WIAW #50: Turkey Primavera Orecchiette

Are you sick of turkey yet? Do you even have any left? I know we spent all weekend eating up the leftovers from the THREE turkeys my family had. I know, it’s ridiculous. Now, in all fairness, one of those turkeys was just a breast and another was a smoked turkey we didn't know was coming. And the third one was 20 lbs...but that's beside the point here. What was good for us is there were plenty of leftovers and thrifty me got dibs on the carcasses! Yeah!

 

What did I do with all of those turkey bones? Well, the bones from the 20 lb. turkey and the breasts made a lovely whopping 9 cups of deliciously thick turkey broth I plan on making risotto and broth ice cubes out of for quick and easy weeknight meals. With the smoked turkey I am going to make a version of ham and bean soup I used to have as a kid but since I no longer eat ham, the smoked turkey will serve as a great substitute.

I never got around to posting my Thanksgiving eats mostly because I was exhausted but also because I didn’t get very many good pictures. So instead I just show you what I made with the leftovers!





But first one Thanksgiving recipe I was so proud of I need to share ASAP:

Roasted Asparagus with homemade tomato sauce, prosciutto, and sharp provolone

This is a recipe based off of a special appetizer Aaron and I had at a South Philly Italian restaurant a while back for our “It’s been three months since we’ve been to a restaurant! Celebration.”

Everyone at my Thanksgiving meal went nuts for this recipe and I must agree, it was delicious. I must post this soon so DON’T LET ME FORGET! This is a crowd pleaser!

But back to other eats:

 

Here’s what I ate after the food coma

Breakfast 

Enjoy Life chocolate granola with chocolate almond milk, chia seeds, almond butter, and pomegranate seeds

Lunch

Fried potato cakes (with leftover potato filling) with eggs and sautéed spinach

Dinner

Turkey Primavera Orecchiette

Dessert

An amazing Sarah Bakes Brownie from the Bala Cynwyd Farmer’s Market with Hagen Daas Coconut macaroon ice cream. Mmmmmm

 
With the leftover turkey meat, stuffing, potato filling, etc. this is what I've made over the last four or five days:

Arugula salad with turkey, pears, pecans, pomegranate seeds, chia seeds, and Dijon vinaigrette

 

Eggs noodles with sautéed carrots, tomatoes, and turkey (and kale gratin)
 

Thanksgiving Turkey sandwiches on brioche rolls

Coming home on Black Friday I had the desire to stop at the relatively new Wegman’s right off the Philadelphia turnpike exit just to look around. Well that turned into a $30 trip but hey! I got some good stuff including their store brand orecchiette which I am in love with. If you have never cooked orecchiette before, it’s time you start. It definitely isn’t the easiest pasta to find as it is often handmade to provide the shape of an “ear.” But it is heartier than your average variety since it is the high quality Semolina pasta and not macaroni like every pasta made in America. I love how easily it clings to the sauce and when cooked al dente, it’s perfect. 

So what better way to use some of my leftover turkey meat that a delicious primavera pasta with a light sauce? Basically the recipe is cherry tomatoes, zucchini, good quality shitake mushrooms (I’m converted from the regular button!) and a light wine, lemon, butter sauce. Yummy.

If you’ve already used your leftover turkey (like me) try this with leftover cooked chicken or just cook some chicken or turkey and add it in. Either way you will want to try this recipe. Aaron loved this and I made it again two nights later. If you have a splash of white wine USE IT if not, this is still a great recipe for any night of the week.

Turkey Primavera Orecchiette

Ingredients:

 1 1/2 cup dried Orecchiette
 1 cup shredded Turkey (or chicken)
 1 cup shitake Mushrooms, chopped into quarter sized pieces
 1 medium Zucchini, thinly sliced and cut into fours
 2 Shallots, finely chopped
 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
15-20 multi-coloured Cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
3/4 cup dry white wine
 Zest of half a lemon
Juice of half a lemon
Olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
Drizzle of Garlic oil
1 tsp. dried Oregano
 Parmesan for garnish
Black Pepper
Garlic salt
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta al dente according to package, about 13 minutes and drain.

Meanwhile in a large pan, heat olive oil with the shallots and half the garlic until shallots are tender.  Add mushrooms and zucchini and sautéed until lightly browned and soft. Add ½ cup of the wine and allow it to absorb.

Add shredded turkey and lightly brown. Lower heat and add rest of wine, 2 tbsp. butter, lemon zest and juice and stir. Season with oregano, a little garlic salt, black pepper, red pepper. Add tomatoes at the last moment and wait until a light sauce forms and wine cooks down alittle.

Take off heat and add cooked pasta. Lightly toss and serve with grated parmesan and a drizzle of garlic olive oil.

Enjoy! Happy leftovers!