Turkey Curry

Or: What to do with all that leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.
This makes enough for 4 people. Use fresh curry powder. If your container has been open for more than six months or so, it's stale. Curry powder is cheap. Curries are now farm raised- no more illegal poaching. You can use curry powder to your heart's content with a clear conscience. So: Buy fresh.

Turkey, cooked; shredded or cubed. About 3 cups.
Barbecue Sauce. You could go two ways here: fresh (tomato paste, cider vinegar, brown sugar, liquid) or purchased. You'll need enough to cover the turkey, usually about 3 cups. Purchased is easier, fresh is better. You make the call.
Curry Powder.
2-3 Bananas, sliced
Orange Juice, 1 1/2 cups.
Peanuts, salted, about 1 cup
Shredded coconut, about 1 cup
1 cup raisins
1 can pineapple (chunks, bits, whatever)
Cooked rice.

Combine sliced bananas and raisins in the orange juice in a non-reactive bowl.
Place coconut, peanuts, and pineapple in separate bowls.
Set  aside.
Heat turkey, barbecue sauce, & curry powder (to taste- I use half a tablespoon at this point, but that much will make a very spicy dish) on very low heat. Stir frequently, adding more curry powder as you cook, if desired. Most 'hot' spices get their flavours from volatile oils. These oils change flavour, and often loose their 'kick' as they cook. Adding more of a spice as you proceed tends to give   you deeper flavour than adding the spice at the end or beginning only.
When the turkey is fully incorporated with the curry & barbecue sauce (usually about an hour), serve over hot rice. Top with bowls of peanuts, coconut, banana / raisin / orange juice, and pineapple.

  Speckled Bird

This is my favourite sandwich (actually, it ties for first with muffalettas which are also on this page).The ingredients are nothing special, but they go together so well. Yet another use for leftover turkey. Each sandwich serves at least two people.
For each sandwich you will need:

1/2 pound cooked turkey, sliced or shredded. I have used deli turkey, which is also good.
1 long loaf french bread, sliced length wise & hollowed slightly.
1/3 pound pound provolone cheese
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 stalk of celery, diced
Several mushrooms (4 or 5) sliced thin.
Put the bread on a baking sheet. Layer turkey, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, and cheese. Replace top layer of bread, and bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Serve with French Onion Soup (Make your own, It's so easy. Slowly cook 3 cups  thinly sliced white    onions in 2 tablespoons butter. Cook for 30 - 45 minutes until onions are clear and golden. Add 8        cups chicken broth or fonds blanc. Stir, simmering for 30 minutes. Serve); Mayonnaise (on the side);    crisp pickles( I like Clausen's) and potato chips.

 

Red Beans and Rice
Many people in the South eat Red Beans & Rice on Mondays.
I  don't know why.
1 pound red beans, soaked overnight
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup parsley
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tabasco sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
1 pound smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound pickled pork, rinsed and cut into cubes
Cooked Rice
Drain the beans.  Put them in a large heavy pot and add 3 quarts of fresh water.  Cover and simmer      for one hour or until the beans are  tender.  Watch that the water does not boil down too far.  The beans must be covered with water at all times.  Add the rest of the  ingredients, except for the rice.  Add more water to cover if needed. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the liquid has thickened. Serve over rice.   Crawfish Etoufee
Etoufee is from the French, meaning 'to smother'.
Shrimp, lobster, or alligator could also be used.

1/2 c oil or margarine
1/2 flour
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 c fairly rich shrimp broth
1 T lemon
1/2 c crawfish fat (substitute 3-4 T
crawfish liquid or crawfish stock) *
1 T lemon juice
1 t salt (omit if using crawfish stock)
1 T fresh parsley (1 t dried)
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t thyme
1 bay leaf
1 lb frozen crawfish, all liquid included
2 large scallion tops, sliced
Cooked rice

Make a medium dark roux by whisking the flour into the oil over medium heat and cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture is the colour of chocolate.  Never add cold water to your roux, or it will separate. Add the onion along with the celery and garlic, and sauté  over medium low heat until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Slowly add the shrimp stock, and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer, and add lemon juice, crawfish fat/stock/liquid, and the spices.  Simmer 15 minutes. Add the crawfish and any liquid, bring to  a rapid simmer, reduce to a low simmer, add the scallions, and simmer just until the crawfish are tender, about 10 minutes.  Adjust  seasonings.  To serve, mound some rice in a plate, and ladle some of the Etoufee on top.  This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Note:  Crawfish liquid is the 'runoff' from frozen  or raw crawfish.  Whenever you use crawfish for  another reason,  save any liquid from the inside of the package after defrosting.  This liquid will be orange in colour from the crawfish fat and meat.  Finally, to make crawfish stock, take a dozen or so crawfish heads left over from a crawfish boil, and cover with some of the left over cooking liquid or water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for several hours.  At the end of simmering, strain stock, and reduce by half.
* Be careful when using this stock because it will be very  salty.  Omit salt from the recipe, and adjust before serving.

Muffaletta
As made at the Central grocery, in New Orleans. Muffaletta was the name of the bakery that supplied bread to the Central Grocery many years ago. Tasty. My favourite sandwich.

Olive salad:
2/3 c. green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
(Use salad olives, i.e.. olives with pimientos, which are usually broken).
2/3 c. black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 fillet anchovy, mashed (or equiv. anchovy paste)
1 T. capers
1/3 c. finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. olive oil Mix together and marinate AT LEAST 12 hours. The olive salad  keeps for months,
provided you keep it in a non-reactive container,

The Sandwich:
Loaf of Italian bread, sliced in half, and slightly hollowed.
1/3 lb. very thinly sliced Genoa or hard salami
1/3 lb. very thinly sliced ham. Use a good ham- not the boiled stuff
1/3 lb. thinly sliced Mortadella. Mortadella is sort of like bologna, except different. Do not use Oscar Mayer. If you can't find it, use another Italian meat.
1/3 lb. thinly sliced provolone cheese
1/3 lb. thinly sliced mozzarella
Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Slice the loaf into top and bottom halves, and heat for 2 or so minutes in the
oven.  When the bread is warm,   Place the provolone one side, the mozzarella on the other, and allow the heat of the bread to slightly melt the cheese.  Begin laying out the meat on the bottom half.  Place the meat on the sandwich, followed by olive salad.
Serve with cold cream soda & potato chips. Zapp's would be the chip of choice, but they only seem to exist down South, so if you don't life among the magnolias, any crisp chip will do.  Enjoy!