Turkey pot pie with leftover bird - recipes

Sunset, Feb, 1988

Turkey pot pie with leftover bird

Leftovers are a bonus that you often plan for when you cook a turkey. And one good use for these extras is in turkey pot pie, with several options. Roast the carcass bones, then boil them to make a flavorful broth, or take the short-cut with canned chicken broth.

In the broth, chunks of yams or sweet potatoes simmer to tenderness; then you add bright green kale and the turkey and pour it into a shallow casserole.

The neat trick is the crust. You shape and bake it separately. Then slide the crust onto the filling and serve.

Turkey Pot Pie

1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks, white part only

1 tablespoon butter or margarine Rich turkey broth or quick broth (recipes follow)

1 pound (about 2 large) yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves

3 tablespoons each cornstarch and cold water, stirred together

1/2 pound kale, rinsed, stems discarded, and leaves chopped

3 cups bite-size chunks cooked turkey

Parmesan-pepper pastry (recipe follows)

In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, stir leeks often in butter until limp, about 3 minutes. Add broth, yams, sage, and thyme; simmer, covered, until yams are tender when pierced, about 20 minutes. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth. Add kale and turkey; stir until mixture boils.

Pour turkey mixture into a shallow 2- to 2 1/2-quart casserole. Loosen hot parmesan-pepper pastry from baking sheet and slide onto the top of the filling. To serve, break through pastry with a spoon, dipping out filling with the pastry. Makes 6 servings.

Rich turkey broth. Break a turkey carcass (from a 10- to 15-lb. cooked turkey) into large pieces in a 12- by 15-inch baking pan. Add 2 large onions, quartered; 1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces; and 2 large stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces. Bake in a 375| oven, turning bones and vegetables occasionally, until bones are richly browned, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Put the bones and vegetables in a 12- to 15-quart pan. Rinse roasting pan with water and scrape browned bits free; add to bones in pan. Add enough more water to cover bones. Bring to boiling over high heat; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, adding more water as needed to keep bones covered, 4 to 6 hours.

Lift out and discard big bones. Pour broth through a fine strainer or colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth into a 5- to 6-quart pan. With a spoon, skim fat from surface and discard. Boil broth on high heat, uncovered, until reduced to 3 cups (if too much boils away, add water to make 3 cups). Use, or cool, cover, and chill up to 3 days.

Quick broth. Combine 2 1/2 cups regularstrength chicken broth with 1/2 cup Madeira (or another 1/2 cup broth).

Parmesan-pepper pastry. In a food processor or a bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 large package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut into large chunks. Whirl until dough forms a ball; or cut cheese into flour mixture with a pastry blender until evently mixed. Then pat dough into a ball and knead on an unfloured board until mixture holds together, 1 to 2 minutes.

On a 12- by 15-inch sheet of foil, invert the casserole to be used for the turkey pie (preceding). With the tip of a knife, lightly trace around casserole's edge. Set casserole aside.

In the center of outline, pat pastry out until about 1/2 inch thick. Lightly dust pastry with all-purpose flour. Roll pastry out evenly until it extends about 1/4 inch beyond the outline. Fold edge of pastry under 1/4 inch; pinch or crimp edge. With a sharp knife or cooky cutters, cut a decorative design through pastry; take care not to tear foil underneath. With a fork, pierce the pastry every 1/2 inch just inside the pinched edge (to keep from puffing excessively as it bakes).

Slide pastry on foil onto a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Bake in a 350| oven until dark golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Use hot.

Photo: Trace outline of casserole onto foil; use line as guide when you roll out pastry. Crimp edges and cut a decorative pattern

Photo: Gently slide hot baked pastry onto pie filling of turkey, yams, and kale