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Handling Leftovers |
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Written by Lara Ritchie
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Monday, 03 November 2008 |
Leftovers—the morning-after reminder of the night-before party. It’s a distasteful word in some households, as in, “What are we going to do with ALL that turkey?” Yet, other holiday revelers prefer it to the big meal. My own guilty pleasure is the turkey sandwiches that follow. Turkey potpie, biscuits with turkey, turkey tetrazzini—yum!
But before embarking on the leftover journey, you must exercise caution to safely preserve leftovers. Proper storage requires a basic level of care once everyone has left the table. Some cooks panic, wondering about the safety of these foods. They flood turkey hotlines to see whether they can eat the spoils of the feast, or if the feast may have spoiled. The hard-and-fast rule is to get dishes below 40°F as quickly as possible. This means turkey, gravy, stuffing—the works. The “danger zone” for food is between 40 and 140°F. This is the temperature zone is which bacteria thrives.
For saucier and soup-bodied dishes, store in a fresh container with a well-cleaned frozen water bottle in the middle. The frozen bottle helps to cool soups from the inside out, where the heat resides. For stuffings and potato dishes, again transfer to a new container, but don’t pile higher than two inches, or the depth will inhibit rapid cooling.
Transferring hot dishes directly to the refrigerator is not a good idea. This raises the temperature of the refrigerator and everything surrounding the hot dish. Instead, fill a cooler with ice and place hot food there. This method saves refrigerator space, while rapidly cooling and preserving the delicious meal in which you have invested so much time, expense, and effort.
For midnight raids on the refrigerator (if not simply dipping sliced turkey in mayonnaise, or using in sandwiches), if you want your turkey hot, take care to re-heat the turkey to 165°F to destroy undesirable bacteria. This goes for all other prepared dishes as well. Soups and gravies should be brought to a rolling boil.
Leftovers provide a great opportunity to make new preparations and stock the freezer for nights when you need a ready-made “go-to” meal. Investigate creative ways to utilize leftover turkey, which have the taste and spirit of a brand-new meal, rather than a recycling of old ingredients. Experiment with raviolis, pastries, enchiladas, Asian-style lettuce cups, or soups and pasta dishes.
This year, don’t let holiday meals present you with the morning-after effect. Go boldly into that refrigerator, fashioning new meals that garner even more kudos at the dinner table. A few recipes follow to give you a head start on the creative journey. The reach of your imagination is the only limit when answering the age-old question of what to do with the leftovers. Choices may depend on just how much delicious turkey you are willing to share with others! J
Lara Ritchie is the culinary director and a teacher at Nothing To It! Culinary Center.
Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli
Filling:
• 1 pound turkey, cooked and chopped
• ½ cup cranberry sauce
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Ravioli and toppings:
• 80 small square wonton wrappers
• grated parmesan reggiano for garnish
• leftover gravy as a sauce (can be spruced up with parsley and thinned with a little chicken stock)
To make the ravioli:
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together.
2. Place about 5 wonton wrappers on the countertop and lightly brush the edges with water. 3. Place 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture in the middle and then top with another wonton wrapper. 4. Make sure to push out any extra air before sealing the wonton. Make sure to seal tightly.
5. Repeat with remaining mixture.
6. In a small saucepot, bring the gravy to a rolling boil. 7. Check its consistency and thin the gravy with chicken stock if needed. 8. Stir in some freshly chopped parsley, about 2 tablespoons for 2 cups of gravy. 9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add salt, enough to be able to taste the salt. 10. Add the ravioli and cook until tender but still firm, approximately 3 minutes. 11. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ravioli and transfer to a serving bowl or plates. 12. Coat the ravioli with the gravy and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Turkey Mole Burritos
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white onion, minced
• 2 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted and minced
• ¼ cup ancho chili powder
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup chicken or turkey stock
• 4 cups coarsely shredded cooked turkey
• Tabasco sauce
• 12 flour tortillas
• sour cream, chopped onion, and shredded iceberg lettuce, for garnish
1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. 2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. 3. Add the tomato paste, almonds, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cumin, stir well to combine. 4. Add the stock and bring to a boil. 5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 6. Stir in the turkey and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. 7. Add hot sauce to taste. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before proceeding.)
8. Preheat the oven to 250°F. To assemble the burritos, heat the tortillas in the oven until warmed through but still soft, 2 to 3 minutes. 9. Spoon ¹⁄³ cup of the turkey mole along the center of each tortilla and roll up neatly. 10. Place 2 burritos on each plate and garnish each serving with sour cream, chopped onion, and shredded lettuce. |
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