SEASONAL SPOONFULS

Photography by James River Media 

Creative & tasty uses for your festive bounty

A large part of the holiday season is food. Nothing brings us humans together like food — every celebration is centered on it, particularly this time of year. As a food writer, I am supposed to come up with new and exciting recipes for you to add to your holiday repertoire, overlooking the advice that one should test out a new recipe prior to serving it to guests. However, as the one tasked with creating the holiday menu for my own family, I must admit that our standard holiday dinner menus haven’t changed in years! 

What has changed is how I approach leftovers. Sure, turkey sandwiches are great the day after Thanksgiving, but by dinner Saturday night, my family is well over them. Turns out they are also not huge fans of turkey soup. In the name of utilizing all the leftovers, I’ve had to get creative with things. Thankfully, this is my kitchen strong suit — finding new ways of using up what I have on hand. This holiday season, try switching up your approach to the bounty of your holidays with these suggestions!

Hopping John Soup
This soup isn’t so much made of leftovers as it’s my go-to for avoiding leftovers that don’t get eaten. I found making our traditional New Year’s Collards and Black Eyed Peas into a soup meant it was all eaten up, rather than having leftovers languishing in the fridge. 

For the broth: 

• 1 smoked ham hock (or smoked turkey leg) 
• 1 quartered onion 
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 4″ pieces 
• 2 cups chicken broth*
• Water 

For the soup: 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 2 ribs celery, chopped 
• 2 carrots, chopped 
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped 
• 1 hot pepper, chopped and deseeded (if desired) 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 bunch collards, destemmed and chopped 
• Reserved ham hock broth, about 2 quarts 
• ½ teaspoon thyme 
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste 
• 2 cups dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight, then drained and rinsed 
• 1 cup long grain rice 
• Hot sauce to taste

To make the broth: Combine ham hock (or smoked turkey leg if using), onion, celery and chicken broth in pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Strain fat from broth, reserving meat and picking any still left on bone. Set aside. 

To make the soup: Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot and peppers, cooking and stirring occasionally until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the collards, a pinch of salt and about a quart of the reserved broth. Cook over medium heat, bringing to a simmer as the collards soften and reduce. Cook for about 30 minutes. Add the remaining salt, thyme, cayenne, prepped black eyed peas, reserved meat and remaining broth. Simmer until the peas begin to soften, about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook another 20 minutes or so. Serve with cornbread and your favorite hot sauce.

*Note: For a more flavorful broth, include chicken broth in your base to help boost the flavor.

Turkey Gumbo
There are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks. Try this Louisiana-inspired recipe instead of turkey soup and see how quickly it’s devoured. Good gumbo is easier than you think, especially if you make the roux ahead of time in the oven. 

For the roux: 

• ½ cup peanut or vegetable oil* 
• ½ cup flour 

For the broth: 

• Turkey carcass 
• 2 cups chicken broth** 
• 2 onions, quartered 
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 4″ pieces 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 3-4 sprigs of parsley 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Water 

For the gumbo: 

• 4 tablespoons butter 
• 2 large onions, chopped 
• 2 celery ribs, chopped 
• 2 sweet peppers, chopped 
• 1-3 jalapeños, or other hot peppers, chopped and deseeded if desired 
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 1 pound andouille or kielbasa sausage, sliced 
• 1 teaspoon thyme 
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• ½ teaspoon black pepper 
• Hot pepper sauce to taste 
• 3 quarts turkey broth 
• Reserved turkey meat 
• Chopped parsley 
• Chopped green scallions 
• Cooked long grain white rice 

For the roux: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then slowly stir flour in, stirring constantly. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes a glossy golden brown. If using peanut oil, you can do this at a higher temp and will achieve the desired color within about 25 minutes. If using vegetable oil, this could take up to 45 minutes. Or, alternatively, do this in a 350° oven, stirring occasionally for at least 30 minutes. Roux can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, then heated back up when ready to use. For convenience, pre-made roux is also widely available at most grocery stores. 

For the broth: Place carcass in large stockpot. Add the vegetables, seasoning, chicken broth and enough water to cover the carcass. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered over medium heat for about 2 hours. Remove from heat. Skim fat off the top. Strain the soup, reserving meat and picking off any meat still left on the bones. 

For the gumbo: Melt the butter in a large stockpot. Add onions, celery and peppers, cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, cooking 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, stirring for about a minute, then thyme, cayenne, salt, black pepper and hot sauce if using. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then whisk warm roux into the pot. Add reserved meat and gently cook for about 45 minutes. Serve over cooked white rice, with some chopped parsley, green onions, a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce and some good crusty French bread on the side. 

Notes: *Peanut oil has a much higher smoke point than other oils and can withstand higher heat. It’s great for making roux because of this. **For a more flavorful broth, include chicken broth in your base to help boost the flavor.

Pennsylvania Dutch Pot Pie
This PA Dutch soup is more like chicken and dumplings or a homemade noodle soup than it is the crusted pie you might think of when you hear the name. Traditionally made with chicken and vegetables, it also works beautifully with turkey or ham. As with any soup, it’s always better the next day, after the noodles soak up some of the broth, leading it to resemble a “pie in a pot,” hence the name: Pot Pie. 

For the broth: 

• Ham bone with meat, or turkey carcass (approximately 2 cups of meat) 
• 2 cups chicken broth** 
• Water 

For the pot pie: 

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 2 ribs celery, chopped 
• 8 cups reserved ham or turkey broth 
• 4-6 potatoes, cubed 
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed 
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed 
• 4 cups cooked ham or turkey, chopped 
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

For the noodles: 

• 2 cups flour 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled 
• ¼ cup reserved broth, cooled 
• 1 egg 

Place ham bone or turkey carcass in pot along with the chicken broth, then cover with water. (Feel free to add onion, celery and anything else to add more flavor to your broth). Bring to boil, then simmer for 2 hours. Skim fat off the top, then strain broth, reserving meat and picking any meat still on bones. Reserve ¼ cup of broth for the noodles. 

Melt butter in stockpot. Add onions and celery, sautéing until onions soften, about 8 minutes. 

Add broth and bring to a boil, then add potatoes, corn and salt. Cook until potatoes are tender. 

Meanwhile, prepare the noodles. Beat egg, then combine with the butter and broth. Combine the flour with the salt, then slowly stir into the liquid mix until the dough forms a ball. On a floured surface, roll dough out as thinly as possibly. (I like to use a pasta machine to make this task easier). Cut the dough into 1½ inch squares. 

When the potatoes are tender, return the soup to a boil. Drop in the noodles one at a time and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the peas, reserved meat and chopped parsley, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Tips for safe freezing
Your freezer can be an overlooked tool in dealing with leftovers. Some items freeze better than others, so it’s helpful to know what they are before stashing everything in your freezer. Stocks and broths freeze well, as do gumbos. Cream soups (anything with potatoes or lentils or that’s puréed) don’t freeze well. When freezing leftover soup, pack container about ¾ full to leave room for expansion as the liquid freezes. To thaw, place in your fridge overnight. 

Bones or carcasses freeze nicely — consider chopping your turkey carcass in half and dealing with portions rather than the whole thing at once. Wrap them in freezer paper, then drop in a resealable plastic bag to keep them as fresh as possible. Thaw the bones in the fridge when you are ready to use or simply drop into the pot straight from the freezer. It will take longer to come to a simmer, but you won’t need to dedicate fridge space to it. ✦