If you hosted Christmas this year, chances are you’ve got a tub filled to the brim with turkey sitting in your fridge. But what to do with it?
If turkey and chips just doesn’t cut the mustard, here are three ways to reuse your leftover meat – from a warming Thai curry to a filling turkey and ham pie.
Turkey Thai Massaman Curry
Tom Griffiths is chef at Flank (Old Spitalfields Market, London). Here he shares his “banging” Thai curry recipe.
For the paste, you will need:
- 30 dry long red chilies,
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 200g tablespoons lemongrass, finely sliced and roasted
- 2 1/2 tablespoons coriander seed
- 200g shallots, sliced
- 159g tablespoons Thai garlic peeled and roast
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, roasted
- 2 teaspoons white peppercorns, roasted
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons mace, roasted
- 3 pcs thai cardamom, roasted
- 1 tablespoon fermented shrimp paste
- 200g brown sugar
For the rest of the curry, you will need:
- Leftover turkey
- Butter
- 500g sliced onion
- Cup of fish sauce
- Cup of roasted peanuts
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 3 tins of coconut milk
- Rice
Method
Shred your turkey (and this works just as well with goose or duck).
Blitz the ingredients for the paste (above) and sweat in half a block of butter. Once sweated out, add 500g of sliced onion and cook gently.
Add a cup of fish sauce, a cup of roasted peanuts and reduce by half. While reducing, pop in two cinnamon sticks and two star anise.
Once this is reduced, add three tins of coconut milk and all that meat, even the left over roasties if you’re feeling wild.
Serve with rice and enjoy a banging Thai curry.
Turkey And Ham Pie
A great way to make the most of cooked turkey and ham (and practise your pastry skills).
For the filling, you will need:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 300ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 4 tbsp milk
- 225g cooked turkey, chopped
- 100g cooked ham, chopped
- 50g frozen peas
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry, you will need:
- 350g plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 150g Trex (or butter)
- Beaten egg or milk, to glaze
Method
To make the filling, put the onion and carrot into a saucepan with the stock. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Mix the cornflour with the milk until blended, then add to the stock, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the turkey, ham, peas and parsley. Season.
For the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the Trex (or butter) with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in just enough chilled water to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Knead for a few moments until smooth, then wrap and chill for 10-20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/Gas Mark 6.
Cut the pastry into two equal pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into a circle with a diameter of 27cm (11in). Use one circle to line a 25cm (10in) metal pie plate.
Spoon the cooled filling onto the pie plate and spread out evenly. Dampen the pastry edges with water, then place the lid on top. Press the edges together to seal, trim with a sharp knife, then make 2-3 small cuts in the centre of the lid to allow steam to escape. Brush the surface with beaten egg or milk, then bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked and golden brown.
Turkey And Broccoli In Sesame And Soy Sauce
Amanda Bootes is a food blogger whose go-to recipe for using up turkey is this healthy and tasty dish which can be prepped and served in less than 25 minutes.
You will need:
- Leftover turkey
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/4 courgette
- 1 small spring onion
- Handful of broccoli florets
- Handful of sweetcorn and peas
- Coconut oil
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Cracked black pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- Small chunk of ginger
- 1 lime
- Sesame seeds
- Handful of cashew nuts
- Rice
Method
Chop the onion, spring onion and broccoli.
In a small frying-pan, add a spoonful of coconut oil, fry the above ingredients for 4-5 minutes. Then add in the chopped courgette.
Add in the turkey, sweetcorn and peas and fry until the broccoli is nicely charred.
While they are cooking, drip 4-5 tablespoons of honey into a small jar or bowl, and add a few splashes of soy sauce, the garlic puree, chopped ginger, pepper and a squeeze of one lime. Add a few splashes of water to make your dressing go that little bit further.
Add the sauce into your turkey and broccoli mixture, and keep on a low heat.
In the last few minutes, add in a handful of cashews and sesame seeds.
Serve with white fluffy rice – and you can stir through some fresh chopped basil into your rice just before plating.