WEEK 24: YOUR BEST RECIPE FOR TURKEY LEFTOVERS

Turkey Pho

Photography by Sarah Shatz

    BY WINNIEAB | MAKES 2 BIG BOWLS OF SOUP

A&M: Anyone who knows pho knows that it’s all about the broth. WinnieAb uses turkey leftovers (meat and stock, which should really be homemade for this) to coax the most out of this soup. She also adds some warm spices—coriander, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon—which she toasts beforehand to amp up the broth. Chopped kale is an unusual ingredient that adds some welcome heft—we preferred 1 cup rather than 2. As with any pho, don’t forget to squeeze in some fresh lime juice just before eating—its hit of acidity really wakes up the dish.

    SPICES

    2 tablespoons coriander seeds

    4 whole cloves

    4 whole star anise

    1 cinnamon stick

    TURKEY PHO

    1 quart homemade turkey stock (or homemade or store-bought chicken stock)

    1 bunch scallions (green top parts only), chopped

    One 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with the side of a knife

    1 teaspoon light brown sugar, or more to taste

    1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste

    1 to 2 cups kale, chopped into bite-size pieces

    ½ pound leftover turkey breast, shredded

    1 bunch (about 2 ounces) cellophane or bean thread noodles (or enough flat dried rice noodles to serve 2)

    1½ tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

    1½ tablespoons minced scallions (white parts only), for garnish (optional)

    Sriracha hot sauce

    ½ lime, cut into wedges

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the spices and toast until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately spoon the spices into a bowl to avoid burning them.
2. Add the toasted spices, stock, scallions, ginger, brown sugar, and fish sauce to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
4. Taste the broth and add more sugar or fish sauce if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Add the kale and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Add the turkey and noodles. Allow to sit for a few minutes while the noodles soften.
6. Ladle the broth into 2 bowls. Divide the kale, turkey, and noodles evenly between the bowls.
7. Sprinkle on the garnishes and add Sriracha to taste. Squeeze in lime juice to taste before eating.

Photography by Sarah Shatz

    TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

    If you don’t have leftover turkey on hand, WinnieAb wrote: “I see no reason why you couldn’t use an uncooked turkey breast and cook it in the soup, then remove, shred, and add it back in.”

    ABOUT THE COOK

    Winnie Abramson grew up in the kitchen of her parents’ famed New York City restaurant The Quilted Giraffe. She currently lives in New Paltz, New York, and blogs about food and holistic nutrition at Healthy Green Kitchen (www.healthygreenkitchen.com). See her Smoky Minestrone with Tortellini and Parsley or Basil Pesto recipe.

        Her favorite recipe from a cookbook: “The Devil’s Food Cake Cockaigne from The Joy of Cooking. It was the first recipe I ever baked completely on my own. I think I was thirteen or fourteen and made it as a surprise for my mom’s birthday.”

    WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID

    Lastnightsdinner: “Oh my goodness, Winnie—we had this to night with the last of our Thanksgiving heritage bird (thawed from the freezer) and it was phenomenal. We were silent through dinner except for ‘mmm’ and ‘wow’ and lots of slurping. Such a great recipe—thank you.”