The idea of leftover turkey (from Christmas, in my British household) has always thrilled me. First, there’s the obligatory turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing sandwich. This would most definitely always be the first use of leftovers, usually on Boxing Day.

One of the most popular ways to use up all that turkey in my house was also the turkey curry. Curry is big in England and so it’s no surprise that our minds wander straight to how to spice things up. So, I was very happy to see that Mark Bittman is advocating the very same use of leftovers on The Minimalist blog.

If you want an easy and delicious way to use up the last of your Thanksgiving turkey, I highly recommend taking the curry route. Bittman’s recipe for turkey and spinach curry sounds utterly delightful but if you wanted to lighten it up then you could use light coconut milk and low-sodium veggie broth instead of the regular kind of coconut milk or you could try using yogurt instead.

Some other great ideas for leftovers:

Clockwise from top left:

1. Turkey Waldorf Salad from Food Network
2. Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potato Soup with Black Beans and Lime from Kalyn’s Kitchen
3. Turkey and Guacamole Quesadillas from Kalyn’s Kitchen
   
4. Turkey Vegetable Soup with Stuffing Dumplings from Food Network

Enjoy your leftovers!

What are your favourite ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers?

Yes, Brussels sprouts. The unsung heroes of Autumn. I used to hate them when we would have them at Christmas dinner but The New York Times hit it on the head with the claim that part of the reason they have risen in popularity is due to their genius paring with bacon.

Everything is better with bacon, no? (Actually, everything is better with cheese, in my opinion, but bacon’s good too…)

Well, I thought that there had to be some Thanksgiving inspiration in this series of odes to the wonderful season of Autumn and this dish would make a perfect side, if you’re cooking.

Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Figs

Ingredients

4 to 8 ounces bacon, chopped

1 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed

1 cup dried figs, stemmed and quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste.

Directions

1. Put a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, then bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put sprouts through feed tube of a food processor equipped with a slicing attachment and shred. (You can also do this with a mandoline or a knife.)

3. Add sprouts, figs and 1/4 cup water to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn heat to medium, and cook, undisturbed, until sprouts and figs are nearly tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until any remaining water evaporates, another 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar, taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

An absolute delight. I halved the listed recipe but next time I would add more than 4oz of bacon. I also wouldn’t add any additional salt – the bacon brings plenty of that!

When I asked on my Thanksgiving Inspiration post about people’s favourite Thanksgiving dishes, Megan from The Runner’s Kitchen left me a comment with a recipe for Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Onions and Golden Raisins. Sounds fabulous to me! Check it out here. Thanks Megan!

More love for Brussels Sprouts? Let it be known!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Dan wants to dub this coming winter “The Winter of Soups” and just eat that until Spring comes around. I say, yay. Making soup at home is so fun, so easy and provides many portions of leftovers for deliciously warming lunches.

So, we got a head start on winter with today’s soup: Mulligatawny. Mulliga-what? I hear you ask. That’s what I said. According to my main man Mark (Bittmann), this just means Spicy Indian Vegetable Soup. How could I resist, considering my mad love of Indian food? I could not…

Mulligatawny (Spicy Indian Vegetable Soup)

The brilliant thing about this soup is that you could totally make it non-spicy and non-Indian by omitting the cumin, turmeric, and curry powder and substituting the cilantro for parsley. Serving it up with fresh Parmesan would take it a million miles away from this spicy dish but if you ask me, this way’s a winner!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup neutral oil (grape seed or corn)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 cups hard vegetables (I used potatoes and parsnips, cut into smaller than 1/4 inch cubes)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth (I like to use low-sodium)
• 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
• 2 cups soft vegetables (I used zucchini and green beans), cut into smaller than 1/2 inch dice
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

• Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a large, deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, cumin, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about five minutes.
• Add the hard vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the stock and tomato; bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables are fairly soft, about 15 minutes.
• Add the soft vegetables, cilantro and curry powder and adjust the heat once again so the mixture simmers. Cook until all the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and serve.

We had some crusty white bread on the side, with butter and cheddar cheese, mainly because I cannot resist it, but naan bread would be delicious with this soup. And red wine, of course.
Soups are genuinely one of my favourite aspects of Autumn and Winter. I love how versatile soup can be and how many many variations there are – it really can be whatever you want it to be.

Since Dan has dubbed the coming season, the Winter of Soups, expect to see some more coming!

What is your favourite soup to make at home? Feel free to share recipes!