filed in Foodstuff
Here’s to Leftovers
Leftovers get a bad rap. I happen to love them all year round, from day old Chinese food to cold pizza. But particularly after Thanksgiving which is such a frenetic meal, that it’s hard to savor in the moment. The food pleasures deepen for me post holiday when I can eat at a more relaxed pace. The turkey tortilla soup pictured above looks delicious and it’s what I’ll be enjoying over the weekend. Recipe here.
How was your Thanksgiving dinner?
Discussion
10 comments for “Here’s to Leftovers”
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Do you know if the pasilla and ancho chilies are dried or fresh?
Jules, I assumed the chilis are dried.
Pretty delicious (and largely traditional). Spatchcocked roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cauliflower gratin, apple-sausage-sage stuffing, green beans (messed these up by underseasoning them), and wine, of course. Bourbon butter pecan ice cream (homemade), which I also messed up (didn’t put the canister in the freezer early enough, so we had soft ice cream instead of hard scoops–that said, it was perhaps the best I’ve ever made flavor-wise and we were stuffed enough to forgo the apple pie until the next day). Wonderful visit from my parents and sister–just very grateful for them! And no work for 3 days–no grading, no etc. Ah, paradise!
Petra, your menu sounds amazing. What’s spatchcocked?
I spent my Thanksgiving at a friend’s house. There was the traditional turkey, but also lamb, mac and cheese, cornbread stuffing, collard greens, baked corn, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and rolls. My friend’s brother-in-law is a professional chef and he made the most delicious gravy with the turkey drippings, flour, and broth. Dessert was just as bountiful. Didn’t take any home with me, but my friend’s husband was bragging about his lunch today at work (we all work at the same place)…he had some leftover lamb!
Lamb, Mac & Cheese – those are interesting to add to the Thanksgiving table.
Wendy, spatchcocking a bird means removing the backbone (which i had the butcher do) and then breaking the breastbone so that the poultry can be cooked flat (and fast). My 10.5 lb. turkey was done in 90 minutes.
Btw, recycled a pumpkin I used to decorate my front stoop. It was a small pumpkin (okay for cooking) so I baked it and scooped out the flesh. I’m going to turn it into pumpkin soup tomorrow!
I’ve never heard of spatchcocking before. It’s a great word, and sounds like an excellent turkey strategy.
I had to look up spatchcocking. What a name for a cooking technique! I bet the turkey is delicious. Thanks Petra for this new info. Also, thanks Wendy for the chili clarification.
Since I went to my brother’s for Thanksgiving this year, I did not feel “spatchcocked” by all the prep work. Brought a big, bright bowl of green beans with butter, lemon and tamari. Can’t wait to try the soup, Wendy, but no thanks on the leftover pizza!