The meal that keeps on giving

Thanksgiving leftovers are as venerable an American tradition as Thanksgiving Day itself. Americans love to imagine the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians sitting down together in 1620 to celebrate a bountiful harvest of turkey and pumpkins, and we can imagine as well that they made soup out of the leftovers.

Imagining it is all we can do, however. Historians now call it a “fakelore” that the Separatists, later called Pilgrims, celebrated anything resembling our modern Thanksgiving. The available facts just don’t support the story that every schoolchild learned about the Native Americans and Pilgrims sharing a harvest meal.

But that doesn’t take away any of the symbolic importance of a national day of thanksgiving. And we can be sure that all of the early European colonists, after an arduous journey to the New World by ship, and with no grocers awaiting their arrival, would carefully use each meal’s leftovers. So should we, especially from a bounteous Thanksgiving feast. These days, using leftovers to make meals as delicious as the original meal (or more so) is the sign of a resourceful, creative cook.

My personal favorite uses for leftovers the day after Thanksgiving: pumpkin pie for breakfast, with leftover whipped cream mixed with my coffee. Cold turkey and cranberry relish go on lunch sandwiches made with sourdough bread and a little mayonnaise. Potatoes and gravy and stuffing get warmed up in the microwave for dinner.

Not very imaginative, I admit, but if you can get some fresh veggies and fruit in there for snacks and go easy on the gravy, it is at least a fairly balanced and still very tasty series of meals.

Monique Slipher of Pullman taught me about Thanksgiving leftover hash, which she learned to make from her German mother. Hash is one of those recipes you just aren’t likely to find in a cookbook, because it’s so simple, but it deserves more attention as it is one of the ultimate comfort meals.

Slipher just mixes everything up together – stuffing, turkey pieces, cooked rice, mashed potatoes, cranberries, etc. – and fries it in a cast iron skillet until it is hot and browned and there are little crunchy bits of browned stuffing throughout. This sounds dicey but is in fact, delicious, especially served with warmed up gravy.

Turkey is such a versatile meat to have around, I usually roast as big a turkey as will fit in my oven and then freeze portions of the leftover meat (removed by hand from the bones) in small self-sealing bags, to pull out throughout the cold months to use for sandwiches, soups, salads, and crepe or enchilada fillings. Freezing leftovers for a week or two is a great option if you’ve got a bad case of feast fatigue and can’t face anything but salad or cold cereal for a few days.

I also like to break the turkey carcass up into pieces and simmer it in a big soup pot of water for a few hours to make turkey stock. Strain the bones out and freeze the stock in quart-sized plastic containers (I use clean cottage cheese and yogurt containers) to use for making soups throughout the winter.

Taking the time to do this after you’ve been cooking for two days straight probably seems like an extra credit assignment you’d rather not tackle, but trust me, later this winter you’ll be thankful you did.

Day-After- Thanksgiving Pot Pie

From “The Gourmet Potluck” by Beth Hensberger. Try some leftover sweet potatoes and cranberries in this pot pie, too.

For the Country Crust:

4 1/2 cups white pastry or all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

4 cups leftover stuffing

4 cups shredded or cut-up cooked turkey

4 cups raw or thawed frozen mixed vegetables (such as peas, corn, and diced carrots)

4 cups turkey gravy, warmed

To prepare the crust, place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the shortening and 1/2 cup of the butter and pulse until the size of peas. Add the remaining 1 cup butter, pulse, and then gradually add water until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough into 2 balls.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if using Pyrex or 375 degrees if using ceramic baking dish. Lightly flour a work surface and then roll out 1 of the dough balls to fit on the bottom and almost up the sides of the 3-quart or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Line the baking dish with the dough and prick it with a fork all over. Bake in the center of the oven until it just starts to get golden, about 12 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool while you assemble the rest of the components. Leave the oven on if you will be baking the pot pie immediately.

Evenly spread half of the stuffing over the crust. Then make an even layer with half of the turkey and cover with half of the vegetables. Repeat the layers, ending with the vegetables. Pour the warm gravy over the top. Roll out the second ball of dough to just the size of the baking dish for the top crust, and then place it on top without crimping the edges. (If you are making ahead, the pot pie can be covered with foil and refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day. Allow the casserole to return to room temperature before baking, about 1 hour.)

Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the top crust is brown. Serve hot.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 10: 912 calories, 52 grams fat (22 grams saturated, 52 percent fat calories), 29 grams protein, 80 grams carbohydrate, 117 milligrams cholesterol, 7 grams dietary fiber, 1,213 milligrams sodium.

Zucchini, Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole

From “The Gourmet Potluck”

For the sauce:

3 1/2 cups sour cream

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped green onions, white and some of the green parts

1 1/2 teaspoons dried crumbled marjoram or oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups raw wild rice, rinsed well and drained

4 cups water

2 pounds zucchini, sliced, or 2 (9-ounce) packages frozen artichoke halves, thawed

About 4 cups chopped cooked turkey

2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 (28-ounce) can peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped

In a bowl, combine the sour cream, soup, chiles, parsley, green onions, and marjoram and beat until smooth with a whisk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a saucepan, combine the wild rice with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, decrease the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, until tender. Drain, if necessary. Set aside to cool.

Bring 1 inch of water to boil in another saucepan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and steam until barely cooked but still firm, about 8 minutes.

Brush a 3 to 4 quart or 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil or butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the rice in the bottom of the casserole dish, and using a rubber spatula, cover the entire layer with half of the sauce. Arrange the turkey in an even layer over the sauce, follow with the zucchini, and then cover with the grated cheese. Sprinkle the tomatoes over the cheese and cover with the remaining sauce. (If making ahead, the casserole can be covered with foil and refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day.)

Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 20 minutes more, until bubbling hot. Serve hot.

Yield: 10 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 555 calories, 32 grams fat (17 grams saturated, 51 percent fat calories), 34 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, 128 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 1,047 milligrams sodium.

The Great After-Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas

From Bon Appétit, November 1998. The recipe calls for corn tortillas, but I like to use flour tortillas. It works either way.

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups finely chopped onions

1 (28-ounce) can enchilada sauce

5 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chilies (see note)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 cups coarsely shredded cooked turkey

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

12 (5- to 6-inch) corn tortillas

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Mix turkey, 1 1/2 cups cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup onions and 1/2 cup cilantro in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (This step is unnecessary if using flour tortillas.)

Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 1/2 cups sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Rewarm remaining sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to sauceboat. Serve enchiladas, passing sauce separately.

Note: Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce are sold at Latin American markets, at specialty foods stores and at some supermarkets.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 532 calories, 35 grams fat (16 grams saturated, 59 percent fat calories), 27 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 110 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 392 milligrams sodium.

Turkey Soup

Adapted from Lost Recipes by Marion Cunningham

1 turkey carcass, broken into pieces

11 1/2 cups cold water

2 1/2 cups leftover turkey stuffing

2 cups turkey gravy

3 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

3 ribs celery with leaves, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled

Salt to taste

Cover the turkey carcass with 10 cups water in a large soup pot and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let it simmer about an hour.

Scoop out turkey bones with a slotted spoon and add remaining ingredients. Stir to break up all the clumps of stuffing, and mix well. Let the soup simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cold water and let simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for salt and adjust the flavoring if necessary. Serve hot.

Yield: 10 cups

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.