Friday, December 26, 2008

Leftovers Day.

I always think of Boxing Day as Leftovers Day and Reading Day (all those lovely books received as gifts – especially the cookbooks).

Really, the leftovers are the best part of Christmas eating. I favour the minimal change system – cold turkey and ham in salads or sandwiches, and quickly re-roasted vegetables. A lot of stock from the bones of course, to be frozen for later use. What I do not favour are dishes such as this:

Curried Turkey Wings and Bones.
Prepare a curry sauce as follows: saute 2 large onions in butter or margarine, add 1 apple with peel, finely chopped, cook until tender.
Add 2 cups of turkey broth, vegetable broth, or water with bouillon cubes. Add 2 tablespoons of curry powder. Cook for 30 minutes. Then add turkey wings, disjointed, and leg and thigh bones. Continue cooking until they are heated through.
Add any leftover turkey gravy, or 1 tin of cream of mushroom soup and a little evaporated milk.
Season to taste, adding more curry if desired. Add a handful of white grapes.
Serve with rice, cranberry sauce, thinly sliced cucumbers with oil and vinegar, salted peanuts and baked bananas. “Beer is good with this”, says James Beard.
[Jefferson City newspaper, 1957]

Curry powder? Mushroom soup? Apples and Grapes? Served with cranberry sauce?

And a James Beard recipe? Is it really?

Quotation for the Day …

Cooking Rule: If at first you don't succeed, order pizza. Anonymous.

3 comments:

SometimesKate said...

I don't care who originated that recipe, though it does remind me of several I've read in Victorian cookbooks, so even if he claimed it, it's hardly truly original. But still... YUCK.

Anonymous said...

You'd certainly need beer, if not indeed something stronger, to cope with it (and the accoutrements: baked bananas?!).

The Old Foodie said...

I got lost long before the baked bananas accompaniment. Throw the turkey recipe away and have the baked bananas on their own, that's what I think.