Category: Meats

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas

Jerri’s and my parents grew up in the Great Depression, and they they did their best to teach us not to waste anything.  In the kitchen this meant cutting the meat off the bones and cooking the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to make turkey broth.  Mom would package the meat for sandwiches and use the broth for soup or other dishes in the weeks following the holidays.

Since there are just two of us at home today, leftover turkey is a challenge.  For the holiday dinner I like to carve a turkey that does not look like a big chicken.  No ten or twelve pound midget for us, which leaves us with enough leftover turkey to feed a large family.

Every year we find a package or two of carefully packaged turkey meat or a container of broth from last year that got lost in the freezer.  We don’t feel as bad today about throwing out these overlooked treasures, since we feed them to the gray fox or the mother bear and her cubs who wander past the cabin in the summer.  “Nothing goes to waste in nature,” I say virtuously as I leave the food in the woods across the brook.

But now that we are in something that resembles that depression of 80 years ago, we are trying to do better about using leftovers.  Since it is my fault that we end up with so many leftovers, it is my responsibility to help find ways to use them.

We like chicken enchiladas.  One day I decided to try making them with leftover turkey.  I did wonder if the hint of sage and allspice in the meat would be a problem, but the result was delicious.  You can poach a chicken breast or some thighs in a little water with a bouillon cube if you don’t have any leftover turkey, but think of those starving children in China that my folks used to remind us of when we had leftovers and make a point of saving some leftover turkey for this great cold weather dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

8 large flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped leftover turkey
1 cup sour cream, divided
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 jalapeño pepper
2-3 T finely chopped green onions
1/2  tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce
1/8 tsp. salt

PROCEDURE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the seeds and white membrane from the jalapeño and chop fine.  Clean and chop the green onions.  In a large bowl, combine and mix thoroughly 1/2 of the soup, 3/4 cup sour cream, 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, the Monterey Jack cheese, chilies, turkey, jalapeño , onion, black pepper and salt.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of filling off center on each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.

Mix the remaining soup with 1-2 tablespoons water, 1/4 cup sour cream, the cumin, hot sauce, white pepper and chili powder and spread the sauce over the enchiladas.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake six to eight minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Serve with a green salad and glass of beer or white wine.

 

Better Than Mom’s Venison Chili

My grandparents did not hunt or fish, so I sometimes wonder how my parents came to do both.  Actually, my mother was not a hunter, but she could outlast all of us when the fish were biting.

She caught the largest bullhead I have ever seen one evening when the mosquitoes had driven the rest of us into the car.  Dad rolled down the window a little and called her once or twice, but she kept saying that she wanted to catch “just one more good one.”

All of a sudden we heard a shout. Dad jumped out of the car and disappeared in the dusk.  A couple of minutes later they came walking up from the dock, Dad carrying the fish pail and worm can and Mom with her rod and a huge bullhead.  She had called for help because it felt like a monster to her.  She was so excited that she started cranking the reel backwards, but somehow she managed to beach the fish.

That weekend I saw something that amazed me.  After spending most of the afternoon trying to untangle the backlash on Mom’s reel, Dad cut the almost-new line off the reel.  And he was a man who saved bent nails and taught me how to straighten them too.

So Mom got a new casting line and we had pieces of Mom’s giant bullhead to go with the bluegills.

Mom did not hunt, but she cooked lots of grouse and venison.  Like most people who have venison in the freezer, she used some of it in chili.  I hate to say it, but it was like most of the northern Wisconsin chili I have eaten:  Tomato soup, onions, chili powder and kidney beans with hamburger or ground venison.  Sometimes she even tossed in some chopped celery.

It’s okay, but here’s how to make a chili that is a lot better than Mom’s.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds venison (elk or deer)
1/2 pound pork sausage
2 T  vegetable oil
1 large onion (about 4 inches in diameter)
6 cloves garlic
2  14.5 ounce cans beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
3 cups chopped fresh, frozen or canned tomatoes
1 small (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper
3 jalapeño peppers
1 habanero pepper
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 T brown sugar
1 T flour mixed with 2 T water
Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

Slice the elk or venison into thin pieces about an inch long.  In a large Dutch oven or heavy kettle heat about two tablespoons oil and brown the meat. Season the meat with a half teaspoon salt and a quarter teaspoon black pepper. Peel and chop the onion and garlic.  Add the onion, garlic, beef broth, water, wine, tomato paste and tomatoes, breaking them apart. Simmer for forty-five minutes to an hour. 

Wash and cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and white membrane. Dice the habanero and jalapeño peppers fine and the green pepper medium and add them to the chili. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and sugar. Simmer for about an hour.  Mix the flour with the water and stir it into the chili.  Cook for three or four minutes, then taste and adjust the spices.

Serve with buttermilk cornbread, butter and honey or jam and shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream that guests can add if they wish.

OPTIONS:  If you like your chili hotter, add some cayenne pepper or one or two more diced peppers. You can replace  the habanero pepper with a teaspoon of hot sauce.

NOTES:  You can substitute beef for the venison or use hamburger if you don’t want to slice the meat, but it really is better sliced  Be sure to wear gloves when working with hot peppers.