Think Outside the Turkey Sandwich
There are some word combinations that just tend to make us cringe. You know, such as "plumbing" and "leak," "car" and "repair," or "reality" and "celebrity." In food, they would be "spray" and "cheese," "cheeseburger" and "in a can," and "Thanksgiving" and "leftovers."
Why is that?
"Probably just the idea of that dried-up turkey sandwich," said Jason Kupper, a chef/instructor with Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas. "It's something that just isn't appetizing anymore."
"I think people overeat on the holiday, and they prep too much food and have too much left over," said Michael Armstrong, executive chef of Tao Las Vegas at The Venetian. "The problem is nobody wants to run out of food on Thanksgiving. You have leftovers for three or four days."
"It's kind of like the first time you go to a buffet, it's really good," said John Schenk, executive chef of Strip House at Planet Hollywood. "The next time you go to a buffet, it's not so good. So much of eating is the mental aspect."
But we're here to tell you that you can give life to Thanksgiving leftovers, and we've asked local chefs for ideas on how to do it.
"Be creative," Armstrong said, adding that borrowing from other cultures can make Thanksgiving leftovers more interesting.
"What most people don't understand," Kupper said, "is that there is potential to turn those items in the fridge into a brand new masterpiece with a little resourcefulness and imagination."
"It's about coming up with something that's different but good," Schenk said.
Here are their ideas.
Armstrong: Make fried rice using rice, leftover turkey, egg, scallions, cranberries and dried cherries. Armstrong said he also might shred the turkey leg meat, mix with leftover mashed potatoes, wrap in a won ton skin, pan-fry and serve with cranberry sauce.
Akira Back, executive chef of Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge, Bellagio: Try tempura turkey fingers with cranberry dip, or turkey katsu with cranberry "tonkatsu" sauce.
Geno Bernardo, executive chef, Nove Italiano at the Palms: Make a stock, mix with turkey, stuffing, ricotta cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and turn it into ravioli or tortellini. Drizzle with leftover cranberry sauce with a little extra virgin olive oil "and it's got a nice Italian taste to it." Or use the turkey to make an Italian brodo, or broth, and put the ravioli or tortellini in that.
Joseph Bernardo, assistant chef, Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York: Warm up with a turkey corn chowder (recipe follows).
Massimiliano Campanari, executive chef of Osteria del Circo at Bellagio: Use the bones to make turkey stock. Add leftover turkey meat, shredded, and butternut-squash gnocchi, and sprinkle with crushed amaretto cookies.
John DeLoach, executive chef at Lavo at The Venetian: Dice dark meat and use it in a wild-mushroom risotto with asparagus and mascarpone, seasoned with nutmeg and tarragon. Use the turkey carcass to make an intense broth for cooking the risotto. Garnish with carrots, peeled and fried.
K.C. Fazel, executive chef, Tender Steak & Seafood, Luxor: Make a turkey and truffle potpie by pressing leftover stuffing into the base of cast-iron pans; combine leftover turkey with leftover gravy, add some of the leftover vegetables (peas, corn, carrots, beans, etc.), a splash of truffle oil and a few dried cranberries and pour on top of stuffing. If you have extra pie-crust dough, roll it out and top the turkey mix with it; seal well and brush with more truffle oil. Bake in 350-degree oven until hot and crust is browned.
Sean Griffin, executive chef, Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio: Make leftover turkey shepherd's pie (recipe follows).
Carlos Guia, executive chef of The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas: To make roasted turkey gumbo, take the turkey carcass, remove the meat and put the bones in a pot with water and mirepoix (chopped onion, carrots and celery), herbs and a little garlic, to make stock. Use that as the base (or use leftover gravy as a base, thinning a bit with stock, if necessary). Add the Creole/Cajun "holy trinity" of bell pepper, onion and celery, plus okra, Creole spice and the roasted turkey meat. Add a bit of file for thickening. Or make a potpie with leftover gravy, adding a little cream and leftover vegetables and turkey meat. Top with pie dough or puff pastry and pop it in the oven.
Hubert Keller, executive chef, Fleur de Lys, Mandalay Bay: Try turkey, winter vegetable and mushroom "cappuccino" with turkey stuffing crostini (recipe follows).
Kupper: "In my house, we like to put a little twist on the leftovers from Thanksgiving Day dinner by making these tasty empanadas. Nothing beats the smell of flaky, buttery puff pastry baking in the oven on a cool fall day." (recipe follows)
Bonnie Mankoff, executive chef, Pyramid Cafe at Luxor: Benedict -- homemade biscuit topped with grilled turkey cake, poached eggs and creamy white sauce.
Brian Massie, executive chef, Light Group: Make a turkey potpie (recipe follows).
Jose Navarro, executive chef, d. vino Italian Food & Wine Bar at the Monte Carlo: Veal and turkey meatloaf, dicing up leftover dark and white turkey meat and adding it to prepared ground veal meat, which has been seasoned and prepared with eggs, Dijon mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, dried cranberries, milk-soaked bread, salt, pepper and paprika. Serve with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and turkey gravy.
Saul Ortiz, executive chef, Tacos & Tequila at Luxor: Try turkey tacos with cranberry salsa.
Vincenzo Scarmiglia, executive chef, Sirio Ristorante at Aria: Turn your leftovers into turkey ravioli with turkey demi-glaze.
Schenk: Make turkey shepherd's pie with a layer of stuffing topped with a layer of turkey and a layer of mashed potatoes; bake until heated. Or save some turkey stock and use it the next day to make a hearty turkey soup with the turkey carcass, leftover carrots and onions and maybe some unsalted packaged chicken stock, if needed. Then make dumplings with leftover stuffing mixed with egg, a little flour and a little baking powder. Add shredded dark meat and heat.
Paul Wagner, executive chef of Skybox Sports Bar and Grill at Aria: Make a turkey potpie with pulled white and dark meat, gravy, diced fresh carrots and peas, and cornbread stuffing in a potpie shell mounded over with a buttery, flaky dough. Set it on a bed of hot mashed sweet potatoes and garnish with warm cranberry chutney and a sprig of sage.
TURKEY, WINTER VEGETABLE AND
MUSHROOM CAPPUCCINO WITH
TURKEY STUFFING CROSTINI
1½ cups rich turkey broth
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons truffle oil (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon butter
3 tablespoons finely diced cooked carrot
3 tablespoons finely diced and cooked shiitake mushroom
3 tablespoons diced and cooked fingerling potatoes
3 tablespoons finely julienned and cooked leek
¾ cup diced cooked turkey meat
4 tablespoons turkey stuffing, chopped
½ tablespoon turkey gravy
4 teaspoons mashed potato
½ teaspoon virgin olive oil
4 slices baguette, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons peeled, seeded and diced tomato
½ cup soft whipped cream
In a small saucepot, heat the turkey broth with the lemon juice and truffle oil. Adjust seasoning and keep hot.
Using a saute pan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the carrot, shiitake, potatoes, leek and turkey meat. Heat up nicely. Season with salt and pepper and keep hot.
In a small saucepan, mix together the stuffing and gravy and heat.
In a small bowl, mix the mashed potato with the olive oil and spread evenly on the baguette croutons. Spoon the hot stuffing over the mashed potato and top with the cranberry sauce. Reserve.
To serve, divide the vegetable-turkey mix among four coffee cups. Add the diced tomatoes equally. Top with the whipped cream.
Poor the boiling turkey broth over the cream, so that the cream starts foaming up, like a cappuccino.
Serve immediately with the crostini on the side.
Serves 4.
-- Recipe from Hubert Keller, Fleur de Lys
LEFTOVER TURKEY SHEPHERD'S PIE
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in small dice
2 stalks celery, cut in small dice
1 carrot, cut in small dice
1 pound leftover turkey meat, cut into medium-sized dice
1 cup leftover vegetables or stuffing (green beans, pearl onions, yams, etc.), optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups leftover turkey gravy
4 cups mashed potatoes (leftover, if available)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a saute pan, melt the butter and cook the onion, celery and carrot until softened and translucent; do not brown. Add the turkey and stir in the leftover vegetables, if using (you want to add these last, since they are already cooked), and heat through. Season to taste. Divide into individual casseroles, or place in a large casserole to be enjoyed family-style.
Bring the gravy to a simmer and pour over the turkey mixture. The turkey and vegetables should be well coated with the gravy.
Warm the leftover mashed potatoes and spoon or pipe on top of the turkey and vegetables. (If you place the potatoes into a piping bag with large star tip, you can create a very attractive design.) Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly browned and the gravy is bubbling.
Serves 8.
-- Recipe from Sean Griffin of Prime
TURKEY AND SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS
WITH SPICY CRANBERRY DIPPING SAUCE
For the empanadas:
3 cups cooked turkey (cut in small dice)
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup sweet potato (cut in small dice)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, plus 1 sprig for garnish
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream for garnish (optional)
For the sauce:
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 jalapeno, de-seeded and minced
1 tablespoon diced Granny Smith apple
¼ teaspoon honey
2 ounces pinot noir
1 cup fresh cranberry chutney or canned cranberry sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the empanadas, mix the turkey with the cheese, sweet potato, cilantro, cumin, chipotle, salt and pepper.
Lay out puff pastry sheets and cut out individual circles with a cookie cutter or round ring mold. Place a small spoonful of the mixture in the center of the circle and fold the dough over so that you have a half-moon. Seal the edges with a little of the beaten egg.
Using a fork, crimp the edges of the dough to seal it tightly. Lightly brush the outside of the empanada with the beaten egg.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
To make the sauce, place the shallot, jalapeno, apple and honey in a pot, and cook until lightly caramelized. Pour the pinot noir into the pan, stir to remove the browned bits, and reduce until the mixture is dry.
Add the cranberry chutney or sauce and bring to a simmer (if too thick, add a touch of water). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree in a bar blender until very smooth. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Makes about 12 small empanadas, which serves 4.
-- From chef Jason Kupper, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
TURKEY POTPIE
Bones from Thanksgiving turkey
1 gallon turkey stock or water
Onions (divided use)
Carrots
Celery
Leftover turkey
Butter (divided use)
Flour
Leftover gravy
Truffle oil, to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Leftover green beans
Leftover peas
Hungry Jack Biscuits from the supermarket
Put all of the turkey bones into a pot; add turkey stock or water, onions, carrots and celery and simmer until reduced to 1 quart. Remove the bones and cool the stock.
Pick all of the meat off the bones and shred with remaining leftover turkey; reserve.
Melt butter in a saucepot; stir in flour to make a roux, then stir in the turkey stock, whisking to prevent lumps. Add leftover gravy and simmer the new gravy, reducing until the desired flavor and consistency are achieved. Season gravy with truffle oil and salt and pepper to taste and reserve.
In a saute pan melt the butter and cook the onions until translucent. Add the green beans and peas; season to taste and reserve.
To assemble: Choose vessels for individual potpies and butter the inside. Spoon some of the gravy into the bottom of the vessel, about a quarter of the way up. Top with veggies and then turkey. Sprinkle truffle oil on top and repeat the process one more time until the vessel is full.
Unroll the biscuit dough and cover the top of the vessels, pinching the sides to seal.
Refrigerate about 20 minutes to set.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove potpies from the refrigerator, brush the tops with truffle oil and add a pat of butter. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the dough is set and cooked fully.
Makes 12 6-inch potpies.
-- Recipe from Brian Massie, executive chef of Light Group restaurants
TURKEY CORN CHOWDER
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 medium onions, diced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 celery stalk, diced
2 cups leftover gravy or chicken stock
2 quarts heavy whipping cream
4 cups sweet whole-kernel corn, drained
4 cups chopped cooked turkey
¼ teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Melt butter in a pot and saute onions until tender. Add cubed potatoes, celery, gravy and cream. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add corn, turkey, paprika and thyme. Bring to a boil.
Serve topped with a pinch of fresh chopped parsley.
Serves 4 to 6.
-- Recipe from Joseph Bernardo, Nine Fine Irishmen
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.
