Preserving Leftovers: Turkey Pot Pie

After a big family meal, I enjoy the leftovers for about a day. Then I'm ready for a meal that doesn't include leftovers. And since I love the idea of a dinner ready in the freezer, pot pie is a great way to use the remaining meat. I usually have all the ingredients on hand, so it's easy to pull together. I also like knowing a delicious, comforting meal is ready to be popped in the oven whenever I don't have time to cook.

Once frozen the pies don't need to be thawed before baking and can be made in any size pan, depending on the size of your family. I make both individual and family size. Larger pans may need additional oven time. My favorite pot pies are turkey. Feel free to substitute chicken, beef, lamb or pork. This recipe makes lots of pies, but can be easily halved if you don't have as many leftovers.

Saute onion, celery and carrots in butter until tender.

Stir in flour, then add stock and half and half. Bring to a boil.
Turn off heat and add turkey and peas.

Fill pans with pot pie mixture. I like a single top crust. If you prefer, you could
line the pan with pie dough before filling for a top and bottom crust.

Make and roll out crust. I use cutters to make crust rounds.
For the small tins I used English muffin rings (about 3.5 inches). For the larger
pies I used the bottom of my 7 inch springform pan as a guide.

Top each pan with crust. Wrap tightly and freeze. Consume within six months.

Turkey Pot Pie
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrot
2/3 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 cups turkey or chicken stock, homemade or commercial
2 cups half and half
8 cups chopped cooked turkey
2 cups frozen English peas
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
pepper to taste
Crust (recipe follows)

Saute onion, celery and carrot in butter until tender and the onion is translucent. Add flour, stirring for 1 minute. Add stock and half and half. Cook, stirring until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in turkey and peas. Divide among pans, top with crust, wrap tightly and freeze for up to six months.

To serve: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen pot pie on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered for one hour. Let cool for five minutes before serving.

Crust
Note: This recipe makes enough for top crust. Double if you prefer a top and bottom crust. 
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shortening plus 2 Tbs lard or shortening
1/4 cup water (more or less)

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in fat until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add enough water, mixing with a fork, until crust comes together in a ball. Roll on a lightly floured surface about 1/8 inch thick. Top pot pies with dough. For best results, refrigerate dough for 1 hour before rolling.

Making and Preserving Stock

Homemade stock is easy to make and has a deeper, richer flavor than commercially canned stock. If you're roasting meat and vegetables, you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Keeping several quarts of stock in the freezer means I have a quick, tasty base for soups, stews and sauces.

I used the turkey carcass left over from our Thanksgiving meal, but stock can be made with bones from beef, veal, chicken, lamb, etc.  In addition to the carcass, I added leftover roasted vegetables, pan drippings, gravy, fresh onions, carrots and celery, bay leaves, sage, salt and pepper. Feel free to add your favorite seasonings.

A note about consistency: homemade stock can be gelatinous, rather then liquid. As the bones are boiled marrow is released, which when refrigerated, thickens the stock. When reheated, it will return to a beautiful, velvety consistency.

To a large stock pot, add turkey carcass with meat removed, vegetables
roasted with the turkey, turkey skin, pan drippings,
leftover gravy, fresh onions, celery and carrots, and herbs.

Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Don't worry about the fat. Once the
stock is cooled, you can easily remove the fat.

Bring the stock up to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
Continue to cook, covered, for three hours, stirring occasionally.

After three hours, strain stock into a large container. Refrigerate overnight.

After being refrigerated the fat will solidify on top of the stock. Remove
fat and place stock in freezer containers. Freeze and use within six months.

Preparing winter squash

We had a great winter squash harvest this year, resulting in acorns, butternuts and a few varieties of pie pumpkins. Squash is one of my favorite side dishes. In addition to being flavorful and easy to prepare, fresh, uncut squash will hold for months (between 50-60 degrees is optimal).

Squash recipes are plentiful and I strive for the easiest preparation, which generally eliminates peeling. Many recipes calling for peeled squash can be modified to use squash roasted in and scraped from the skin.

Although they might not be much to look at, the butternut (l)
and acorn (r) squash are tasty fall treats.

To prepare, carefully cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Thoroughly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place squash cut side down and roast at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Flip squash cut side up and, if desired, stuff cavity. For the acorn squash, I made a bread stuffing
with apples and cranberries. The butternut was sprinkled with cinnamon. Brown sugar and butter were placed in the cavity. Return the stuffed squash to the oven for an additional 25 minutes.

Finished squash. Comforting, filling and healthy!

You can bake squash cut side down for 45-50 minutes, scrape flesh from skin and mash for a casserole. I added a a bit of butter, nutmeg and a drizzle of maple syrup. This is a great Thanksgiving side that can be made the day before and heated in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes (while the turkey rests). Roasted flesh can also be used as a base for cream soup.

Squash Stuffing
1/4 cup onions
1/4 cup celery
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup dried bread cubes
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 small apple, peeled, cored and cubed
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 tsp dried sage or 2 tsp fresh sage
1/2 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or cider
Salt & pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan cook onions and celery in butter just until softened, about five minutes. Combine sauteed vegetables with bread cubes, cranberries, apple, bacon, and sage. Add stock/cider, stirring to moisten ingredients.  Divide stuffing evenly between four partially baked acorn squash halves. Return to oven and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Leave a comment with your winter squash preparation tips!