Oh Tom Turkey, Why Dost Thou Mock Me?

Thanksgiving Day the smell of roasted turkey is in the air mingling with green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes and fresh bread -- not to mention the perfectly spiced pumpkin pie. Sitting down at the table, mouths begin to water. That beautiful, golden brown turkey is just dripping with juice. Everyone at the table digs into that regal bird and afterwards retire to the living room to crawl up on their rocks and reflect on the wonderful bounty of the cornucopia that was the Thanksgiving smörgåsbord and the engineering marvels that are elastic waistband pants. In between naps and the Detroit Lions game, people begin to drift away and head toward home. When everyone's gone and the games are done, it's safe to sneak furtively into the kitchen and enjoy the traditional evening turkey sandwich slathered with mayonnaise and a dab of cranberry sauce. Yes I said it, cranberry sauce. Just as good as remembered and just as moist as it was just hours ago. Friday we ponder the aftermath of what we did to our waistlines over another plate of these wonderful concoctions and more of that regal bird -- just as impressive as the day before. Will wonders never cease! What is the magic contained in the perfectly roasted breast of this wondrous bird?
On awakening on a brisk November Saturday, we sneak downstairs with taste buds tingling for yet another wonder packed mouthful of turkey on white with mayo. Oh Tom Turkey why dost thou mock me?! That once magical carcass, dripping with juices has finally given up the ghost -- and the juices. Why it's dry as a bone! No amount of mayo can bring back that magical taste and juicy succulence. We're forced to wait another year for the wondrous trappings of this dish that Ben Franklin once lobbied to be our national bird -- much to the dismay of the bald eagle.

So it's the weekend and you're stuck with 3 or 4 pounds of turkey that everyone's been picking over and hasn't been properly wrapped in plastic since Friday afternoon when the saran finally surrendered its stick. Turkey is a wonderful source of iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium and B vitamins. It's low in fat and high in protein facts that make it a joy on the big day, but a definite negative by the weekend if not stored properly. Because it's so low in fat, it quickly dries out. You certainly don't want to waste it so what can you do?

First of all you want to strip the meat from the bird -- come on you know you throw some plastic on it and toss it in the fridge before lapsing into a tryptophan induced coma. * See Below
So you've stripped the meat from the bone, now what? Take those bones and put them in the biggest pot you've got with an onion, a couple of carrots and a couple celery stalks. Add some white wine, a lemon and a bay leaf and cover with cold water. Place it on the stove and simmer for several hours. Remove the bones and place back on the stove adding some of the reserved meat and let it reduce by half. Toss in some noodles or add some cream. Make some simple turkey and dumplings with some cut up raw biscuits or thicken and pour over fresh baked biscuits. There are a myriad of possibilities. Tired of turkey? Freeze the broth or soup and take it out in a month for an after Christmas or New Years Day brunch. Get creative and you can add a bit of your own magic.

Mock me will you Tom Turkey?!

Check out our recipe for Simple Turkey and Sherry with Dumplings.

*Note: The amount of tryptophan in a serving of turkey, no matter how large, isn't enough to induce a coma. Sleepiness after a massive Thanksgiving dinner is a product of the amount of carbohydrates and sugar consumed in conjunction with cranberry juice and vodka that induces the coma.