The beautiful benefit of leftovers is all the meals you can create from them, and the bones and carcass of the turkey are the best!
Amazingly enough, I had both drumsticks left over (guess my guests preferred white meat), as well as a smoked turkey drumstick that I purchased. So you know the first thing that came to Ms. Foodie’s mind: Turkey Stew!
Getting all the flavor and marrow from “dem bones” is easy breezy. I put the three drumsticks in a stock pot, covered them with water and let them simmer for a couple of hours. Having one smoked and the others roasted created a broth that was rich and full-bodied.
I turned off the heat and let the broth cool, then divested the succulent dark meat from the bone, setting the meat aside. Turkey drumsticks also have a series of smaller bones that you have to watch out for, so combing through the meat with a fork helped in identifying these.
Next come the vegetables: A medium-sized yellow onion, celery, mushrooms, all coarsely chopped. I sauteed these in two tablespoons of Olive Oil for about five minutes, then added a couple of tablespoons of flour to create a base for thickening the stew.
Then you put it all together: The dark meat turkey and chopped vegetables, along with two cups of baby carrots and a cup of green peas (fresh or frozen), and return these to the broth. I turned the heat back on under the pot, and added some extra spice of Sea Salt, Pepper and Basil. The final ingredient is a cup of Jasmine Rice with an extra tablespoon or two of flour, then stir it all together, cover it and simmer over low heat for another hour.
As you can see, it’s full of color, flavor and hearty goodness! A fitting meal for a winter’s evening.
Ms. Foodie Patootie 