Last night's dinner effort's from Food Network and another keeper if we have anything to say about it. A perfect way to use up the turkey carcass leftover over from Thanksgiving never mind a large piece of turkey lurk we had hiding in the freezer, it was a great dinner solution after an afternoon spent wrapping and packing pictures and mirrors.
There's nothing quick about it so don't be thinking I'm going to brag about having dinner ready in a flash because for once, I won't be doing that; however, the fact that it all starts with a homemade broth made rich and flavorful with the addition of carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf meant that we got to smell the fabulous aroma darn near all day long.
Four hours of bubbling in a pot and that carcass was plum clean, the broth strained through a fine mesh strainer and further reduced by a half leaving a sublimely colored rich and glorious base for a great stew. I added more herby flavors because, as you know, we don't do subtle around here - a couple of teaspoons of poultry seasoning, lots of pepper and salt and a little more thyme made all the difference as far as I was concerned. Oh, I left the green beans out too, although I'd have loved some green peas in the mix along with the carrots and parsnip I'd have been eating the whole pot myself because Big Guy doesn't like either.
Oh, about the dumplings - hold onto your hats. I cheated! I simply mixed a handful of freshly chopped herbs including parsley, thyme and a little rosemary from our garden into 2 cups of storebought biscuit mix mixed with 2/3 cup milk. Tossed with a fork until it just barely came together and scooped into the bubbling cauldron of stew, the covered dumplings cooked a mere 15 minutes and came out light as air.
As for the verdict - to be honest, I was a tad worried it would be a kind of "not fancy, no flavor" boiled dinner the kinds of which I suffered through as a kid and swore I'd never make myself ever but I was wrong. This turkey stew's well worth a repeat next time we've leftover turkey or roasted chicken hanging around. Hit this link and head on over for the recipe - oh, and Happy New Year everyone! May your dreams come true in a big way in 2013!
Nothing like a pot of love simmering all day on the stove and finished with love! Yum! I bet great with chicken, too!
Posted by: Lea | 01/05/2013 at 07:47 AM
Lea - chicken would be great...even a rotisserie bird from the supermarket would work great.
Posted by: June | 01/05/2013 at 09:59 AM
I can smell the love from here. What a great use of leftover turkey. The dumplings sound easy but tasty.
Posted by: Lorraine | 01/06/2013 at 07:20 AM
So darn good Lorraine, I'm considering a remake PDQ. We've been eating a lot of one pot dinner's this week and for sure there will be more to come.
Posted by: June | 01/06/2013 at 12:26 PM