New life for leftovers
You know you’re all done with the feasting when you find yourself staring at a stash of leftovers on the kitchen counter. What was once a beautiful golden roast turkey has dwindled into just skin and bones. The ham that had been a lovely rosy pink, flanked by a syrupy pineapple sauce, has been reduced to dried scraps of sinewy meat. And the lechon with the glistening mahogany brown skin is, alas, now a mere skeleton of its former self.
What to do with these leftovers? As scanty as they may be, throwing them in the garbage seems like such a waste. There’s got to be a way to somehow salvage them and give them new life.
The good news is that you can repurpose these remains of the day. With a bit of creativity and a lot of patience, you can rehash them into passable, maybe even delightful, meals. The carcass of a turkey, for instance, is bound to still have some usable meat clinging to the drumsticks, wings, and breasts. For that matter, even the carcass itself can yield some residual flavor.
Here are a few recipes to inspire you in their transformation.
Turkey Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 whole carcass of a roast turkey
- 1 – 2 cups shredded turkey meat (from the carcass)
- 6-8 cups water
- 1-2 pcs. bay leaves
- 250 grams noodles (rigatoni, elbow macaroni or corkscrew noodles)
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, cut into rounds (or any decorative shape)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsps. chopped parsley leaves (optional)
Procedure:
Carefully pry off any remaining meat from the carcass of the turkey. Slice the meat into bite-sized pieces, then set aside.
Put the turkey carcass in a stockpot and pour in the water. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for one hour to extract any residual flavor. Let cool, then strain the liquid into a clean bowl. Set aside.
In a separate pot, simmer the noodles in enough water to cover until the noodles are halfway to becoming al dente (about four minutes). Remove the noodles from the water and set aside.
In the same stockpot where you simmered the carcass, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion for one to two minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing until fragrant (do not let the garlic burn). Pour in the strained liquid from the carcass and bring to a simmer. Stir in the noodles and the carrots. Continue simmering until the carrots are tender and the noodles are al dente. Add the sliced turkey meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat through for two to three minutes. Remove the bay leaves and, if desired, sprinkle the parsley leaves on the soup just before serving. Serve hot.
Turkey Sandwich
Most turkey sandwiches slather the bread with mayonnaise. Not this recipe; instead of mayonnaise, the turkey is drenched in its natural partner—the gravy. I got the idea for this recipe from an episode in the sitcom Friends, where Monica prepares a turkey sandwich for her brother Ross, using gravy instead of mayonnaise.
Ingredients:
- 6- 8 slices of bread
- 2-3 cups sliced turkey meat
- Leftover turkey gravy
- Lettuce leaves
Procedure:
Toast the bread slices lightly. Dip the turkey meat in the gravy, then brush each bread slice with the remaining gravy. Arrange a lettuce leaf on one slice of bread, then top with some turkey meat. Top with another slice of bread, gravy side down. Press the sandwich with the palm of your hand, or with the back of a skille,t so the filling adheres. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator before serving. Makes three to four sandwiches.
Paksiw Na Lechon
The key to transforming leftover lechon into a hearty paksiw is to debone the meat carefully before simmering it. This makes the meat more tender and since there are no pesky bones to deal with, it’s also more pleasurable to eat.
Ingredients:
- 1-2 pcs. kilos sliced lechon
- 2 tbsps. cooking oil
- 1 whole head of garlic, chopped
- 6 cups lechon liver sauce (may use bottled lechon sauce)
- 2 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsps. sugar
- ½ cup white vinegar
Procedure:
Remove the meat from the lechon. Discard the bones and set aside the meat. In a large pan or casserole, heat the cooking oil to low. Add the garlic and sauté until the garlic turns a light golden color. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Pour in the lechon liver sauce, then stir in the water and sugar. Simmer until the sugar melts then add the vinegar. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a low boil without stirring. Once the sauce boils, stir and continue simmering until the sauce thickens slightly (it should not be watery).
Add the deboned lechon meat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Best served immediately with rice.
Other suggestions: Use leftover ham bones to enrich your nilaga or pochero. Simply boil the ham bones in enough water to cover (about eight to 10 cups of water) for about one hour to extract all the remaining flavor. Remove the bones from the liquid and strain the liquid into a clean bowl or casserole to weed out any bits of bone. Use the liquid as a soup base for making nilaga or pochero. The dish will have a very rich, comforting flavor.
You can also use bits of leftover ham to make a salad. Chop the ham into bite-sized cubes, then blend with mayonnaise, chopped apples, boiled elbow macaroni noodles, and pickle relish. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar.
