Leftovers ABRACADABRA!
Everybody and their duck talks about what to do with holiday dinner leftovers, and I’m no exception. I love this idea of creating a meal within a meal. This cooking approach saves time, saves money, and inspires awe in my family. It’s like pulling a rabbit out of a hat! So, with that said, let’s look at ways to work leftover magic:
When it comes to stuffing—we know to add cooked ground beef and a little cream of mushroom soup and stuff either green peppers or zucchini with it (topped with shredded cheese, of course). But have you ever added it to scrambled eggs and topped THAT with shredded cheese? Delicious!
And doesn’t everyone have smidges of leftover mashed potatoes, squash, and still more stuffing hanging around? Just stir them together with an egg, salt and pepper and make patties. Fry them on both sides until brown and crispy. And if there’s leftover gravy, well you know what to do. If no gravy, sour cream is a superb substitute.
Aunt Annie used to make homemade biscuit dough, roll it out into a large rectangle, and spread it with ground up leftover cooked turkey and vegetables. She’d add a little chopped onion and enough leftover gravy to make the mixture spreadable. Then she’d roll the whole thing up, jelly-roll style and cut it into 1-inch slices. She’d bake it at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or so and serve hot with leftover gravy. She was a marvel at leftovers.
And speaking of leftover turkey, how about soup (chicken, too, of course, since they are very interchangeable when it comes to soup-making). You may have a heritage recipe handy, one that has been handed down through your family tree. But if not, this one could easily become your go-to recipe of choice. I found it on www.culinary.com a year ago, and it’s now my favorite from-scratch soup—it’s delicious and very easy to make.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil OR butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth or turkey broth
3 cups cooked turkey OR chicken chopped or shredded
2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
8 ounces wide egg noodles
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh parsley minced, for garnish
Directions:
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Now besides holiday leftovers, there are just the general run-of-the-mill leftovers with which we can work magic. Take chili, for instance. To make leftover chili seem like a new meal, blend it with shredded cheese and any leftover veggies you might have (bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, even diced tomato). Chop the veggies fine and blend them, along with one egg, into the chili/cheese mixture. Then bake it all in a pie crust. It cuts like a pie and is just scrumptious.
OR, forget the pie crust and place the chili mixture in your cast iron skillet, top with a cornbread batter, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. More deliciousness!
Still speaking of chili, we all know we can top leftover macaroni and cheese with leftover chili and top all that with shredded cheese, right? Just bake until heated through and serve. You have a new flavor-base that’s very tasty.
And still more chili talk: I will puree any leftover chili and spread it on tortillas when making quesadillas. I top this layer with leftover veggies and then garnish with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, and of course, shredded cheese.
Following Café Rio’s lead, I now slice leftover flour tortillas into thin strips, toast in the oven, and then float them in soups and stews in place of egg noodles. They get plump and really tasty this way. Folks feel like you’ve gone to a lot of effort. I’ll let ‘em think it.
And that’s the magical abracadabra of leftovers—we have a meal within a meal, we’re saving time by not having to create an entirely new full meal deal, we’re saving money as we stretch our groceries, AND we’re dazzling the family at the same time!
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When it comes to stuffing—we know to add cooked ground beef and a little cream of mushroom soup and stuff either green peppers or zucchini with it (topped with shredded cheese, of course). But have you ever added it to scrambled eggs and topped THAT with shredded cheese? Delicious!
And doesn’t everyone have smidges of leftover mashed potatoes, squash, and still more stuffing hanging around? Just stir them together with an egg, salt and pepper and make patties. Fry them on both sides until brown and crispy. And if there’s leftover gravy, well you know what to do. If no gravy, sour cream is a superb substitute.
Aunt Annie used to make homemade biscuit dough, roll it out into a large rectangle, and spread it with ground up leftover cooked turkey and vegetables. She’d add a little chopped onion and enough leftover gravy to make the mixture spreadable. Then she’d roll the whole thing up, jelly-roll style and cut it into 1-inch slices. She’d bake it at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or so and serve hot with leftover gravy. She was a marvel at leftovers.
And speaking of leftover turkey, how about soup (chicken, too, of course, since they are very interchangeable when it comes to soup-making). You may have a heritage recipe handy, one that has been handed down through your family tree. But if not, this one could easily become your go-to recipe of choice. I found it on www.culinary.com a year ago, and it’s now my favorite from-scratch soup—it’s delicious and very easy to make.
Homemade Turkey or Chicken Noodle Soup
Calories per serving: 1,250.867
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil OR butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth or turkey broth
3 cups cooked turkey OR chicken chopped or shredded
2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
8 ounces wide egg noodles
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh parsley minced, for garnish
Directions:
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, turkey, thyme, and bay leaf.
4. Bring to simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with fresh parsley.
2. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, turkey, thyme, and bay leaf.
4. Bring to simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Now besides holiday leftovers, there are just the general run-of-the-mill leftovers with which we can work magic. Take chili, for instance. To make leftover chili seem like a new meal, blend it with shredded cheese and any leftover veggies you might have (bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, even diced tomato). Chop the veggies fine and blend them, along with one egg, into the chili/cheese mixture. Then bake it all in a pie crust. It cuts like a pie and is just scrumptious.
OR, forget the pie crust and place the chili mixture in your cast iron skillet, top with a cornbread batter, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. More deliciousness!
Still speaking of chili, we all know we can top leftover macaroni and cheese with leftover chili and top all that with shredded cheese, right? Just bake until heated through and serve. You have a new flavor-base that’s very tasty.
And still more chili talk: I will puree any leftover chili and spread it on tortillas when making quesadillas. I top this layer with leftover veggies and then garnish with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, and of course, shredded cheese.
Following Café Rio’s lead, I now slice leftover flour tortillas into thin strips, toast in the oven, and then float them in soups and stews in place of egg noodles. They get plump and really tasty this way. Folks feel like you’ve gone to a lot of effort. I’ll let ‘em think it.
And that’s the magical abracadabra of leftovers—we have a meal within a meal, we’re saving time by not having to create an entirely new full meal deal, we’re saving money as we stretch our groceries, AND we’re dazzling the family at the same time!
Sources:
- www.masterfile.com
- www.bowlofdelicious.com
- www.culinaryhill.com
- www.thepiebrary.com
- www.taste.com.au
Alice Osborne
DVO Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
