Recipe Revelation

Leftovers and more....
This past week was filled with long lazy days of lolling about with children and husband.  I am finally getting a post out, but I am sorry to be so slow about it.   We all had a lovely Thanksgiving, and I have discovered some delicious recipes in the meantime.  For starters, I made a delicious pot-pie with the leftovers from our own lunch the day after Thanksgiving.  Instead of a biscuit or pie dough "cover" for the pot-pie, I used the leftover stuffing.  Rich, yes, but sooo delicious and flavorful.  It's not something to make everyday, but what a great use of leftovers.   I also discovered a delicious recipe for a shaved brussel sprout salad.  This is one of my favorite vegetables during the holidays, but I had never made it this way.  Its now something I want to make all the time and I still have some brussels in my fridge, so maybe today for lunch, I will make it again.  Its that good.

Hope all your days of the holiday were spent with loved ones and that it was relaxing and rejuvenating.
Happy Cooking!

Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Red Onion, Lemon and Pecorino 

This salad was inspired by a FOOD52 recipe, but I have tweaked it to make it a little more interesting and delicious.  It would also be good with toasted almonds.   Feed it to your most intrepid Brussels sprout eater and see what happens.

1/2 small red onion, slivered or diced

2 TBS red wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3 TBS olive oil

3 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced thinly

1/2 cup finely grated pecorino cheese

Boil the onions for 20 seconds, then drain and drizzle with a couple Tablespoons of red wine vinegar.  Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, mustard and salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.  Set aside. 

Trim the Brussels sprouts, cutting off any bruised outer leaves and a small bit of the root attachment.  Using either a mandoline or a sharp slicing knife, slice one at a time.  When you are finished, separate the leaves with your fingers, or just toss into the vinaigrette.  It resembles a finely sliced slaw.

Drain the onions and toss in with the Brussels sprouts until the whole salad is dressed.  Add the pecorino cheese a little bit at a time until it is incorporated into the salad.

 Recipe by Tricia O’Brien

Inspired by a FOOD52 recipe from Merrill

served up in bowls

Turkey Pot-Pie with Leftover Stuffing Crust

Turkey Potpie with Biscuit Crust

This version of a turkey pot-pie is Tante Marie’s, Ruth Cousineau’s, but the biscuit dough is one that I have been using for years from a chicken and dumpling recipe from America the Beautiful Cookbook.

Makes enough for 8

For the Stock

Carcass and skin from a 12-14 pound roast turkey

2 carrots, 1 onions, 2 celery ribs, washed and kept whole.

2 TBS salt

10 cups of water

Make the Stock

Separate parts of the carcass and put, along with the skin, in an 8 quart pot.  Cover the bones with water and simmer until the liquid is reduced by one third, about 1 1/2 hours.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.  Set aside 3 1/2 cups stock for the pot-pie.  Reserve the rest for the freezer or for another use.

For the filling

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large parsnip, peeled, chopped and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tsp chopped thyme

3 TBS butter

1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

1/4 cup organic white flour

4 cups roast turkey meat, white and dark meat, cut  or shredded into 1/2 inch pieces

The Filling

Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, parsnip and thyme in olive oil, salt and pepper in a wide shallow 3-4 quart pan, stirring occasionally.  When the vegetables are almost tender, 10 minutes, add mushrooms, and cooked another 5 minutes..

Sprinkle with flour stirring constantly, adding the reserved stock.  Scrape up any bits that may have adhered to the bottom of the pan.  Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the shredded Turkey.  Up to this point, you can save the pot-pie to cook for later.  Cover and refrigerate for no more than two days.  (This is where you can let your imagination run wild, especially if you have leftover squash or sweet potatoes. If they’re cooked, add them at the end and chop them so they are in keeping with the same size as the other vegetables.)

Move to a casserole dish and top with the biscuit dough laid directly on top, not overlapping, but with edges touching.  Brush with the egg yolk mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.  Serve in large shallow soup bowls. 

For the crust:

2 cups, 1 TBS of flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBS butter, chilled, chopped

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup cream or buttermilk

chopped fresh parsley

1 egg yolk, whipped a little with water to brush on top

Combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, sugar and salt until melded.  Using an electric mixer, add TBS butter and quickly mix and stir in the milk and cream until it forms a soft dough ball.  Do not over mix.  Roll the dough out onto a floured board.   Roll out to about a 1/2 inch thick.  Using a glass cut out enough pieces to cover the top of a 9-inch casserole baking dish.