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Everybody has their own gumbo recipe that they swear by, of course, but here's the one I use (understanding that I make adjustments for available ingredients - this IS leftovers, after all).
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey & Andouille Gumbo
1/2 cup bacon drippings, or bacon drippings and enough olive oil added to make 1/2 cup
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup chopped celery (no more than 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (some use parsley, I prefer cilantro)
1 gallon of stock, more or less (make your own or use Knorr's bouillon)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tsp dried mint
3 cups sliced okra (I use frozen - keep a bag in the freezer all the time)
1 pound sliced andouille sausage
Leftover turkey meat (however much you have or want to use)
Hot sauce to taste
Worcestershire sauce, 1 T
salt to taste
Make a roux with the flour and bacon drippings/oil, over medium heat. This takes me a LONG time - up to 45 minutes, sometimes, but the most attention-intensive part is at the end - to get a nice dark roux. Some folks buy theirs.
Once the roux is the right color, add the onions, green onions, cilantro and celery, stirring after each addition, and cook until the onions are clear. Cook until the onions are clear. (No, it won't burn if you don't have the heat too high. Yes, it looks like it should burn, reason tells you it should burn, but it doesn't. It's magic. Cope with it.
Add 1 cup of the stock and stir to form a thick paste, to which you will stir in the minced garlic.
Add the remaining stock. I do all of the above to this point in my black cast iron deep skillet, and here I add enough stock to make it pourable and put it in my 8 quart stainless steel stock pan, because there's not room in the skillet, then add the rest of the stock.
Stir in the mint, okra, sausage and turkey and stir to mix well. Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire, and salt if needed (with the Knorr, it's not). Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 hours or more, stirring occasionally. Lock the doors and close the windows unless you want the neighbors popping by to see if there's an extra bowl of gumbo. I always did when I lived in town (want them to pop by - I was known to have relative strangers stop off at the open door to see what was going on, because the aroma drags them in off the street).
Remember to be careful with the chipotles in adobo in this recipe. I've made it so hot it was inedible once. You can also make this with leftover cooked chicken.
Chipotle Turkey Enchiladas
3 cups cubed cooked turkey
9 oz sharp cheddar cheese -- grated (I used 2% cheese 8oz bag)
3/4 c minced onion
12 corn tortillas
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 c beef broth
1 c water
1 tsp cumin
3 cloves garlic -- minced
1 tsp oregano
1 canned chipotle chiles -- seeded and minced (original recipe calls for 3 to 4 but 1 will do)
2 T adobo sauce from can
2 T sour cream
Melt the butter in a skillet. Stir in flour. Cook this roux until it is light brown.
Remove pan from heat and slowly stir in broth. Place pan over medium heat and whisk in water.
Add the spices, garlic, chiles, and adobo sauce.
Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Whisk in sour cream.
Heat some oil in a skillet. Lightly fry a corn tortilla to soften it. (recipe calls for frying them in oil but I just run them under water and steamed for about 15 seconds in the microwave then you can roll them fine)
Place it on a plate and fill with 1T cheese, 1T onion, and 1T chicken. Roll and place in a 9x13" dish. Repeat 12 times.
Cover the enchiladas with the chipotle sauce. Top with any remaining onions and cheese. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, just until the sauce bubbles.
I make turkey tacos every year. I've posted the recipe before. It's really easy. Shredded turkey, grated cheddar, and salsa put on a flour tortilla, throw it in the toaster oven. Cook until tortilla is crisped but still foldable.
Top with shredded cabbage and sour cream, enjoy.
Lacey, stop reminding me of my mom, you're making me home sick!!!
Ok, first off, I told her on the phone that I'd heard on the internet about rubbing mayo on a turkey to keep it moist. She said "Uh, Debsi, don't you remember that's how I've always done it?" !!!
I replied "Surely you remember how much I liked to sleep in, I always missed that part!"
Anyway, that's why I never learned to make a turkey from my mother, because I am a sack hound.
Secondly, Miss Lacey, that is almost EXACTLY what my mom does with at least half the turkey leftovers. Mom takes the left over mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, and stuffing and just makes one big casserole. It doesn't look like much but it is completely delicious! She serves it with cranberry sauce on the side. I prefer this meal to the one on the big day. I don't know why, it's all the same stuff, but it just tastes better.
Nicole, one of our favorites is something we brought back with us from South Texas. It's called King Ranch Casserole, and it's a real family favorite. It can either be made from cooked cutup chicken or leftover turkey, depending on what you have.
King Ranch Casserole
350 degree oven
Ingredients
Either 1 whole fryer or about a pound or so of leftover turkey
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (10-oz) can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup chicken or turkey broth
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cheese, grated
Process
If using chicken, start by boiling it in lightly salted water until tender. Pick the meat off the bones and cut into pieces. Save the broth! You'll use a cup of it in this recipe, then freeze the rest in pint-size Zip-locks for gravies and soups later. If using leftover turkey, just cut up into bite-size chunks.
In a medium bowl, combine the two cans of soup, the Ro-Tel tomatoes & green chilies, and the broth and mix until smooth. Cut the tortillas into strips about 2" wide.
Grease a casserole dish (at least 2 1/2 quart size; we prefer to use a 9x13 pan). Start with a layer of half of the chicken or turkey pieces. Sprinkle over half of the chopped onion. Lay half of the tortilla strips over that, then pour half of the sauce over the tortilla strips, then cover with half of the grated cheese. Repeat all layers.
Bake uncovered at 350 for an hour.
Obviously, this recipe is easy to multiply. It freezes well, too. For just the two of us, we often make it up in two smaller casserole dishes and freeze one for later.
I'm in favor of having the turkey and all the trimmings on Wednesday, ans saving the GOOD stuff for Thursday: The cold white meat sandsich on whole-wheat bread with a leaf of lettuce and lots of salt and mayonnaise, and a glass of milk. Best meal of the year.
We will soon be ready for turkey pot pie, turkey salad, turkey and rice casserole after we have our fill of just plain turkey sandwiches of course.
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