WHIDBEY RECIPES | ‘Twas the day after Turkey Day and all through the kitchen…

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As much as I love Thanksgiving, with all the family, friends and food, it’s the day after Turkey Day I really look forward to.

Leftovers. They’re the best part of Thanksgiving, which is why I’d always rather host the gathering than be a guest. As a guest, you’re spared the fuss and cooking, but you go home to no leftovers, unless of course your host/ess prepares care packages for guests, which rarely happens because there are usually too many of us.

So, here it is, the day before one of the biggest holiday events of our year, the kickoff of the holiday season, and visions of turkey sandwiches dance in my head. Tomorrow’s meal is in the works already, with all our usual favorites because our family doesn’t take kindly to creative deviations. If “the” corn casserole and “Grandma’s” sweet potato dish, as well as other “musts” aren’t on the table, there will be mumbles.

It’s quite all right to introduce something new, and it may even become a welcome standard in future years, but only as long as all the beloved regulars are on that table as well.

Over the past three or four years, I’ve managed to gain acceptance for pumpkin cheesecake, which is my all time favorite pumpkin dessert, but only as long as someone else also produces “Joetta’s” pumpkin pie.

It won’t be me, however, because try as I might, I’ve never been able to reproduce my Mom’s pumpkin pie and, after she left us, my sister-in-law took over pumpkin pie production. Fine with me, but hers is not “Joetta’s” no matter what she claims, so I’ll have the cheesecake, thank you.

One thing I know for sure, there will be enough leftovers for the day after, and that’s when I’m free to get creative. Turkey-mashed-potato-hash, turkey sandwiches stuffed with cranberry and dressing, linguine with creamy turkey sauce, enchiladas stuffed with turkey and dressing, cranberry empanadas, sweet potato pancakes, pot pie brimming with turkey, any leftover vegetables and turkey gravy; the list could go on.

Am I guilty of preparing far too much food for the number of guests we expect? Of course, always. How else can one be certain of the necessary leftovers?

RECIPES

It’s cold, windy and wet and it’s the day after Thanksgiving. What could be more welcome and warming than turkey tortilla soup, a creative and delicious way to use some of that turkey.

TURKEY TORTILLA SOUP

2 T. olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

3-4 T. garlic, minced (or to taste)

1-2 T. tequila (optional)

3 corn tortillas, cut into pieces about 1-inch

1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chiles

4 cups turkey broth (hopefully you made plenty with turkey parts; otherwise use canned chicken broth)

1 t. each ground cumin and ground coriander

1 t. ground oregano

½ t. cayenne

2 cups cooked diced or shredded turkey

1½ cups frozen corn kernels (unless you have some leftover cooked corn)

½ cup heavy cream (you can use milk or skip this altogether and use a bit more broth, but it won’t be as rich)

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I sometimes use the Mexican four-cheese mix)

2 T. fresh lime juice

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Chopped cilantro, sour cream or salsa for garnish.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over med.-high heat; add onion and garlic and saute 3 min. (be careful not to burn the garlic). Deglaze with the tequila; cook and stir 1 min. more, then stir in the tortilla pieces and saute briefly (you don’t want them to be crisp). Add tomatoes, broth and spices; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let cool for a few min., then puree mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth (you’ll have to do it in batches). Return pureed mixture to pot.

Add turkey, corn and cream, if using; bring to a boil and simmer 5 min. or until it’s beginning to thicken. (If you didn’t use cream, it won’t thicken as much.) Reduce heat to med., sprinkle in cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Add lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in warmed bowl, sprinkle with a bit of cilantro and add a small dollop of sour cream. Pass salsa and additional lime slices, to add as desired. Makes about 8 cups.

One of the best things about empanadas is that you can put virtually anything (food, of course, not really just anything) inside the pastry and they can be either sweet or savory, an appetizer or a meal, and if you use purchased frozen puff-pastry, they’re easy to do.

SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

¼ cup, packed, brown sugar

¼ t. coarsely ground nutmeg (or other spices of choice)

¼ cup finely chopped pecans or other nut of choice, optional

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg white, beaten with 1 t. cold water, for sealing edges and glazing

In a small saucepan, mix together the sweet potato, brown sugar and nutmeg; heat over med. heat until sugar is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry sheets to 12-inch long rectangles. Cut out two 6-inch rounds from each pastry sheet (use a 6-inch plate as a guide to cut around if you have one that size). Place each round on a 8-9-inch square of parchment paper.

Spoon a quarter of the sweet potato mixture a half of each pastry round, leaving about ½-inch border. Sprinkle with some of the chopped nut, if using. Brush the egg white glaze around the filling on the pastry half and fold the other half over the filling, stretching the dough to cover, if necessary. Use a fork to press the edges together.

Transfer the empanadas on their parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet (or two, if necessary) spacing them about 2-inches apart. Chill the empanadas for

20 min.

Preheat oven to

400 degrees; press edges of empanadas again with a fork, then brush with the egg white glaze. Cut one or two small slits in the top to allow steam to escape and bake the empanadas for about

15 min., or until golden brown and puffed. Allow to cool for a few min., then serve. Makes 4 empanadas; can be easily doubled.

For another idea on what to do with leftover turkey, visit my expanded column online at www.southwhidbey

record.com for a recipe on turkey empanadas.

As I said, you can put a great many things into an empanada, including a small leftover turkey dinner.

TURKEY EMPANADAS

2 cups diced (small) cooked turkey, preferably a mix of light and dark meat

½ cup turkey gravy (chilled; don’t heat it)

3 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 cup mashed potatoes (or use sweet potatoes, if preferred)

1 cup turkey dressing

1 egg white, beaten with 1 t. cold water, for edges and glaze

Cranberry sauce, to serve with the empanadas

Mix the turkey with the gravy in a small bowl. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to 12-inch long rectangles. Cut out two six-inch rounds from each pastry sheet and place each round on a 9-inch square piece of parchment paper.

Spoon about 2½ T. of mashed potato onto half of each pastry round and flatten it a bit; leave a ½-inch border. Top with 2-3 T. dressing and about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture.

Brush glaze around the edge of the filled half; fold other half over the filling, stretching as necessary to cover and seal edges with a fork. Transfer empanadas as they are completed to two baking sheets, about 2-inches apart. Chill for 20 min.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; press edges of empanadas again with fork and brush all over with glaze. Cut small slits in top for escaping steam and bake for 10 min., then lower heat to 350 and continue cooking until empanadas are puffed and golden, about 15 min. longer. Allow to cool briefly, then serve, accompanied by cranberry sauce and any other leftovers from your Thanksgiving table you choose.