The Tale of Two Turkeys

For Thanksgiving I made a dry-brined turkey that was out-of-this-world looks-wise. It tasted good too, but it had a shredded texture. When in doubt, I doubt myself, but I don’t know how you can mess up putting a salt mixture on a turkey. I might experiment another time, dry-brining  for a shorter duration.

Since I got a 14.5 pound turkey on sale for $5, it was turkey again for Christmas. This time I used my Rival electric roaster. While it didn’t brown much, it was the most perfectly cooked turkey I’ve ever had. I was reading, and it seems that 30 minutes before the turkey is done, I should have removed it from the electric roaster  to the oven for browning. I did an herbal rub on the outside of the turkey, but next time I think I’ll do the electric roaster-to-oven thing, and also push herbal butter underneath the skin during initial prep.  I am on a mission to find the perfect way to cook a turkey. Off to eat cold, leftover stuffing with salt before my husband wakes up and wants me to share.

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe – White Turkey Chili

Leftovers, it’s what’s for dinner, very soon. Thanksgiving is creeping up on us, and we all need to start planning not only for the meal itself, but what we are going to do with the leftovers. Not even I feel like meal planning and cooking much right after Thanksgiving, so a little planning now will go a long way after Thanksgiving.

I host Thanksgiving almost every year. I love, love, love watching the parade as I tear the bread for stuffing, or peel potatoes. The sound of marching bands streaming from the tv and watching all the floats – - so fun. And setting the table, well, that is a sacred event for me. I try to make everything look perfect, only to end up sitting down at an elegant table in a soiled apron, with disheveled hair and an unpowdered nose after a big day of cooking. I never look good in Thanksgiving pictures. Maybe I’ll try and primp this year.

You might be stingy this Thanksgiving about sending packages of food home with guests, if you consider the following possibilities for leftovers:

White Turkey Chili – - I make this every year with leftovers. If you have out of town company, think about making a red chili now, freezing it and having a chili party with both kinds. Offer toppings for the chili. Throw in a salad and some cornbread and you’ve got yourself a real party.

Hot, open-faced sandwiches with leftover turkey and gravy.

Turkey noodle soup. (My mom’s secret is lots of pepper.)

Turkey shepherd’s pie made with leftover vegetables, gravy, turkey and mashed potatoes.

Turkey Tetrazzini (Ok, I have not tried this recipe but it got great reviews. If you try it, let me know what you think)

I am posting the White Turkey Chili recipe before Thanksgiving so you will have time to pre-cook and freeze your white beans for this recipe. (Always think budget) White beans are more fragile than let’s say, kidney beans, so watch closely. Take care not to cook on too high of a heat or you will cook the outside of the bean faster than the inside. If you happen to have fresh sage on hand for your stuffing, throw some in the cooking water, as sage and white beans were made for each other. This recipe freezes really well.

White Turkey Chili

Cooking Light

• 1 tablespoon stick margarine or butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups chopped cooked turkey (about 15 ounces)
• 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, drained and divided
• 2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Melt the margarine in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients (onion through garlic), and sauté 5 minutes. Add turkey, 1 1/2 cups beans, broth, and next 6 ingredients (broth through black pepper), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Mash remaining beans. Add mashed beans and milk to the turkey mixture. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until mixture is thick, stirring frequently. Stir in chopped cilantro.

Yield:  11 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 217 (19% from fat); FAT 4.6g (sat 1.1g,mono 1.3g,poly 1.6g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 33mg; CALCIUM 82mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g; SODIUM 462mg; PROTEIN 19.6g; FIBER 3.5g