Pot Pie

Is it too early to think about Thanksgiving?

Not for me. For the first time in a few years — Covid!!!! — I am finally having my old, usual crew for dinner. My family plus my brother and sister-in-law, their kids and one grand.

HURRAH!!!

So, I am already planning the menu and doing what I can ahead.

With all those people at the feast there may not be any leftover turkey this year. But just in case — I’ll use the meat for pot pie.

I make pot pie a lot because with only Ed and me for dinner most nights, there are leftovers all the time and pot pie is one of Ed’s favorites.

The recipe below is more or less the one I use. I change the herb, depending on what I have (I’ve used dill, basil, marjoram) and of course the veggies change depending on what’s also leftover or what’s in the fridge produce bin. You need about 3-4 cups of veggies plus the potato and onion.

Sometimes I make this without the meat — just add some more vegetables.

Thanksgiving leftovers? For sure. But why wait? This versatile recipe is an all-year handy one. Bonus: you can freeze pot pie to serve when you want to just pop something in the oven for dinner. Place the dough on top and freeze. Then, thaw and bake.

Pot Pie

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 medium Yukon Gold or other Eastern potato

• 2 carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick

• 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick

• 1 cup bite-size zucchini chunks

• 1 cup corn kernels or peas

• 3 cups bite-size chopped cooked chicken, turkey, beef or veal

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 3 cups chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• pie dough or thawed frozen puff pastry sheets

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the potato, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn and chicken and stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients and stir to mix it in completely. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to let the flour absorb into the other ingredients. Pour in the stock gradually, stirring constantly. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the ingredients, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the parsley and thyme and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the filling into a baking dish. Cover with the pie dough or puff pastry. Seal the edges to the dish. Cut 2-3 slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown.

Makes 4 servings

Chicken: Soup to Salad

Every year before Passover I think about new ways to eat the chicken from the chicken soup that I cook for my Seder. I make the soup several days ahead, strain the liquid and freeze it. 

The cooked vegetables and boiled chicken do make a good, plain, old-fashioned meal for dinner, but we don't always want that. So, with the vegetables? Best bet has always been veggie burgers.

The chicken? Salad. Made all sorts of ways.

Here's one way. Fortunately ataulfo (honey/champagne) mangoes are in season and they are easy to peel and cut for salad; they’re also not stringy like some mango varieties. Bonus: I put aside some of the dill I use to season my chicken soup and it is a lovely seasoning for chicken and mangoes.

Chicken and Mango Salad with Dill

• 2-1/2 to 3 cups diced cooked chicken

• 1 small (I used ataulfo) ripe mango, peeled and diced

• 2-3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

• 3-5 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the chicken and mango dice in a bowl. Sprinkle the dill on top. Mix 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pour over the chicken and fruit. Toss. Season with salt and pepper. If you prefer a moister salad, add more olive oil and/or white wine vinegar to taste. Or fold in a bit of mayonnaise. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 2-4 servings

Vegetable Salad

Light, refreshing food. That’s what we want during the summer.

Also, easy to make. And as quick as possible.

I made this vegetable salad using leftovers from the veggies we had over a couple of meals. Added some fresh tomatoes, an avocado and some herbs. Not only did I get to use up stuff from the fridge, the dish took less than 10 minutes to make.

It’s a side dish. But you can add some tofu, cheese or hard-cooked eggs and make it into a main course (or add leftover fish, meat or poultry).

Add crusty bread and it’s a sandwich filling.

Mix it into cooked penne or ziti and it becomes pasta primavera.

Use whatever vegetables you have in proportions suggested. There’s no magic here, no actual recipe that will fail if you don’t have one of the ingredients.

Vegetable Salad

• 3 cups cooked cut up cauliflower

• 1 cup cooked, cut up green beans

• 1 cup cooked cut up yellow squash

• 3-4 cut up small tomatoes

• 1 avocado, cut into small chunks

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or use white wine vinegar)

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the cauliflower, green beans, yellow squash, tomatoes, avocado, basil and oregano in a bowl and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour the olive oil over the vegetables and toss again. Pour 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice over the vegetables and toss again. Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4-6 servings

Salmon Hash

I’m no different than everyone else I know. I overate between Thanksgiving and New Years.

I put on a few pounds.

I have to get back to some kind of normal.

But I’d rather not feel deprived. I like eating well.

I also hate to waste food.

Hence: dinner items such as this Salmon Hash. From the (healthy) salmon we eat for dinner one night, together with some vegetables and fresh herbs. Bits and pieces and leftovers and what-have-you that tastes terrific and uses up the leftovers.

Couldn’t be better. Top this hash with an egg or with dairy sour cream or non-fat Greek style yogurt.

Serve it is some lovely plates and it becomes all elegant.

Not deprivation at all.

Salmon Hash

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced

• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 medium onion

• 2 cups crumbled cooked salmon

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• dairy sour cream or plain yogurt or fried eggs, optional

Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the potatoes and carrots and toss to coat the vegetables with the pan fat. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are lightly crispy. Add the onion and continue to cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are tender and the vegetables are browned. Add the salmon, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for another 1-2 minutes to distribute the ingredients evenly and are heated through. Serve plain or top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt o a fried egg (per serving)

Makes 4 servings

Kedgeree with Salmon

My cousin has all sorts of fabulous and interesting eating and serving utensils. She is the only American woman I know who has a set of kedgeree forks.

She and her husband, world-travelers that they are, pick up things here and there and once, while in Scotland, they happened into an antique store and saw the unusual piece in the second photo. 

Now, these two people are not dolts! They know a sardine fork from a herring fork. But they had no idea what this thing was.

The proprietor told them it was a kedgeree fork.

They didn't know what that was either, but learned that it is a Scottish/British dish, basically rice with fish (usually smoked haddock) and seasoned with curry. An old import from India (dating back to "the Raj") and now a standard item throughout the U.K.

Apparently, the original Indian dish (called khichri) was a hodgepodge of cumin-scented rice and lentils (sounds very much like Middle Eastern mujadarah), sometimes with vegetables mixed in. The British added fish and hard cooked eggs and that's the way it's served today. Mrs. Patmore made it for the Crawleys in Downton Abbey and served it to them on a silver, dome-covered tray for breakfast.

Recently I decided to make kedgeree. It was all because I had a lot of salmon leftover from dinner. OK, I know salmon isn't exactly smoked haddock or even close in taste, but so what! I made Salmon Kedgeree. It made a terrific leftovers dinner and I ate the rest for breakfast the next two days (alas, no sterling silver serving utensils, no kedgeree forks and no person to serve it to me).

I've never tasted kedgeree so I have no idea if what I made was the way it's supposed to taste. All I can say is: it was absolutely delicious and I wish I had more and will make this again. 

Salmon Kedgeree

• 1 cup white rice
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 2-3 large eggs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (or 4 whole cardamom pods)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped (or 1 cup cut up cherry tomatoes)
• 2 cups cooked leftover salmon (or smoked haddock)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place the rice in a saucepan, cover with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for one minute, stir with a fork, turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 18 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Set the pan aside off heat. Cook the eggs and bay leaf in simmering water for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Peel, cut into quarters and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the curry powder, salt and cardamom, cover the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the pieces are golden. Add the tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf from the rice and add the rice to the pan. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the salmon and lemon juice and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are hot. Spoon into a serving bowl. Place the quartered eggs on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Stuffed Squash with Thanksgiving Leftovers

Turkey leftovers? 

Sure, there's sandwiches, salad and so on. 

How about a one-pot meal-in-one you can get ready way ahead and pop it into the oven a few days after Thanksgiving? Something tidy, compact, with a profusion of appealing color? That includes so many food groups?

Like this Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Note: you can make the squash and filling ahead separately. These are good hot or at room temperature.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

• 4 small acorn or carnival squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup chopped yellow squash 
• 1-1/2 cups finely chopped cooked turkey
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 2 large eggs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way down and remove the cap (you can bake it and serve it for decoration). Scoop out the seeds (you can rinse them off and roast them separately to use as a snack). Wrap the squash in aluminum foil and bake for about 35-45 minutes or until tender. Set aside. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. While the squash is roasting, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes, to soften them slightly. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the squash, turkey, spinach, cranberries, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme and cayenne pepper (if used) and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Mix in the eggs and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into the baked squash hollows. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 4 servings

Banana Marble Cake

Whenever my mother had leftover sour cream that was still safe to eat but had been hanging around the fridge for too long for it to taste fresh, she would use it to bake something. Like her marble cake. 

That cake was a simple wonder. Tender, vaguely sweet, with just enough melted chocolate swirling through the vanilla crumb. Rarely frosted, we ate it like coffee cake, just as is.

I've made that cake many times, and for the same reasons. Leftover sour cream (I also use leftover plain Greek yogurt when I have some). I've made it the original way and with coconut oil in place of shortening. 

Recently I had sour cream and yogurt leftover, the not exactly new kind.

I also had bananas left over. I always have bananas left over. I usually make banana bread with the leftover bananas.

So I took a cue from my mother and decided to bake marble cake. Using bananas.

So good.

Banana Marble Cake

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1 cup dairy sour cream or plain Greek yogurt 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a (10-inch) 8-cup bundt pan. Melt the chocolate and set it aside. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat the sugar and eggs for 2-3 minutes or until well blended. Add the vanilla extract and vegetable oil and beat for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Add the bananas and sour cream and beat them in. Add the flour mixture and beat for 1-2 minutes or until the batter is well blended. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Pour in half the melted chocolate and swirl it into the batter using a knife or wooden spoon. Repeat with the remaining batter and melted chocolate. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove to a cake rack to cool completely.

Makes one bread, serving 12-16

Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding

I usually don't have leftover challah, even when I make my giant size recipe. 

But for Yom Kippur I make TWO giant size challahs, one for the pre-fast dinner and one for break-the-fast.

So, for the kids, there's usually a hunk or two left for French toast.

But this year I had bits and pieces left over: crusts from the pieces that went into the French toast (for the kids who don't like crust). And a few pieces of "insides" left from the grownups who picked off some of the crust.

I hate throwing food away, especially something as delicious as challah.

Waste not, want not.

I put all the leftover pieces into a bowl and made it into chocolate bread pudding.

You can't go wrong mixing challah, milk, sugar and chocolate.

Chocolate Challah Pudding

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 12 ounces leftover challah,including crusts, (about 7-8 loosely packed
•                                                                         cups of small pieces)
• 3 cups whole or 2% milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Butter a large, deep baking dish or (8-cup) souffle dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Break the bread into pieces into a bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and let it soak for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally so all pieces of bread absorb some milk. In the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the eggs with the sugar for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir in the melted chocolate. Mix in the bread-milk mixture. Pour the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place the dish inside a larger pan. Add enough water to the outer pan to come up one-inch of the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Makes 8 servings

Salmon Spread for Easy Summer Entertaining

My mother was one of those women who always had too much food in the house. Just in case.

Just in case company came. You can't just let them sit there and not eat.

Just in case you needed a little something extra for supper. Or as a snack over the weekend.

Just in case you had some leftovers and you didn't want to throw them out.

If you ever took a look in my freezer, my fridge and my kitchen cabinets you would know, like mother, like daughter.

I have a ton of food things.

Just in case.

This past weekend when my cousins came for a sleepover, I discussed this with my cousin Leslie, whose mother was my Mom's sister. She was bemoaning her overstuffed freezer, refrig, pantry. With all the "just-in-case" stuff. 

We are who we are, products of our upbringing, including our need for just-in-case food.

But I did point out to her that with the leftover salmon I made the other day, the dill, lemons, celery and cream cheese I always have on hand, I made this spread. Which is a perfectly easy-to-make, quick-as-a-wink to make hors d'oeuvre to be served with chips or crudites. And I served it over the weekend.

Easy. 

You can do it too. And if you don't have leftover salmon, you can used canned salmon, tuna or sardines. It's also delicious with leftover cooked bluefish.

 

Salmon Spread

• 8 ounces cooked salmon, crumbled
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Place the salmon, scallions, celery, cream cheese, lemon juice, dill and Dijon mustard in the workbowl of a food processor and process until thoroughly blended. 

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Fried Rice with Turkey and Mushrooms

On Father’s Day my husband does not:

1) grill

2) want hot dogs or hamburgers

3) play golf (baseball, soccer, etc.)

He wants:

1) me to cook

2) Chinese food

3) to relax, sit outside, and spend a good deal of time googling all sorts of stuff on his iphone and then regale us with the miraculous things he has learned.

I haven’t figured out the menu but maybe it will be Chicken with Hoisin Sauce and Cashew Nuts or Chicken with Peanuts (his favorite). Or maybe Grilled Chicken/Ginger kebabs. He’d absolutely LOVE some Pearly Meatballs. 

Fried Rice is a definite. Any kind, even if it is “Chinese style” and not authentically Chinese like this recipe, which is more or less what I sometimes cook when I have just a little bit of meat leftover. Ed will always welcome this dish or any variation. He always mixes in a little bit of sesame seed oil. I don’t.

This recipe will serve 4-6 as a combo dish to be eaten with other food. When it’s just the two of us for dinner, we eat it all.

One cup if raw rice cooked with 1-3/4 cups water will yield 3 cups cooked rice.

Fried Rice with Turkey and Mushrooms

3 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 scallions, chopped

1 cup diced leftover turkey 

1/2 cup thawed frozen peas

6-8 water chestnuts, diced (or 1/2 cup diced bamboo shoots)

3 cups cooked cold rice

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

sesame seed oil, optional, to taste

Soak the mushrooms in hot water for about 30 minutes or until they are softened. Rinse them, discard the inedible stem, if any, and cut the caps into small pieces. Set the mushrooms aside. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a wok or stirfry pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and cook, stirring once or twice until they are set on the bottom. Turn the eggs over and cook briefly until firm. Dish out the eggs onto a chopping board, chop them and set them aside. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the pan. Add the scallions, turkey and mushrooms and stirfry for about 2 minutes. Add the peas and water chestnuts and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the rice, eggs and salt and stirfry for 1-2 minutes to distribute ingredients and heat the rice. Sprinkle with sesame seed oil if desired.

Makes 2-6 servings, depending on whether this is a one-dish meal or part of a meal