Local chefs share what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It is an unwritten rule that hosts must cook too much for Thanksgiving dinner.

Start by planning the right amount of food – 1 to 1.5 pounds of turkey per guest plus sides. Then, you add to it.

After dinner, package leftovers to send with friends and family. Or pack them into the faux Tupperware containers you saved from takeout and Jenga them into the fridge.

Leftovers are fun. For a while. But turkey can become boring and tedious by Sunday, not to mention approaching its expiration date.

To manage leftovers, we asked a number of chefs around Northeast Ohio what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers. After all, you can only eat so many open-faced turkey and gravy sandwiches. And turkey tetrazzini is so 1970s.

Chefs offered the following recipes. When you read through these, you’ll wish for more leftovers.

Turkey Melt with Apple Slaw

Fat Cats, Cleveland, Tremont

Serves 1

Fat Cats, 2061 W. 10th St., Cleveland, will add a turkey melt with apple slaw to the menu after Thanksgiving. If you can’t get to Tremont, make it at home. Owner Ricardo Sandoval suggests adding a fried egg for a brunch option that’s “gooey good.”

2 slices hardy bread

4 thin slices turkey breast, cooked

2 slices Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Apple Slaw:

1 apple, julienned (matchstick size)

1 cup napa cabbage, thinly sliced

¼ cup carrots, matchstick-sized thinly cut

¼ cup red onion, matchstick-sized thinly cut

Sweet & Sour Dressing:

½ cup cider vinegar

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In an oven-safe skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Arrange bread slices in the pan with the curvature facing out.

Place thinly sliced Gruyère cheese on both bread slices. Add cooked turkey onto one of the bread slices and bake in the oven, open-faced, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the bottom of the bread is golden.

Remove from oven and let it cool for a minute.

In a bowl, toss the julienned apple, napa cabbage, carrots and red onion with the sweet and sour dressing. Place a generous amount of slaw on top of the bread with turkey, then top it with the other toasted bread. Slice the sandwich in half and enjoy.

Turkey Silog

Fat Cats Tremont

Serves 1-2

1 cup cooked jasmine rice

6 oz. shopped leftover turkey

1 garlic clove, minced

3 scallions, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. cooking oil, not olive oil

1 egg

pickled carrots (or anything else pickled)

cilantro

Heat oil in a pan. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add garlic. Stir in the cooked rice and scallions, mixing well to incorporate the flavors.

In a separate pan, fry eggs to your liking.

Serve the turkey mixture in a bowl then top with a fried egg. Garnish with pickled carrots and cilantro

Thanksgiving Leftover Chile Relleno (Stuffed Pepper)

Julia’s 1902, Willoughby

Serves 6

Chef Jose Coronado is preparing to launch Julia’s 1902 at Willoughby House, 37819 Euclid Ave., Willoughby, in the spring. Born in Guatemala, he recently led the kitchen at Felice Urban Café in Larchmere. Here he uses his globally inspired experiences to create a Latin take on an American favorite.

6 large poblano peppers

4 oz. leftover stuffing

6 oz leftover pulled turkey

4 oz leftover veggies (sweet potato, green beans, corn)

4 cups canola or high heat oil, not olive oil

3 large eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon oregano

Garnish:

1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

½ cup queso fresco, crumbled

Preheat over to 400 F.

Roast peppers in a large, foil-lined baking sheet for 5 minutes until the skin is blackened and blistered. Remove from oven and place peppers in a Ziplock bag to steam about 5 minutes. Peel the blackened skin from the peppers. Cut a small slit on one side of pepper and remove seeds. Set aside peppers.

Put olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add leftovers and sauté for 5 minutes. Add cumin, salt and pepper. Once warm, stuff into peppers.

To make the egg batter, separate whites and yolks into separate bowls. Use mixer to whip the whites until stiff peaks form. Gently stir in yolks, one at a time. The batter should be light and fluffy.

Prepare to fry by heating oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil is ready, coat the peppers with the batter. Fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side until the batter is golden brown. Serve with salsa rosa, recipe below. Garnish with cilantro and queso fresco.

Salsa Roja:

6 Roma tomatoes

1 small white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

5 sprigs cilantro

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon pepper

Add tomatoes, onion, cilantro, salt, cumin, garlic and pepper to blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Add salsa and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Leftovers Calzone

Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, Chesterland

Serves 6

Loretta Paganini, founder/owner of Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, 8613 Mayfield Road, Chesterland, and ICASI, 8700 Mayfield Road, Chesterland, turns to her native Italian culture for a calzone recipe that uses Thanksgiving leftovers.

Dough:

1 cup warm water (95 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit)

1 tsp. dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. dry milk

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Filling:

2 cups cooked turkey, chopped

2 cups cooked vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, green beans, peppers)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Egg wash (1 egg mix with 1 tsp water)

Place warm water in a bowl, stir in yeast and sugar. Cover with a wet cloth and let it proof for 10 minutes in a warm spot.

Mix 1 cup of flour with the proofed yeast. Add milk and olive oil. Mix using a fork. Dough will be sticky and wet. Place in a bowl covered with the wet cloth and allow to rest for 30 minutes or more in a warm spot away from drafts.

Add remaining flour and salt. Mix well. Work the dough with the heel of your hands until smooth and elastic. (Add flour or water if needed).

Make the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover with a wet cloth. Let the dough rise until double in bulk for 20 minutes.

Punch down and divide in six pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a round flat sheet.

Heat oven to 400 F.

Mix turkey, vegetables and cheese in a bowl. Place vegetable mixture onto each dough. Brush edges of the dough with egg wash. Fold the dough over and crimp to seal. Place on a baking sheet. Brush prepared calzoni with egg wash.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.

Stuffing Waffle Sandwich

Spice Hospitality Group, Cleveland

Serves 1

Natalie Blake, executive chef for Spice Catering Co. in Cleveland, has an extensive culinary background that has landed her on cooking shows including “Hell’s Kitchen + Supermarket Stakeout.” Turning Thanksgiving leftovers into a “new” and impressive meal is her favorite holiday challenge.

1 cup leftover stuffing (will make 1 each mini waffle sandwich)

Leftover turkey or ham, sliced thinly

2 tbsp cranberry sauce

4 tbsp mayo

Optional: 1 tbsp chopped rosemary

Optional: Sandwich toppings of your choice.

Mini- or regular-sized waffle maker required.

Spray pre-heated waffle maker with pan spray. Add ½ cup leftover stuffing and press down so stuffing spreads. Cook until waffle is crispy and easily lifts out with a fork. Repeat until you have enough waffles.

Mix leftover cranberry sauce and mayo together, and set aside. Add in rosemary, if desired.

Spread cranberry mayo onto each side of your waffles, and build your sandwich using desired toppings. Make as many as needed.

Paris Wolfe writes about food, dining and drinking for Cleveland.com. You can reach her with story ideas at [email protected]. Here’s a directory of her latest posts. Follow her on Instagram @pariswolfe.

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