Get That Turkey Away From Me!

Most people really love the Thanksgiving leftovers more than the initial meal itself. In fact, that preliminary meal just feels like a rev-up to what really matters--putting it all together the next day in some creative fashion, when everything just tastes better!

Mashed potato pancakes are big in our family, but this year we didn't make enough potatoes to begin with, and those went the 2nd day. Sigh. Toasted golden brown on both sides (please fry in butter), the inside is simply hot, silky and savory, a very satisfying mouth experience.

Plenty of turkey though, so this is what I've done with the carcass:

Took as much meat off as I could, then put the carcass, skin and fat into a large pot, added a bunch of celery stalks with leaves, halved carrots, pepper corns, salt, and made sure the onions and herbs from the turkey were in there too. Added water to almost cover and simmered for 4 hours.

Strained it all when it was cool enough, and put it into the frig.

This has yielded a rich broth that I'll skim the fat from this morning, then I'll try this recipe from the New York Times magazine.

The quantity of ingredients is happily vague and left to the whim of the cook! Enjoy!

Turkey Noodle Soup with Ginger

Cook chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger in neutral oil until soft, then add turkey stock and bring to a boil.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until almost done; drain and stir into the soup, along with shredded turkey; heat through.

Garnish: Parsley or cilantro.

If you've got extra cranberry sauce, give this a try while you heat up your Turkey Stew.

Cranberry Negronis

Mix equal parts gin, Campari, vermouth and cranberry sauce in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain.

Garnish: Orange or lemon peel.

by Mark Bittman

thanks Mark! If you are a Twitter person, you can follow Mark on Twitter: @bittman