The morning after - how to make turkey magic with leftovers

What do you do the morning after? Nothing to do with what your think it is. I am referring to left over Thanksgiving turkey. If you were like me, we had almost half a turkey untouched, so this noon I was contemplating on how to turn this huge mass of meat into another feast. I checked the fridge - some red bell peppers were in the crisper, half a quart of half-half which I use for my coffee, and about half a chorizo - which was left over from the paella I made yesterday. Spotted in the freezer were some peas as well. Next destination was the pantry - aha - a can of cream of mushroom soup. When I turned I glanced over and saw a bottle of white wine. So put them all together and you have the makings of a pastel style dish.

So far this is what I had:
chorizo de bilbao
red bell pepper
onions
garlic
peas
white wine
half and half
cream of mushroom soup
leftover turkey of course

In a hot skillet use some good virgin oil olive, saute the garlic, onions and red bell pepper. When the vegetables were soft add the chorizo,some white wine and simmer for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol.  Slowly add the half and half along with the cream of mushroom soup. 

Add enough water so the sauce is not thick. Simmer over low heat until the turkey is tender - about 12 minutes. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick. A minute or so before the end of cooking add the peas - stir until incorporated into the dish.








Serve over a nice cup of hot rice or toast

Enjoy!!

Turducken - what is it

This the season when most turkeys fear most - the day of Thanksgiving. I am speaking of the two legged feathered kind and not who you might be thinking of. Most Americans will have the bird as the main feature of attraction in their Thanksgiving table. Some offer suggestions on various ways of cooking the bird - most prefer the roasting and basting method, others have taken the more perilous route of deep frying while some have used the stuffing method. No not the bread stuffing chestnut and celery type of stuffing but one of Turducken.

What is a Turducken? It is a linguistic blend as Wikipedia would describe the word. It is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey. Both chicken and duck are totally deboned while the turkey is prepared partially deboned - maybe to hold the two other birds without falling apart.

While unverified, Paul Prudhomme the creole chef claims to have originated this dish. One can tell from the ingredients commonly used that it could have its humble beginnings in the South. Quite similar to the Filipino's embutido but to proportions of the American way of food consumption.

Imagine stuffing a small hen inside a duck while sausage is the stuffing of the chicken. Quick tasty but beware should the dish be presented to you. Its high in caloric content and so is its fat/cholesterol.

One can order the bird already cooked ready to be served from various online stores. The average is roughly $85 for a 15 lb bird some served with sides that come as a welcome accompaniment to the dish.

As this Thanksgiving day approaches, I wish one and all a blessed holiday and Happy Thanksgiving to all