Soup, Salad and Stir-Fry With Thanksgiving Leftovers

I love turkey sandwiches as much as the next person, but this year I have some other plans for my leftover meat: soup, salad and a stir-fry. Even better, these dishes will also serve as vehicles for other leftovers.I'll chop up ingredients left over from a salad I'm making for Thanksgiving (apples, radicchio, endive, walnuts) and make a Waldorf salad, to which I'll add some turkey. You may think, "What's the point of making a Waldorf salad after Thanksgiving?" But this is not your classic Waldorf salad. The dressing is thinned out and lightened with yogurt, spiced with curry and cumin, and the salad includes a mix of bitter lettuces.I'm also planning to use the stock I'll make with my turkey carcass for a light, brothy, lemony soup. What I have in mind is a classic Greek avgolemono soup with turkey and the extra broccoli crown I bought for Thanksgiving but never cooked. This is one of my favorite soups, comforting but not rich. You can add other vegetables to it in addition to or besides broccoli if you're looking for a home for them.I'll add other remnants of leftover turkey to a stir-fry of Brussels sprouts and red bell pepper. If you happen to have leftover Brussels sprouts from your Thanksgiving dinner, you can use them; just know that they won't be as crisp-tender as they would be in a classic stir-fry. Even if you start with uncooked Brussels sprouts, the stir-fry is quickly accomplished because the turkey is already cooked and it's thrown into the colorful, gingery mix at the last minute; it's important to stir-fry only long enough to heat the turkey through, or it will dry out too much. Light is the theme here. That's what we want after Thanksgiving, as we head into the holidays.

Turkey Waldorf Salad
Time: 10 minutesFOR THE DRESSING:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons walnut oil or grapeseed oil, or 1 tablespoon eachFOR THE SALAD:
2 cups diced or shredded turkey
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, diced
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups chopped radicchio or endive1. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, cumin, honey, lemon juice, salt and oil.2. In a large salad bowl, combine turkey, apples, celery, raisins, walnuts and radicchio or endive. Add dressing, toss together and serve.Yield: 6 servingsEgg Lemon Soup With Turkey
Time: 15 minutes2 quarts well-seasoned turkey stock, garlic broth or vegetable stock
1 broccoli crown, cut or broken into small florets
2 cups chopped shredded turkey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups warm cooked rice1. Bring stock to a simmer over medium heat. Add broccoli and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. Stir in turkey and olive oil and turn heat to low. Season with salt and pepper.2. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until creamy. Whisk in lemon juice.3. Making sure soup is not boiling, slowly whisk a couple of ladles of hot soup into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Turn off heat under soup and stir in tempered egg-lemon mixture. Stir in parsley. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.4. Distribute rice among six bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.
Yield: 6 servings
Stir-Fried Turkey and Brussels Sprouts
Time: 10 minutes1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup chicken, turkey or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce, more to taste
2 tablespoons grapeseed, canola or peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 fat garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 bunch scallions, cut diagonally in
1/2-inch lengths, dark green parts separated
1 red bell pepper, cut in thin 2-inch strips
1 cup shredded turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Grains or noodles, for serving1. Combine rice wine or sherry, stock and soy sauce in a small bowl. Place all ingredients within reach of stove.2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or 2 when added to the pan. Add oil to pan and swirl it around.3. Immediately add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add brussels sprouts and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add white and light green parts of scallions and bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add turkey and broth mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and stir-fry for another 30 seconds to a minute.4. Add cilantro, toss together, and sprinkle with green scallion ends. Remove from heat and serve with grains or noodles.
Yield: 4 servings© 2014 New York Times News Service