

With tetrazzini in mind I decided to go the vegetable route for this dish. (You can find any number of recipes on line and in cookbooks for the turkey version.) I used acorn squash, but this would work perfectly with any squash or even a vegetable like green beans or broccoli. The other ingredient of note is a relatively new Barilla pasta product called Barilla Plus. It's a multigrain pasta that has great flavor; unlike whole grain pastas that, in my opinion, taste like cardboard. The flavor of this is subtle enough that your family won't even know you are using it - and it ends up being a great option with it's legume/grain blend of flax seed, oats, barley, lentils and chickpeas. With it's "hint of nutty flavor" it works beautifully with this dish.

I added vidalia onion to the roux to give the sauce more flavor. In addition, the sauce is slightly thinner because you are going to finish cooking the pasta in it, and then it will thicken it up. The squash get's mixed in at the end and topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley.

I hope you enjoy these leftover Thanksgiving recipes, and please consider passing along any others you have for me. It's always great to hear what people come up with from their table.

I wish you all a peaceful Thanksgiving filled with fun, family and good food!

Buon Appetito!


Velouté Sauce
Makes 2 cups

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper


In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the stock, ½ cup at a time incorporating after each addition to keep it  smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 

Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and serve. If not using right away place in a bowl and cover with a layer of plastic wrap (don't worry, it won't melt!) to keep a skin from forming. Cool completely and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.  

Leftover Turkey Tex-Mex Pot Pies 

Makes 4 - 8 ounce ramekins

1/2 cup red onion, 1/4" dice

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, 1/4" dice

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 cups chopped cooked turkey, or chicken

1 cup room temperature veloute sauce (recipe above)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1/2 cup Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese (I like Sargento Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican)

2 1/2 cups leftover sweet potato chunks

1/4 cup Fat Free Half and Half 

Toasted pepitas for garnish

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic over medium heat with olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook until golden brown. Stir in the beans, corn, turkey and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the veloute sauce and chili powder combining well. Add in the cilantro and divide evenly between 4 - 8 ounce oven proof ramekins. Top with 2 tablespoons each of cheese and set aside. 

Place the sweet potatoes in the bowl of a standing mixer with the cream. Whip for 2 minutes on medium speed to get them soft and fluffy. Scrap out and into a pastry bag or a 1 quart zip lock bag and cut off a corner. 

Pipe the potatoes over the turkey filling making a circular design. Top with a few toasted pepitas and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes and serve. 

Squash Tetrazzini

Serves 8-10

11/2 cups of Vidalia onion, 1/4" dice, about 1/2 of an onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons butter

Kosher salt

Ground white pepper

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups vegetable stock

1 box Barilla Plus Spaghetti

4 cups cooked squash, cut in 2" pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Sweat the onion and garlic with the butter over medium heat. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and whisk to incorporate. Cook for 1 minute.

Add the room temperature stock 1 cup at a time, whisking to incorporate. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, whisking frequently so the bottom does not burn. 

Meanwhile, put a medium pot of water on to boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Once it begins to boil add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes drain the pasta reserving 2 cups of pasta water and add to the sauce. It'e very important to save a little of the pasta water - you may need it to thin out the pasta later. 

Continue cooking another 4 minutes in the sauce and taste. The pasta should be al dente. Turn off the heat and add the squash and half of the cheese. Toss to combine. 

Pour the pasta into a shallow serving bowl and toss in the parsley. If the pasta seems a little stiff add a little of the pasta water to loosen it up. Top with remaining cheese and serve. 

What is a CSA?

You’ve probably heard the term “CSA” bandied about at your local farmers market and wondered what it meant. A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a way for you to participate directly with a farm. You are buying into a relationship directly with your farmer, similar to what you do at the farmers market, but the arrangement is beneficial to both of you in so many ways.

CSA “shares” are typically every week (full share), or every other week of the season (half share). By purchasing your “share” in advance you are helping to support the farm’s cash flow. You benefit from getting their products as they are harvested and the knowledge that you are supporting the farm directly. (It’s a great feeling!) There is also a bit of the unknown in the whole process. The day you pick up your share is when you find out what you are getting. That said, you need to be open to figuring out what you are going to do with what you get. Don’t worry, it’s not like you are going to get something that is a complete mystery. Your farmer will let you know what is in the box that day, and of course you always have me to ask!

You’re probably wondering why I would have decided to do this, especially since I visit the markets every week. (My husband certainly was wondering!) As a personal chef and caterer I am pretty much planning ahead for what I am going to do. While I do go to the market and find things that inspire me to cook a particular dish, it’s rare that someone hands me ingredients and says “do something with this.” That was intriguing to me.

When I found out that Gaia’s Breath Farm was offering shares I jumped at the chance. I’ve done a lot of collaborating with Mark Santoro and his sister Tara for many of my demos, and had the opportunity to visit his farm in Jordanville late last summer with Larry. I’ve had a a great time getting to know them both and using their incredible produce and proteins. Since I am at many markets every week I decided that a “half-share,” made the most sense. So let’s talk about what I got last week:

Breakfast Radish, Thumbalina Carrot, Chioggia Beet

Red Russian Kale

Bok Choy

Red Leaf Lettuce

I also got garlic scapes, garlic and spring raab. I know what you’re thinking: oh my gosh … how on earth can I handle all of that produce? It does sound like a lot, but with a little organizing and planning I used all of it in several dishes through out the week.

Let’s start with the kale first. Simply wash the leaves, strip off the tough stems and slice them thin. Then I sautéed the kale with a little olive oil, a couple of minced garlic cloves, salt and  pepper. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until the kale is tender, but not burnt. Remove from the pan and cool.

Larry wanted me to make turkey burgers this weekend, and instead of my typical spinach I decided to use half of the kale. In the same pan that I cooked the kale, I minced a couple of garlic scapes and sautéed them as well. After a quick check of my cabinet I found I was out of fresh breadcrumbs but did have some bulgar wheat. Hmmm, what if I used the bulgar instead of breadcrumbs? I made a couple of cups thinking I would use the balance of the bulgar and kale as another dish.  Everything needs to be cool when you put the burgers together so this is where your multi-tasking skills come in to play. While this does look like a lot going on, you will see with the recipe below it will all come together easily. Let me add two thoughts on the burgers:

First, this is one of my little nifty gadgets my mother got me years ago. It’s a Tupperware Burger Press. I’ve long since lost the pieces that hold the burgers and have just these parts left – not a problem – as this is all I need to make the most perfect patties!

Yes, of course you can make them by hand – but if you want nice even symmetrical burgers this is the way to go.

I decided to use Ancho Chili in the burgers as my main seasoning, so we topped the burgers with salsa as the condiment – with great success!

With the rest of my kale I simply mixed it in with a cup of cooked bulgar wheat and seasoned with a little olive oil, lemon juice and a zesty Lemon Pepper blend from Boxed Goodes, that I picked up at the John Jay Farm Market a few weeks ago. I used that as a side dish later in the week.

On another night I was grilling a couple of chicken breasts and wanted to try something different with my scapes. I found a box of  Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf in the cabinet and pulled together just a few other ingredients to add to it: cilantro and lime.

Following the instructions the pilaf took about 20 minutes. So while that was cooking I got the rest of the ingredients together and used Penzey’s Jerk Seasoning  on the chicken. The spicy jerk seasoning blended beautifully with the limey zip in the pilaf.

Now, what to do with my two nice heads of bok choy? Typically you see this ingredient chopped and used in Asian salads. I wondered what they might be like grilled? I’ve already used garlic scapes grilled, which renders them beautifully smoky and mild – so why not give it a try for the bok choy?

Driving home from my Pilates class I always pass Port Chester Seafood, which I’ve mentioned in previous posts. I knew I was going to grill the bok choy and scapes and thought why not get a few fish and throw them on too? Grilled fish might seem a little daunting, but again, it’s all about having the right gadgets to help you along. If you don’t have have a fish grill basket you can get one at just about any kitchen store or on-line. Just load in the (seasoned) fish of your choice and place on the grill. As you can see, I used whole fish, but you can easily use a filet. My only suggestion would be to keep the skin on the filet, and cook on the skin-side. That will keep it together and in one piece. Depending on the type of fish you get, you might not want to flip the filet on the grill. Check with your fishmonger when you make your purchase.

The fish I used was Orata, also known as Sea Bream or Dorada. Perfect for the grill. It has very few tiny bones, always a plus when dealing with a whole fish. Once the whole fish is grilled you remove the head and gently pull away the top skin. Slide your knife across the top edge of the fish to loosen the filet then use a spatula to gently flip it out. Carefully pull the back bone away and the bottom half will lift right out.

This dinner was also a great success, and relatively easy to put together. After a seasoning of olive oil, salt and pepper on my bok choy and scapes I grilled them for just a few minutes next to the fish. Once they got a little char on both sides I removed them to a pan and covered loosely with foil. I chopped up the scapes and tossed both with a little olive oil and balsamic. In particular I used a really tasty balsamic called Lemon Vincotto. I use it on many things as a finishing touch. You can buy it on-line, or pick it up at a specialty store. I get mine at Tarry Market. Just before serving I gave it all a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, another pinch of salt and pepper and topped with some fresh basil from my garden. Yum!

Let me quickly add a note about the carrots. These are “Thumbalina” carrots. They are just about the tastiest little carrots you will ever eat and they take no time at all to cook. I simply cook them just as I do beets: starting in cold water over medium high heat, with a little salt and sugar. (This is a small bunch, so I only used a half teaspoon of each in about 3-4 cups of water.) Once they are fork tender, and not mushy, pull them out and peel. These took me about 10 minutes, tops. The skins will rub away simply with a paper towel.

I still had beets, radishes and spring raab left from the box. Beets I talked about last week, and radishes a few months ago. For the spring raab, that is on the menu tonight. I’m going to be doing a simple sauté with a bit of garlic. I’ll have a few pictures of that next week.

While I do realize this was a long post for you this week, I hope I was able to show you that with a little planning and organizing you can take your share and work it into several dishes during the week. The key is to get it all home and spend an hour or so cleaning and packaging your greens and veggies. Once washed and air dried a bit, I wrap things loosely in paper towels and then in a produce bag. This will keep your things fresh as you use them during the week.

Buon Appetito!

Bella Cucina Maria’s Turkey Burgers
Makes about 5 patties

2 garlic scapes, chopped fine in a mini-prep
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup tightly backed kale, medium chopped
1 lb ground turkey
½ – 1 teaspoon of Penzey’s Ground Ancho Chili 
Kosher Salt
Ground black pepper
¼ cup grated asiago cheese
1/3 cup cooked bulgar wheat
1 egg, OR 2 egg whites, beaten slightly
Salsa, optional

In a small sauté pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced scapes with a pinch of salt and pepper and sweat for about 2 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool.

In the same pan add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the kale with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes to soften. Remove to another bowl to cool.

In a large mixing bowl add the turkey and sprinkle 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper and ancho chili over the meat. (If you want a little less spice use ½ teaspoon of chili.) Add the cheese, bulgar, egg, and cooled scape and kale. Mix well and form into patties.

The mix will be a little soft, so pop them into the freezer to firm up. Place on a well-oiled grill or non-stick sauté pan and cook about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Serve with your favorite salsa as a topping, with lettuce and tomato. (We’re both partial to Green Mountain, medium hot.)

Limey 7-Grain Pilaf
Makes 4 servings

1 cup of Kashi 7-grain pilaf
3 tablespoons of finely sliced garlic scapes, about 2 whole
Juice and zest of one nice juicy lime
1½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
Kosher Salt
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Cook the pilaf according to the box directions. Meanwhile, place the sliced scapes, lime zest, juice, olive oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper in the bottom of a medium bowl and whisk to combine. When the pilaf is done (it should be al dente) add it to the bowl and mix well.  Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt, pepper and olive oil if needed. Just before serving mix in the cilantro. 

New Years Resolutions

January is one of my favorite months. It represents many things to many people: it’s the first of the year, starting over, beginning anew. Everyone is hopeful that the New Year will bring prosperity, health, happiness; you name it.

January for me is the same, and more. I also see it as a new beginning, and it’s also my birthday month so a bit of celebrating always ensues. This month, however, it’s a milestone birthday year for me. In addition, this year, actually next month, Elinor is celebrating a milestone birthday too; she will be 21. I remember turning 21 like it was yesterday. I remember 30 and 40 … the ones in between, not so much.  I never imagined myself being 50 back when I was 21, but I like this age. I feel like I’ve done a lot – but have so much more to do.

I came across an interesting quote by Carl Jung the other day which seemed to speak to the whole “resolution” idea that has been swirling around in my head:  

            Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you call it fate.

It is something to think about. I have always believed that you control your destiny. Nothing is predetermined – you have free will, and you choose your path. That is exactly what I did almost 5 years ago when I decided to become a full time chef.  

Let’s get back to resolutions … for me, it’s to take better care of myself by eating healthier and being a bit more diligent with my Pilates classes. I also resolve to be better about keeping up with this blog, and hopefully inspiring you to head to the kitchen and do a little creating.

To that end, I have a new recipe to share with you. I happened to be watching a great episode of Giada at Home, on the Food Network, which was focused on her New Year’s resolutions. (I have a link for her recipe below.) After watching the episode I was inspired to make this great soup, but took it a bit further. I dug around my ‘fridge and found a few extra things to jazz it up. I think what I have for you is pretty darn tasty. The best part of her recipe, and mine, is that it’s a totally flexible dish. You can change this up in a lot of different ways. Whatever you have available will work. 

Turkey, Kale and Farro Soup

Makes about 8 servings

1 – 1 ½ cups cooked Farro

2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

3 large Shallots or 1 small onion, cut into ½“ pieces (about 1 cup)

3 medium Carrots, cut into ½” pieces (about 1 cup)

1 large Bell Pepper, cut into ½”pieces (about 1 cup)

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

8 ounces ground Turkey Meat, (freeze the rest if you get it in a 1 lb package)

1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence

4 cups low-sodium Chicken Broth, plus more as needed

1 15-ounce can Diced Tomatoes

1 – 1 ½ cups cooked Farro

1 small bunch Kale, coarsely chopped (about 4 packed cups)

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground Black Pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Parmesan cheese, optional

First thing you want to do is get your farro on the stove. It will take about 20 minutes to cook, and while that is happening you can get all the veggies chopped. In a small pot bring 4-cups of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the farro and reduce the heat to a low boil. Cook the farro until it is a little al dente. It’s going to cook more when you add it to the soup, so don’t worry if it’s not totally done.  I used farro but you can use brown rice, as Giada did in the original recipe. I didn’t have brown rice – so I used what I had in the cabinet. You could switch this up even further and use cannellini beans if you want. One can would be plenty – and add at the end. 

While the farro cooks start chopping your veggies. Get your celery, carrot, shallot, pepper and garlic chopped. Place in a medium size pot with the olive oil, ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and sauté until the veggies are soft and have taken on a little color. That should take about 10 minutes. Keep checking your farro, once it reaches al dente drain in a colander and set aside.

Next you want to work on the kale. Remove the tough rib and chop the leaves. The bunch I got at the market, for only $1.50, yielded 8 cups chopped. (I took what was left, wrapped in a paper towel, and placed in a zip lock bag. I ended up sautéing it a few days later with some mushrooms.) Set aside your 4 chopped cups.

Once the veggies are nice and soft add the turkey to the pot and break it up with a wooded spoon. Add the Herbs to Provence and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. (Remember, you must season as you go!)

Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the tomatoes and kale. Cook for about 5 minutes until the kale wilts slightly.

Add the chicken stock and farro and bring to a simmer. Depending on how thin you like your soup, you can add a little more stock, or water.

Finish the soup with your chopped parsley and top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

This is a great hearty soup, for a cold day. The best part is it’s super light and won’t weigh you down. All together this soup cost well under $10, and you will get at least 8 good portions from it.

Here is the recipe Giada created: Turkey Kale and Brown Rice Soup