Turkey Curry in a Hurry

Does anyone else have about 6 huge turkeys taking up ALL the space in their freezer because turkey was so gosh darn cheap right before Thanksgiving? When turkeys are priced at $0.15/pound, my husband (who loves turkey almost as much as he loves bacon) always makes multiple trips to the store to buy "just one more" turkey to roast or barbecue later for dinner, sandwiches, etc. Needless to say, we do the same with ham when it plummets around Christmastime. So pretty much the only thing we have in our freezer at the moment are ham slabs and turkey carcasses.

Last weekend, Paul decided to test out the new Weber grill he received as a Christmas gift from the best wife ever and smoke us some turkey! He chose Hickory chips and the scent was pretty overwhelming and seemed to follow us around for days after his grilling project was complete. The turkey was so moist and incredibly flavorful and we enjoyed it with mashed potatoes and gravy for the first couple nights. Then, we made soup and that really did not use up much of the remaining meat. Turkey sandwiches in all forms came next...followed shortly by this turkey curry. This used up the last of our 14-pound bird and was definitely the tastiest leftover item we made! It will definitely be on the menu again whenever we get around to roasting our next bird...which will be soon because we have five left.

Super easy and quick, we paired this delicious dinner with the onion kulcha I posted about previously. We served the curry on top of some steamed Basmati rice tossed with toasted cumin seeds. Delicious!

Turkey Curry in a Hurry
adapted heavily from America's Test Kitchen

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed (optional)
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
4 large cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 cups vegetables, roasted*
1 cup water
2 cups cooked turkey, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup roasted, salted cashew halves
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (Do NOT substitute low-fat yogurt - the sauce will break!)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just shimmering. Add the onion, raisins, curry powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the roasted vegetables, chickpeas, and water and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the turkey and peas and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.
Off the heat, stir in the yogurt and cilantro. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

*I cubed up two large yams, tossed them with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 heaping teaspoon each of curry powder, garam masala, and salt and roasted them in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. We almost ate all of these by themselves while the sauce was cooking...it took a lot of self control to stop.

Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini

Alright, I know this is not the prettiest meal you're ever going to see on a plate. In fact, it looks downright sloppy and maybe a bit like something you would get by following the directions on the back of one of those Chicken Helper kits from the grocery store. However, trust me (please?) when I tell you that this is one of the most delicious meals you can make with leftover turkey. Every time we roast a turkey, I look forward to enjoying this meal later in the week. You can also make it with leftover chicken if turkey is not your thing!

I threw lots of extra peas into this because Matthew is obsessed with them. He normally refuses to eat anything new I put in front of him. Normally we just make him sit there and sulk until he finally decides to venture a bite. From this sampling, he will normally decide: "Hey! this stuff ain't so bad!" and happily clean his plate. However, sometimes we wait a good 10-15 minutes before he even tries a bite.  I'm all for leisurely dinners, but if I am really itching to get some things done, this routine gets a little old.  However, given Matthew's love for peas, I have recently discovered that if I sprinkle peas over anything, he is clumsy enough with a fork that in his attempt to pick out only the peas, he will inevitably end up with a chunk of whatever else I served him on his fork and decides a little more quickly that he will finish the meal. This has worked with everything from risotto and tacos to peanut butter sandwiches (just stick a few peas between the bread along with the jelly, and he will devour the whole sandwich!).  As I've said before, he really is a gourmet.

Luckily, this recipe already calls for the addition of peas.  I just scatter a few extra on top for good measure. And Matthew gobbled down this meal faster than anything he has ever eaten before.

Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini
from Cook's Illustrated

For the Topping:

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Pinch of table salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

For the Filling:  
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 pound spaghetti or other long-strand pasta, strands snapped in half
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons dry sherry
3/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups frozen peas
4 cups leftover cooked boneless turkey meat or chicken meat, cut into 1/4-inch pieces


To make the topping, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix breadcrumbs, salt, and butter in small baking dish.  Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and mix with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan in small bowl. Set aside.

To make the filling, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until onions soften and mushroom liquid evaporates, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, drain spaghetti, and return to pot with reserved liquid.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in cleaned skillet over medium heat. When foam subsides, whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour turns golden, about 1-2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add chicken stock. Adjust heat to medium-high and simmer until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Off heat, whisk in sherry, Parmesan, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and thyme. Add sauce, sautéed vegetables, peas, and meat to spaghetti and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and pepper.  It is very important that you do not under season this casserole - so be liberal with the seasonings and be sure to taste it before it goes into the oven! Turn mixture into a buttered 13- x 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumb topping evenly over the top. Bake  for 13-15 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs brown and the casserole is bubbly. Serve immediately.