photograph by Matt Hulsman
Yield: 8 servings.
Cooking spray
½ cup unsalted butter, divided
½ sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
4 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
1 cup frozen peas
Pepper to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan, grated
Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare a 2-quart casserole dish or 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray.
Melt ¼ cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over the onion and celery and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Whisk in chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring liquid to a strong simmer, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Swiss cheese and salt.
Add turkey, spaghetti, and frozen peas. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared casserole dish.
In a medium skillet, melt remaining butter. Add bread crumbs and Parmesan, mix well, and cook until lightly toasted. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over top of casserole.
Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling, and bread crumb topping is lightly browned.
photograph by Meal Makeover Moms/flickr
Yield: 3-4 servings per casserole. Recipe makes enough filling for two, 1-quart casseroles: One to cook and one to freeze.
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons diced pimiento
¼ cup sliced almonds or chopped peanuts
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked and cubed North Carolina turkey
3 cups cooked rice (white and wild)
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
⅛ teaspoon paprika
In a large pot, sauté the onion and green pepper in butter for 3 minutes, then stir in the flour. Add chicken broth gradually. Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add pimientos, almonds, pepper, turkey, and rice. Stir to combine.
Pour half of the mixture into a 1-quart casserole dish, top with half of the grated cheese, and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes.
For a future meal, freeze half of the mixture in a freezer-to-table 1-quart casserole dish.
To serve frozen casserole: Place casserole covered with foil in a 350° oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and paprika, then return to oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Makes 3-4 servings.
If you choose to make one large casserole with the above ingredients, we suggest using a 2-quart casserole dish. Cooking temperature and time should remain the same.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
Yield: 2 servings.
3 eggs (1 beaten for egg wash and 2 whole for frying)
1 tablespoon water
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
2-4 thick slices of turkey
2 biscuits
Pimento cheese
In small bowl, whisk an egg together with a tablespoon of water. In another bowl, combine flour with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.
Dip slices of turkey in the egg wash, then flour. Sauté until browned and crispy on both sides.
While the turkey cooks, fry two eggs in a separate pan. Toast the biscuits and cut in half. Spread the bottom half of the biscuit with pimento cheese. Top with a slice of fried turkey, an egg, and the other half of the biscuit.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
Yield: 24 fritters.
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, chilled (about 4 potatoes)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoons orange juice
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Place mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Stir in butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, salt, and orange zest and juice. Mix well.
Shape sweet potato mixture into 1-inch balls. Coat each ball in egg wash, then roll evenly in bread crumbs. Set aside.
In a stockpot, heat oil to 350°. Fry sweet potato balls in oil, turning occasionally until golden brown on all sides. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve hot.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
Yield: As many as you’d like.
Collards
Cornbread
Fried fatback
The secret to a good collard sandwich is really simple: Take some collards, chop fine, and place between two pieces of fried cornbread. The cornbread should be fried crispy. On top of the collard sandwich, place a couple of pieces of fried fatback. Wrap in tinfoil until ready to eat. The sandwich can be served cold or hot.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
Yield: 4-6 servings (depending on the amount of Thanksgiving leftovers you have!).
Collard leaves, raw
Leftover turkey, chopped
Leftover dressing
Water chestnuts (Optional)
Green onion (Optional)
Orange marmalade
Cranberry sauce
Cilantro
When cooking collards for Thanksgiving dinner, save several large leaves. Blanch for about 5 minutes until tender. (These can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated.)
For the filling, mix together chopped turkey and dressing. Fold in chopped water chestnuts, green onion, and any other tidbits of leftovers you’d like.
Lay out the collard leaf, and spread some of the dressing mixture across the center. Fold up the bottom and sides of the leaf before rolling it.
To create the dipping sauce, mix orange marmalade and cranberry sauce together. Stir in a bit of fresh chopped cilantro.
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