h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm looking at flights!

I was intending to fly home on the 1st of 2nd of Jan, but have an appointment I need to stay here for a bit later, so it may not be until the 7th that I can leave. Still I expect that the Ageds will be happy to be waited on for another week, and my sisters will appreciate it as well.

So, today is the day to turn our turkey carcass and remaining meat into a turkey stew. There is something very traditional in our family about this - we even make sure to buy a big enough turkey so that the eventual stew has plenty of meat in it. Here's how I do it.

Strip large pieces of meat from the carcass, wrap in foil and place in fridge.

For the stock:

Break the carcass into pieces so that it will fit into a stew pot, pour in some cold water, a peeled onion, cut into quarters, two carrots, roughly chopped. If you've saved any of the turkey skin, chuck this is as well. All turkey scraps can be added. (I've even thrown in some of the leftover stuffing to this stockpot.) Bring to the boil and simmer for at least one hour. Two or three if you have the time. Keep the lid on the pan and check your water doesn't boil dry.

For the vegetables:

In another pan, saute in olive oil one or two onions, lots of chopped carrot and parsnip (an essential ingredient) and three or four sticks of celery, finely diced. Add a couple of pints of water and a three tablespoonfulls of red lentils. Also essential. If you can't get these, try looking for Moong dhal in an Indian store. You need the sort that has virtually no taste of their own, but that cooks down to a smooth paste. They thicken the stew and add nutrition.


The veg and the lentils will take about half an hour, by which time the turkey stock from the other pan will nearly be ready. Turn off the veg if the stock still looks as if it can stand a bit more time. The longer you cook the bones, the more taste you will get, but if you want a clear stock you should not cook for longer than an hour, as the calcium will make the stock cloudy. Which is not a problem if you're going to tip it into the veg/lentil part of this recipe.

You should find though, that the water you added to the stock pot has evaporated, and reduced in quantity while also concentrating any flavour and goodness from the bones.

So, strain the stock from the bones carefully. You don't want any little bones in the stew. Check that there are no bones whatsoever left in the stock pan. Return the strained stock back to the pan and add the veg/lentil to it. Bring back to the boil and stir carefully.

Chop the turkey meat that was in the fridge into bite sized pieces and add to the boiling pan, bring back to a simmer and cook very gently for at least another ten minutes. Stir the meat into the stew so that it is evenly spread and covered with the juices.

Serve. If you have hungry mouths, hand out bread for sopping up the juice.

And now I've written it all down, I'd better get on and make it. There'll be plenty, some for tonight and some for the freezer for the Ageds to reheat when they're feeling listless.

sounds delicious

Today is the annual meeting of my mum's family. Unfortunately with less people than usual because my grandparents died, my uncle (mum's brother) has to work and two of the more distant relatives got a baby. Still, I'm sure it will be a nice afternoon with lots of cake.

And Austrian cake! The very best sort

As I've run out of toast I'm having pancakes for breakfast. Unsweetende. The first one wrapped around slices of Emmenthaler and the second with raspberry jam. I feel a poem stirring inside of me (next to the pancakes)

That recipe has made me .

I now regret throwing out the carcass!

Deb

Turned out we had far too much turkey. I bagged some to turn into curry or stir fry, and put it into the freezer. Then found out we had no lentils. So as we had so much meat I ended up making a turkey and chestnut pie.

I'll freeze the stock and other meat until I can find the lentils. Maybe the village shop will have them, but tomorrow we're eating lamb from our freezer, so there's no rush.

Are they red split lentals? I thought most supermarkets and even soem little grocery shops stock them now (or is that just near where I is?)

I must use up my mung beans... err, I think you mentioned them too... I can't recall what I bought them for now

Yes, red lentils. But don't forget I am perched on top of a moor and dependent on what we have remembered to stock up with,

Lentils don't go well with my gout. Literally

Really? Oh that is a serious problem.

I've been eating lots of different pulses recently rather than meat, and felt loads better. It might have had something to do with an increase in veg, fruit and salad though.

I like recipes that use every part but the squeal - so might I suggest putting the meat in a tupperware box rather than wrapping in foil?

That would work fine too..

Luckily I have seldom had problems with gout these last few years [touches wood] but it is true that proteins from pulses can cause problems. More so than red meat and port wine even - which is also very lucky

Here's my recipe for leftover turkey soup:

Thanksgiving leftovers Soup

By its nature, this kind of soup is highly variable, because it depends on what Thanksgiving leftovers you have to work with. I won’t give exact amounts, because I don’t know how much of anything there will be. Some of the ingredients listed might not be available as leftovers, in which case I recommend using fresh ingredients. The items in brackets are optional. If you have them as leftovers, fine. If not, you don’t need to add them – unless you want to.


Spice Mixture

1 cube of chicken bouillon
1 tsp of dried parsley
6 peppercorns
½ tsp of rosemary
½ tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp of poultry seasoning

Other ingredients

2 or 3 cups of water
Leftover turkey
1 or more potatoes, cut into chunks
Carrots
celery
onions
mushrooms
[peas]
[leeks]
[yams or sweet potatoes]
[zucchini]
[ripe olives]
[greens, any kind]

Instructions

Put olive oil in the bottom of a cooking pot. Add the water. Mix the spices together and stir into the water. Then throw all the other ingredients into the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. Serves 3 to 12, depending on how much of what ingredients you have to work with.

Excellent thank you for that