Food for Thought
Houston's top chefs offer creative ways to dress up Turkey Day leftovers
Chef Jeramie RobisonPhoto by Stuart Rosenberg
How do you keep all this food fresh in the days after Thanksgiving.
Michael Kramer of the Tasting Rooms endorses pastas and turkey soups.
Make a tamal with leftover turkey like this from TQLA.Photo by Marene Gustin
Smoked Turkey Benedict with Giblet GravyPhoto by Stuart Rosenberg
I know, I know, it’s not even Thanksgiving day yet and I’m already talking about leftovers.
But as you’re brining your bird, preparing stuffing and sides, here are a few ideas on what you can do with all those leftovers. Because you know you’re going to have plenty of food in the fridge for the next week. Or more.
And let’s face it; turkey sandwiches with mayo on white bread are going to get pretty darn boring after a couple of days.
So here are some wonderful ideas for your leftovers from some of Houston’s best chefs and restaurateurs.
Ricardo Molina of Molina’s Cantina puts a Tex-Mex (of course) twist on his leftovers.
“Turkey tacos,” he says, “turkey enchiladas, turkey in mole, turkey with cold beer.”
(Oh, you had us at mole and cold beer!)
Meanwhile legendary restaurateur Tony Vallone follows his roots by combining Thanksgiving leftovers into Italian dishes.
“Turkey makes a wonderful tetrazzini,” he says. “Or really any kind of casserole.”
Michael Kramer, executive chef of The Tasting Rooms, agrees with the pasta part.
“You can make a nice soup with roast turkey, vegetables, some rotini pasta,” he says. “And then toast the stuffing a bit more and add that to it to.”
I always have extra stuffing just so I can use it in leftovers. My favorite after Thanksgiving Day breakfast is turkey hash. Basically that’s everything you have in the fridge (onions, peppers, butter) add diced potatoes, shred some leftover turkey in the pan and add stuffing. And more stuffing. It makes a great hot breakfast.
But back to chef Kramer, who also suggests using your leftovers in a turkey frittata for breakfast with sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. Topped with more stuffing, of course.
He does his turkey tacos, with charred tomato salsa, stuffing and jack cheese and whips up a turkey slider, with caramelized onions, cranberry relish, leftover gravy and you guessed it, more stuffing.
Stuffing is so darn versatile — and good — that you may want to have a couple of kinds on hand. Oyster stuffing is always a good bet and Central Market’s jalapeño and pecan stuffing is so tasty you can just eat it right out of the carton.
But back to turkey talk.
“Turkey quesadillas,” says chef Tommy Birdwell of the new Southwest TQLA on trendy Washington Ave. “And a turkey tamale. Very easy to make, take shredded turkey, cheese and roll in the masa and steam. Top them with some leftover cranberry sauce and you’re set.”
Partner and general manager Scott Lindsey, a certified Tequilier (yes, Virginia, there is such a thing), has a few ideas of his own for turkey leftovers.
“Turkey is kinda heavy so I’d pair it with a Don Julio Blanc, a crisp lemon and lime tequila,” he says.
Now we’re talking.
Making some fantastic meals from leftovers is pretty important, especially if you have to miss the big T-Day itself.
“Thanksgiving for me is all about family, but with the career I chose and the places it has taken me, it has been harder to get home for the holidays as much as I would like to,” says chef Jeramie Robison of Cinq and Zimm’s Little Deck.
“Growing up in Ruston, Louisiana, was all about eating off the land," he says.
That included hunting deer from their property with his dad for the venison and picking vegetables from their garden for dishes like his mom's squash casserole and smothered kale. He fondly recalls his dad’s oyster dressing and his mom’s banana pudding as Thanksgiving faves.
But this year he’s come up with his own holiday leftover favorite. It's a little something he calls a smoked turkey Benedict with giblet gravy.
Here’s the 411:
Ingredients
Approximately six ounces of shredded smoked turkey
English muffin or French baguette
Two eggs
Flour
Butter
Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Green Tabasco
Turkey stock if available
Giblets
Directions
Here’s a tip for any turkey leftovers: Instead of microwaving the turkey, try boiling it in a pot, with turkey stock or water plus salt and pepper to taste. It will be moister than rubber-nuked turkey. Warm leftover giblet gravy (or make some fresh in a saucepan by mixing in a quart of milk, plus equal parts butter and flour, giblets, plus salt and pepper to taste — bring to a boil and lightly whisk to make a blond roux). Then spread butter on the baguette or muffin and toast in oven.
Poach the eggs for about 3-4 minutes in two quarts of water with three tablespoons of vinegar, a pinch of salt and a dash of green Tabasco. Water should be at a slow bubble when you add the eggs.
Plate by placing the turkey on the baguette first and then the poached egg. Pour the gravy over the open face sandwich and garnish with chives.
This sounds like such a succulent dish that I would definitely serve it with a glass of champagne.
Now, isn’t that a lot better than a dry old turkey sandwich on white bread?
Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all happy leftovers.
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