Don't Toss The Bird!

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

By the time you read this you are likely still eating leftovers from Thanksgiving. You’ve had turkey on sandwiches, turkey in soup, maybe even turkey in your breakfast hash. That turkey carcass is looking pretty picked over at this point. But before you send the remains to the garbage bin and the bird’s final resting place, consider he might still have one more meal in him.

The thing is, no matter how great of a turkey carver your Uncle Eddie is, it is nearly impossible to get every last scrap of meat scraped from the rib cage and thigh bone, wherein lie the most treasure of white and dark meat selections. That’s not to mention the drumstick that may have been snatched up by your caveman-impersonating cousin but more likely sat untouched and lonely on the edge of the platter. And don’t forget the wings! That’s right, even the turkey wings have meaty goodness to offer if only you’d let them.

As many a grandma discovered decades before I was born, these bits and pieces are well suited for turkey broth. Any remaining meat clinging stubbornly to the bone falls off when simmered low and slow in a pot of water seasoned with aromatics like celery, leek, and carrot. When the water has soaked up the deep roasted turkey flavor and bits of meat, then the carcass can be gingerly lifted out and finally disposed of.

Broth made, your natural instinct is likely to make soup. This is no doubt a good, light yet filling way to serve dinner, not to mention soup’s usefulness in finding purpose for stranded bits of sweet potato, squash, and string beans still lying around. Still you should not limit yourself to just this method.

Channeling my great grandmother, I’d take that broth and use it as a base for a rib sticking, comforting pot of turkey and dumplings. Leftover leg meat, broth reinforced with vegetables and made creamy with flour, nestle amongst simple dumplings made of flour, baking powder, milk and salt.

But my great grandmother is no longer with us and since the last time she made chicken and dumplings, my mother has discovered that broths made creamy from flour are no longer an option thanks to celiac disease. Rice, however (naturally gluten-free), is inherently creamy from its starchy exterior. Congee, a popular breakfast treat in China and other parts of Asia, is a natural place to marry flavor-rich turkey bones and creamy rice. Here the bones, rice, and water simmer together at the same time, the meat falling off and into the slowly dissolving rice kernels. The finished porridge is simple, comforting, and a perfect vehicle for whatever simmers in it. Top with shredded turkey meat, chili sauce, green onions, and chili sauce for a comforting meal, morning or night.

With congee in mind, I looked to Italy for another good, non-soup use for turkey broth: risotto. The broth, already rich, did not need much else to yield luscious risotto, just a handful of mushrooms, some parsley, and Parmesan at the end. When the turkey is on its last legs, a broth provides the simple pleasure of a comforting dish, along with the satisfaction that not even a wing tip of this noble bird was wasted.

Serves/Makes: 4

***Broth***

• turkey bones including wings
• 1 leek
• 1 carrot
• 1 rib celery
• 2 sprigs thyme

***Risotto***

• 5 cups turkey broth
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley