Turkey Leftovers!

Just a quick note about what we're doing to salvage the turkey we kept (we gave a lot away to my SIL and our friend who joined us for Thanksgiving). The day after Thanksgiving I made a yummy creamy soup with the leftover white meat and mashed potatoes.

This soup was "easy-peasy"! I chopped 1/2 an organic white onion, tossed it in a large pot with some grapeseed oil, sauteed until translucent. Then I added the turkey that I'd chopped into small pieces. Sauteed the meat in the oil to draw the flavors out of the turkey and into the oil. Then I seperated the pastry and asparagus from the potatoes. I added the potatoes (which contained 5 year aged white cheddar, american cheddar, cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper). I then chopped the cooked asparagus, chopped a few fresh stalks I'd had in the crisper, and tossed them in the bowl. I mixed it all together and then added enough milk to cover everything, and then added about a cup or two of water. I let this come almost to a boil, reduced the temp and then let simmer for about an hour (adding water when needed). I added the zest of one lemon and a ton of dried dill (I would have added less and added it later if I'd had fresh) then simmered again for about another half hour.

The lemon zest made this dish! It was creamy and hearty before, but almost too heavy and too monotone. Once the zest had time to get to know all of the other ingredients, and make merry with the creaminess, it was heavenly! ;)



The presentation is a little lack-luster and would have looked so much more appealing with some fresh green dill on top. But nonetheless, I was still proud of my little creation!

I've put the remaining meat in the freezer along with some bones. I hope to use the bones to make a stock and then use the stock to make a Turkey and Wild Rice soup with fresh herbs. Stay tuned...