Sound Bites: Memphis chefs share how they like their Thanksgiving leftovers
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey can be used for sandwiches or making broth for soups. (Courtesy circlePS/Getty Images)
My family always overprepares for our Thanksgiving dinner, which leads to tons of leftovers. To be honest, it may be a bit intentional, as Thanksgiving is an excuse to enjoy some of our favorite holiday dishes for an entire weekend.
It seems we are not the only ones.
I asked several Memphis chefs to share their favorite ways to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers.
Karen Carrier, the chef and owner of The Beauty Shop and Bar DKDC, cooks an extra turkey every year just to make turkey tamales. She and her family use the leftovers to make dozens of tamales stuffed with turkey and mole sauce for her friends, family and staff to enjoy Thanksgiving night. It’s a tradition she thinks is the highlight of the holiday.
Jimmy Gentry, chef at The Lobbyist and Paradox Cuisine catering company, transforms his turkey leftovers into pozole, a traditional Mexican soup made with hominy.
“You’re actually making something that’s delicious, and nobody would know that it’s leftovers,” said Gentry.
Amelia Gene’s chef, Nate Henssler, and his wife, Jessica, also make a soup, although theirs is influenced by a different part of the world.
“I take the turkey bones, and I combine that with some thick bone broth that I already have in the freezer, and I make like a turkey stock that becomes the base of a ramen broth,” Henssler said. “Then, Jessica and I make some nice big fat noodles, and we enjoy a turkey ramen.”
One of Patrick Reilly’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes comes not from his kitchen at The Majestic Grille or Cocozza but from his mother-in-law’s.
“Deni’s mom makes these things called turkey puffs,” Reilly said of his wife’s mother, Patricia Carr.
“They are basically profiteroles stuffed with leftover turkey, stuffing and Velveeta cheese. She freezes them and then around Christmas time, either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, she pulls them out of the freezer, pops them in the oven, and we have Thanksgiving turkey puffs for an appetizer. And they are fabulous.”
Lou Martin of Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken said he looks forward to his leftover turkey salad every year. He mixes the leftover turkey with hard-boiled eggs, onion, pickled celery and mayonnaise.
“It’s really good on either crackers or on a sandwich,” he said. “So as I’m watching the football games, I might make me a bowl of it and a roll of Ritz crackers, and then we just eating turkey salad and watching the games.”
Cara Greenstein of the lifestyle blog Caramelized makes a turkey pot pie with her leftovers. (Look for Greenstein’s recipe, which she shared with The Daily Memphian’s Recipe Exchange column on Saturday, Nov. 30.)
With all these Thanksgiving leftover makeovers, we can’t forget what’s probably the most popular day-after-Thanksgiving Day dish — the turkey sandwich.
Curb Side Casseroles owner Bradford Williams spends all of November cooking for other people’s holiday tables, so it’s no surprise that her favorite way to enjoy leftovers is simple.
“It’s not complicated. I just want a turkey sandwich. Just turkey and mayo. Maybe some lettuce and I am so happy,” she said.
The Daily Memphian’s Holly Whitfield, who joined me on this Sound Bites episode, also enjoys eating Thanksgiving leftovers without any complicated cooking. Her family puts out a leftover spread to enjoy however they want.
Podcast producer Natalie Van Gundy doctors up her spaghetti squash casserole recipe with her holiday leftovers; find her recipe on The Daily Memphian’s Recipe Exchange.
And what about the Chandler’s house?
After eating a turkey sandwich or two, I always make a gumbo with our leftover turkey. It’s a tradition my family looks forward to every year as we invite friends over to enjoy a lazy, football-watching afternoon.
After talking to these chefs, though, I think I will be adding some leftover makeovers to my weekend menu this year.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Let us know your favorite way to enjoy your holiday leftovers in the comment section below.
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Topics
Thanksgiving The Beauty Shop Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken Amelia Gene's The Majestic Grille Bradford Williams Curb Side Casseroles The Lobbyist Recipe Exchange Sound BitesJennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
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