Leftovers To Feed An Army

Each year I venture up to the Pacific Northwest for my Thanksgiving holiday. Our head count for dinner was 17 people, mostly friends. That Thursday, I got up at 7:00 AM and started prepping our potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and two big turkeys. The turkeys were cooking beautifully when, at noon, the head count was down to 10 - yikes!

As one could imagine, we had way too much turkey. But it was a good exercise in what to do with all those leftovers. Soup (of course), sandwiches, stock, enchiladas, pasta, casserole, and the list goes on. The favorite thing I made this year has been Turkey Pot Pie.

Instead of pie crust - which can be finicky and time consuming - I chose a drop biscuit topping. I made the hearty stew with thick gravy and put it in an oven proof pan and placed drop biscuit dough on top. It turned out great, and looked so picturesque.

Here's a tip to stick in your back pocket for use around the kitchen. When you're measuring the molasses, coat the spoon in thin layer of oil so it won't stick.

Biscuit Top Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients For Stew:

• 1 cup cooked turkey (cubed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 cup turkey stock
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons warm water

Ingredients For Gravy (or just leftover gravy if you have it):

• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar or molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Method:

2. Preheat the oven to 450.
4. Dice all vegetables and garlic. Place onions in large skillet with olive oil. Cook on medium heat, while stirring, until translucent.
6. Add carrots, celery, and garlic. Stir and cook until softened slightly. Add turkey and peas.
8. Add stock to pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. It should be pretty watery, so you want to add white wash (that is the flour and warm water mixed in a small bowl to remove all the lumps), add it slowly while stirring constantly. Within no time you should have a delicious thick stew. Salt and pepper to taste.
10. Remove from the heat and place stew in oven proof containers with high sides. Set aside to cool while making biscuits.
12. Biscuits: Mix dry ingredients. Add milk and butter (and molasses if you chose), mix just until incorporated - the more you mix the tougher it gets.
14. Spread the dough over the top of each individual stews. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Brush with melted butter for a shiny look. Serves 4.

These pot pies can be frozen. Assemble, put in freezer, once frozen wrap tightly in a freezer bag or an airtight container. Do not thaw before cooking. Just bake from frozen!