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Christmas

Tackling the turkey leftovers!

(72 Posts)
merlotgran Thu 27-Dec-18 09:22:59

DD has pulled her usual 'fast one' of disappearing on Boxing Day to stay with friends but not until she'd dumped the remains of a far too large for six turkey on our kitchen table with a cheery, 'Here you go, Mum.' hmm

I did question her decision to spend over £30 on one meal when the DGSs are now in Northern Ireland visiting their dad so there's nobody but DH and me to face the leftovers but she didn't come up on the down train and knows full well that my 'never waste food' ethos will kick in and when she returns home in the NY there will be a neat stack of Chinese takeaway cartons containing soup and pie fillings in the freezer.

I think her parting words were, 'Thanks, Mum. I know you love doing it!' hmm

Good job we haven't made plans for today.

Teetime Thu 27-Dec-18 09:29:42

Do tell us what you are going to do with it. MY DH cooked a £62!!!! M & S turkey which she called Trevor for 5 of us- madness.

merlotgran Thu 27-Dec-18 09:34:09

I'll update you in about three hours time, Teetime. grin

lemongrove Thu 27-Dec-18 10:19:38

Do you love doing it Merlot or is that thought only in DD’s mind?
Must admit, although I dislike waste I don’t enjoy thinking up ways to cook leftovers.
Cooking a turkey crown fortunately means one meal of cold turkey and one of turkey curry and then it’s gone.

Dianic Thu 27-Dec-18 10:27:00

lemongrove, I cooked a turkey crown too, but we've had a second dinner (yesterday!), today I'm making turkey pasties and tomorrow will be curry... I must admit that I don't miss the carcass at all!

Izabella Thu 27-Dec-18 10:31:28

We just strip the whole carcass and freeze in portions to be used as and when

merlotgran Thu 27-Dec-18 10:36:38

I do (sort of) love doing it, lemon. DH has stripped the carcase, sliced and diced and I've chucked the first lot of bones, skin, bits etc., etc., in the pressure cooker for stock.

I am now doing my least favourite job. Trying to match plastic lids to bottoms of takeaway containers. Why oh why are they not all the same? They have all come from the same place!

I did suggest a turkey crown or supermarket three bird roast but DD doesn't live on planet Sensible. grin

grandMattie Thu 27-Dec-18 10:40:23

I don't like turkey, so only cook it over Christmas for DH who -loves_ it. We had a 4kg turkey this year for just the two of us! Now, like most of you, I am confronted with the remains... I make lovely soup from the carcasse, "Wallpaper paste" turkey [a hite sauce with bits of turkey, sweetcoen and peas with dumplings], chinese-ish, and so on, and on, and on until it is finished. I then sigh in relief and don't have any turkey for the rest of the year.

Urmstongran Thu 27-Dec-18 10:45:30

Oh poor you! I’d hate that job for3 hours .... 8 of us had turkey crown and then yesterday 4 of us polished it off with pickles, cheeses and potato salad. Just right!

Matriarch Thu 27-Dec-18 10:46:01

I don’t like turkey , so now cook 2 big chickens at the same time . One gets eaten for Christmas dinner , the other one makes sandwiches for Boxing Day . Today the carcasses will become soup . smile

Nanny41 Thu 27-Dec-18 10:48:46

We had a turkey for ten of us, also roast ham, we ended up with a lot of turkey over. I stripped the carcass and divided it into bags put into freezer for later on when the fancy takes me to do something with it.

Cabbie21 Thu 27-Dec-18 10:51:20

I cooked a small turkey crown for two of us. We had left overs yesterday, but I have frozen the rest in small flat packs of slices which will make a cold meal or sandwiches x 3 without any further effort.

glammagran Thu 27-Dec-18 10:57:01

We had the largest M&S turkey crown 12-14 - cost a fortune.
Nine people Christmas Day. Just 2 of us yesterday, so identical dinner with leftovers. Will shortly be making pies for freezer with the rest of it and gammon joint. I like turkey but once a year is enough. Will be making venison casserole for 10 (different relatives) on New Year’s Day. Then I want a holiday.

newnanny Thu 27-Dec-18 10:58:59

I cooked a medium turkey crown and a large beef as one ds not keen on turkey. Yesterday some more got eaten at boxing day better. Now today the turkey will be put in sandwiches and hope it gets eaten. Any left will be sliced up for dogs who like it. Any beef not eaten today will be frozen in slices with gravy. I used to make turkey stew which was delicious but not so good with just a crown.

mabon1 Thu 27-Dec-18 11:13:11

There are many recipes for left over turkey on the internet

Missfoodlove Thu 27-Dec-18 11:22:59

Love the left overs. Curry, cold turkey and ham, leek and turkey pies, stock for soup.
It’s a blessing for me not a curse.

EllanVannin Thu 27-Dec-18 11:23:47

Last day for using my crown,so a roast with everything else then I'll wing it out. I won't go over 3 days for a bird.

Craftycat Thu 27-Dec-18 11:35:35

I love doing things with the left over turkey so I always buy one bigger than we need. I have soup, stock & turkey & gammon pies made already & the rest we will use for sandwiches, pasta sauces etc etc.
It is such a versatile meat. I bought a 12 kilo turkey from our butcher for only 5 of us- lots of lovely stuff in freezer for the next few weeks.

Chewbacca Thu 27-Dec-18 11:41:04

Turkey crown here too, so very little waste. What's left will be made into a hash for tea tonight, with left over green salad.

Witzend Thu 27-Dec-18 11:41:18

Had a lot of v nice proper turkey gravy and roast potatoes (!) left, so last night, among other things for 4 adults, we had thise warmed up with leftover turkey.
There's still quite a bit left - I will strip it tomorrow and make stock from the carcass. Then there will be a turkey stew with some of it. The rest will go in meal-sized packets in the freezer - none will be wasted.

A v nice way to use some up, if you're sick of the usual curry, is mulligatawny soup, which is v tasty and filling.

Fry gently some chopped onion, carrot and stick or 2 of celery for a few minutes, then add a good spoonful of curry powder, fry a little longer.
Add chicken or turkey stock, simmer at least 20 mins.
Then add a few tablespoons of basmati or ordinary rice, quantity according to numbers/quantity.
Simmer until rice is done, then add chopped cooked turkey and half or a whole chopped apple, simmer another 5 minutes to heat turkey through and cook the apple.
Delish!

craftergran Thu 27-Dec-18 11:42:40

I dont like Turkey but we got a turkey crown for DH and family who do like.

On the run up to christmas I saw Nigel Slater make something called Perky Turkey (google for recipe) to use with leftovers.

I made some of the sauce in his recipe and it went well as a dipping sauce for chipolatas. Very tasty

grannysyb Thu 27-Dec-18 12:00:59

I can cope with leftover turkey, but what to do with leftover sprouts?!

Witzend Thu 27-Dec-18 12:07:07

Any leftover sprouts in this house will be quartered and added with everything else to the turkey stew. Or to any veg soup.

Jalima1108 Thu 27-Dec-18 12:20:41

I was just thinking that I must go and tackle it - although I didn't cook in in the first place I did bring the carcase home with plenty still left on it.

Bubble and squeak grannysib - what else shock

NannyG123 Thu 27-Dec-18 12:26:37

Turkey stew today, can't wait.