Published: November 20, 2007 11:31 pm      

A second helping

Ways to make leftover Thanksgiving turkey last

FAIRMONT — With plenty of turkey left over from Thanksgiving, some unique recipes can make you thankful for a second helping.

Chef Brian Floyd, program coordinator for the culinary arts and pastry and baking arts programs at Pierpont Community & Technical College of Fairmont State University, recommended a turkey egg roll.

Individuals should start by marinating the leftover turkey with some fresh ginger, soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, green onions, and a touch of sesame oil, Floyd explained. Separately, take vegetables — such as carrots, onions, celery, cabbage or other favorites — and shred them very finely. Floyd also suggested adding a little bit of shiitake mushrooms.

Next, drop the ingredients into a very hot saute pan or wok to warm them up and add some rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper or soy sauce to enhance the flavor.

In the grocery store’s produce section, shoppers can find wonton wrappers or wonton skins. Floyd said a person should take a large wonton wrapper and dip the tip of his or her finger in a little bit of water and paint around the outside edges of it. Then put a small amount of the stir-fried mixture on the wonton wrapper, but don’t make it bulge.

Wrap the mixture like a burrito, and add a small amount of cilantro to create color and extra flavor. Floyd proposed serving the turkey egg roll with a simple dipping sauce. Create a peanut dipping sauce with some soy sauce, peanut butter, green onions, ginger, and a couple drops of rice wine vinegar.

“It’s kind of light after a heavy Thanksgiving meal the day before and something that’s relatively healthful with all the vegetables,” Floyd said.

He said people can also make a quick turkey shepherds pie by cooking leftover turkey with potatoes, celery, onions and gravy.

“Turkey has such a distinct flavor that you want to preserve as much of it as possible. You’ll have some of your leftovers from the day before (that) you can kind of transform into a new dish.”

Jason Robinson, Aero Club Restaurant chef, said a turkey salad with grapes and dried apricots is a nice way to use leftover turkey. The Aero Club Restaurant is inside the North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport. Pat Kelly is the owner and operator of the restaurant.

To make a turkey salad, coarsely chop the turkey and some grapes, dried apricots and pecans, Robinson said. Then stir the mixture with sour cream and mayonnaise and refrigerate.

Cream turkey or turkey gravy is a favorite recipe of Kathy Mauro, waitress manager for the Aquarium Lounge in Fairmont.

To prepare this dish for family, she soaks the leftover turkey in cornstarch and puts it in turkey broth. Mauro adds yellow food coloring to the gravy to make it look more appealing. She then pours the mixture over biscuits, rice or noodles.

“It’s something that’s easy (and) works out real well,” Mauro said. “Something different.”

Another Aquarium Lounge employee suggested using leftover turkey to make a turkey soup similar to chicken noodle.

“Basic hot turkey and gravy sandwiches over mashed potatoes” are always a tasty leftover treat, said Bill Tillema, Fairmont resident and food service representative for Reinhart Foods. Persons can also take the meat, stuffing and a little drizzle of gravy and put it in a tortilla to make a turkey wrap.

“(It) is kind of a unique thing,” he said. “Just wrap it up and serve it like a Thanksgiving dinner to go.”

E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.