New Video Recipe: Easy Leftover Turkey Stroganoff

Easy Leftover Turkey Stroganoff

Today's new video recipe in conjunction with CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is another timely, seasonal recipe idea to help turn both leftover turkey and gravy into a super fast and easy comfort food pasta dish. This one so so quick and easy, you can have it on the table in under 20 minutes. After all those hours slaving over Christmas dinner, a tasty meal-in-minutes should be well appreciated after the Holiday chaos subsides. This dish will let you do all that Boxing day visiting and still have dinner on the table in no time. It would also make a terrific pot -luck contribution at post Christmas get-togethers.

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For the full printable recipe click here.

VIDEO RECIPE: Turkey Bacon and Tomato Soup

Turkey Bacon and Tomato Soup

During December we will be presenting turkey recipes in our continuing video series with CBC Newfoundland and Labrador to serve as a helping hand in getting the word out about their 9th annual Turkeys for Christmas Drive. Please take the time to drop off a turkey at one of the designated drop off points or make a cash donation in aid of local food banks, so that every family can enjoy a wonderful Christmas feast this Holiday season. Find all the information you need to make your donation by clicking the link right here.

Today we have a delicious leftover soup recipe that is inspired by another turkey leftover staple, the club sandwich. Hey, if the flavors work together in a sandwich, they will work together in a soup. One of my favorite additions to this recipe is the chopped fennel, a vegetable that I absolutely love for it's anise-like flavor. I think it adds a delicious note to the broth of this soup.

Homemade turkey stock is so easy to make and it is something that we always have at our house because we have roast turkey probably at least once a month. I simple break up the carcass of the turkey after using all of the leftovers and cover the bones with water. A little salt and pepper is all that you need to make a neutral stock that you can use for sauces, soups, and especially to give your turkey a helping hand and a flavor boost the next time you roast a turkey. At our house it's insurance that there will be plenty of luscious gravy, no matter how many people show up for dinner. Optional flavor additions to a good turkey stock can include, onions, celery, carrots, thyme or bay leaves in any combination. It really s your choice and depends on how you plan to use your stock.

I like to reduce stock considerably in order to concentrate the flavor, especially when using it for a deeply flavored, rich gravy.

Watch the video below and you will see just how easy this simple, delicious soup is to prepare.

To find the complete recipe for the soup, click here.

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VIDEO RECIPE : Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and in the post celebration turkey haze, the inevitable question arises of what to do with that leftover turkey. In today's weekly episode in my web series with CBC Newfoundland and Labrador, I tackle that question with one of the most delicious baked pasta dishes ever and it's as easy to make as homemade mac and cheese.

For many more leftover turkey ideas, click here to see this collection of 18 leftover turkey recipes.

Click here to get the complete recipe for Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini.

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Turkey Club Stromboli

Turkey Club Stromboli

Perhaps we were all a little extra hungry at supper last night but holy-moly did we ever tuck-in to these delicious simple baked Stromboli sandwiches. We are big turkey fans at our house and it often makes a roast dinner that we enjoy as often as every couple of weeks, so leftover turkey ideas are always welcome and this was a terrific one. I've included my dough recipe here but you could easily use store bought pizza or bread dough for a quick weekday meal. I'll confess that I have picked up fresh touton dough from my neighborhood supermarket on the way home from work in order to make Stromboli from different leftover ingredients for dinner.

Makes 2 Stromboli, serves 6-8.

Stromboli Dough:

3-4 cups all purpose flour
1 packet instant yeast
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
1 ½ tsp sea salt

Mix dry ingredients together except for one cup of the flour. Add the warm water and mix very well with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough forms. Remove to a floured breadboard or your counter top and knead for an additional 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest for ½ hour, covered in a warm place. Knead again for 5 minutes and split dough into 2 portions and allow to rest for 20 minutes before rolling your dough into the desired size; for Stromboli, roll into about a 12 inch square.

(I bake my stromboli on a pizza stone but alternatively, you could bake the stromboli on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 375 degrees F.)

Preheat a pizza stone in a 450 degree F oven for ½ hour.

Add the filling to the stromboli, layering the filling ingredients down the center line of the dough. Here we have used:

Sliced leftover turkey (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds)

Crisp cooked bacon ( about ½ pound pre cooked weight)

½ cup chopped, oil packed, sundried tomatoes

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Olives make tasty additions if you like. Dijon mustard or garlic oil brushed on the dough is also very good. You can also brush a little milk or an eggwash over the stromboli and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped herbs.)

Bring the edges of the dough to the center of the stromboli, covering the filling. Pinch the dough edges and ends together to seal. Gently roll the entire stromboli onto a cornmeal covered wooden pizza peel so that the seam is on the bottom. Cut 3 one inch slits, evenly spaced, in the top of the stromboli dough for venting. Shake the peel to make sure the stromboli moves freely on the cornmeal.

Slide the stromboli onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into individual servings.

Turkey and Blackbean Soup

Turkey and Blackbean Soup

Spouse has been in the kitchen whipping up yet another quick and easy,  wholesome winter soup. A few quality ingredients and a very simple preparation is all it takes to be enjoying this healthy meal option. This is a soup that we often freeze in individual portions in sealed plastic containers to provide a quick workday lunch any time.

In a large pot , cook until soft:

2 medium carrots, coarsely grated

1 medium red onion diced small

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Add:

6 cups of turkey or chicken stock

1 28 oz can of tomatoes

1 19 0z can of back beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups of chopped , cooked turkey

3 tbsp fresh oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer  over medium heat for 20 minutes

Recipe Revisit: Turkey, Turkey and Oh Yeah Turkey

I may be one of the few who doesn't tire of turkey at the holiday season; I'm in for any turkey meal. Just in case you still have some of the festive fowl still hanging around the fridge, here are a few suggestions to make a meal from the leftovers:

Deep Fried Turkey
http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/02/deep-fried-turkey_15.html

Turkey Pot Pie
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/turkey%20pot%20pie

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/turkey-parmesan-baked-rotini.html

Turkey Stew
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/turkey-stew.html

Savoury Biscuits for Turkey Stew
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/08/savoury-biscuits.html

Turkey Agnolotti Soup
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/turkey-agnolotti-soup.html

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini

It's the Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and this recipe looks past the serving of the traditional turkey dinner, to the inevitable leftovers. I always have turkey stock on hand in my kitchen made from boiling the turkey bones and scraps. If I don't have time to do this on the day we have turkey, I freeze the scraps and bones and make it later; often making large batches from the remainders of several turkeys. I freeze the stock in pint sized containers and use it for soups, stews and in this recipe as a base for the sauce. This is a great comfort food recipe and will be a much appreciated supper on a chilly autumn evening.

For over a dozen more great leftover turkey ideas, click here.

In the microwave, scald

• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 ½ cups turkey stock

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook together for 2 minutes

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp sea salt

Whisking constantly, slowly pour in scalded milk and turkey stock. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Stir in:

• 2 tbsp dry summer savoury
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

In salted boiling water, cook, just to al dente

• 3 cups uncooked rotini pasta

Drain and set aside.

• 3 cups leftover cooked turkey, cut in chunks
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3 cups grated low fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup chopped button mushrooms (optional)
• 1 large roasted red pepper, chopped (optional)
• 8 slices precooked bacon, cut in small pieces

Grease the bottom and sides of a large casserole dish. Place half of the cooked rotini pasta in the bottom of the dish. Layer the casserole with half the turkey, half the parmesan cheese, half the bacon, and half the sauce. Repeat these layers and top with the grated mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the casserole is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini

Turkey Club Wrap on BBQ Flatbread with Lemon Savoury Mayonnaise

Turkey Club Wrap on BBQ Flatbread with Lemon Savoury Mayonnaise

I like to use any of my pizza dough recipes to make flatbreads on a gas grill. I find dough that was made the previous day and stored in a covered bowl overnight to be best for this purpose. I have posted a couple of them previously on this blog. You can find the plain pizza dough recipe here:
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/grilled-chicken-pizza.html
My whole wheat and oatbran crust recipe can be found here:
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/steak-and-roasted-red-pepper-pizza.html

I use about 3 ounces of pizza dough per flatbread, forming it into balls and allowing it to rest for about 10 minutes before rolling out to a very thin round of about 9-10 inches in diameter. Lay the dough rounds on a preheated gas grill on medium flame. These cook very quickly, so don't walk away. They will take a minute or less per side. As soon as they are able to be flipped, do so and cook for a minute or less on the other side. It is important not to overcook them, don't allow them to become crispy or else they cannot be folded to use for wraps. We make them all the time during grilling season and use them as a base for quick pizzas, for breakfast wraps, just as an accompaniment for favorite BBQ fare or as shown here, as sandwich or salad wraps. This one is a particular favorite of mine which I often make with leftover rotisserie turkey and add some crisp cooked bacon, baby spinach leaves and sliced tomatoes. The fresh Lemon and Savoury Mayonnaise absolutely makes this sandwich.

Lemon Savoury Mayonnaise

In a blender or food processor combine until thick and pale in color
2 large or extra large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tbsp dried summer savoury

Add oil alternately with lemon juice in three parts, adding the oil very slowly in a thin stream.
1 cup canola oil
Juice of one lemon
This will produce a thick mayonnaise, for a thinner mayo reduce the amount of oil.

Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Pot Pie

Here's another idea for that Turkey Stew recipe from yesterday. The pastry recipe is the same that I use for my Steak and Portobello Pie.

I sometimes make extras of these and freeze them before baking. I then thaw them in the fridge overnight to use the next day. I sometimes make these pot pies in full size pie plates as well as the individual size as shown. As a time saver, I sometimes just put the stew in a baking dish and cover it with a single top crust of pastry which is a great idea for any leftover stew.

Pot Pie Pastry 

Start by making your pastry

1 cup very cold butter cut into small cubes
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 – ½ cup ice water (Only enough to make a dough form.)

Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible. Pour cold water over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.

Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. Or divide into 8 balls to make 4 smaller individual pies.

You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate. Don’t trim the dough at this point. It is better to trim the excess after blind baking it. You will need to blind bake this bottom crust before adding the filling. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy.

To blind bake a crust simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.) Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 -15 minutes. Remove baking weights and parchment (or foil).

Turkey Stew Filling

Serves 6

2 lbs leftover cooked turkey, skinless and cut in chunks
2 litres turkey stock
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup green peas
1 small celeriac (celery root), diced
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
3 tbsp summer savoury
1 tsp ground sage (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
½ cup flour mixed with 1 cup water

Toss the carrot, parsnip and celeriac in 3 tbsp olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and roast on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes tossing occasionally until the vegetables are fork tender.
In a large dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add the turkey stock, savoury and sage to the pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Thicken the stock to make gravy by whisking in the flour and water mixture. You may not need to use all the flour and water mixture but the gravy should be relatively thick. Stir in the roasted vegetables, peppers, peas and turkey. Cook in a 350 degree F oven for an additional half hour.Cool before using as filling for Turkey Pot Pie.

Fill the blind baked crust with the turkey stew, then top with rolled pastry, tucking under the bottom crust. Cut a dime sized hole in the center of the top crust and bake at 375 degrees F until golden brown and bubbling at the center, about 45 minutes.

Turkey Stew

Turkey Stew

Another leftover rescue recipe today that's great for the day after that big turkey supper. When I'm finished carving all the meat from the turkey, I break up the entire carcass and boil it gently in water for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to make the intensely flavoured stock which is the base for this recipe. This is definitely comfort food at it's best.

Serves 6

2 lbs leftover cooked turkey, skinless and cut in chunks
2 litres turkey stock
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup green peas
1 small celeriac (celery root), diced
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
3 tbsp summer savoury
1 tsp ground sage (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
½ cup flour mixed with 1 cup water

Toss the carrot, parsnip and celeriac in 3 tbsp olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and roast on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes tossing occasionally until the vegetables are fork tender.
In a large dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add the turkey stock, savoury and sage to the pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Thicken the stock to make gravy by whisking in the flour and water mixture. You may not need to use all the flour and water mixture but the gravy should be relatively thick. Stir in the roasted vegetables, peppers, peas and turkey. Cook in a 350 degree F oven for an additional half hour. Serve with dumplings if desired.

Turkey, Bacon and Tomato Soup

Turkey, Bacon and Tomato Soup

Shown served with Parmesan Herb Crackers. Find that recipe by clicking here. Some light and flaky Buttermilk biscuits would be great to serve with this soup too.

Today marks a milestone for Rock Recipes blog. Today we went over the 200 mark for posts since last September when the blog started. I'm surprising even myself at this point. For someone who never actually wrote down any of the recipes that I have used for years, having completed over 200 recipes at this point is an accomplishment to say the least.

Thanks so much to all the regular readers of the blog who keep returning. We have regular readers, many of whom are transplanted Newfoundlanders, all over the world. I have heard from many of them in places I would never expect to find people interested in recipe ideas from the cold North Atlantic. We have had readers from 96 different countries visit the site. I'd like to encourage as many readers as possible to leave a comment on our guestbook and tell us from where you are reading the blog.

Stay tuned, I still have too much time on my hands and I'm not done yet.

Today's recipe is for one of my favorite soups, often made a day or two after a roast turkey dinner. The Parmesan Herb Crackers are a very tasty addition to this meal.

Turkey, Bacon and Tomato Soup
Serves 8

2 lbs cooked cubed turkey
8 slices thick cut smoked bacon
5 cups turkey stock
5 cups tomato juice
3 large carrots sliced
2 large parsnip sliced
4 stalks celery chopped
1 cup chopped fennel bulb
3 cloves minced garlic
1 large red or white onion chopped
2 large tomatoes chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp dried savoury
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp marjoram
Salt and pepper to season
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup lentils

To make the turkey stock for this soup I use the bones of a cooked 10 lb turkey. Break the carcass apart and cover them with water in a large pot. Boil for about an hour and remove all the bones from the pot. Skim off excess fat from the surface. For this recipe I like to reduce the stock to about 5 cups to concentrate the flavour so return the pot to the stove and continue to boil to reduce the amount of stock if necessary.

Cut the bacon in small pieces and cook slowly to crisp over medium low flame, rendering out as much of the fat as possible. Drain off all the fat and deglaze the pan with a little turkey stock and add to the soup pot.

Sauté all the vegetables and garlic, except the tomatoes, in the olive oil for about 5 minutes over medium high heat. Deglaze the pan with a little turkey stock and add to the soup pot along with the sautéed vegetables.

Add all other ingredients except the tomatoes and cooked turkey to the soup pot and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Add the turkey and tomatoes and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.