Finishing Off the Bird

I cannot believe it is already the Wednesday after Thanksgiving and I still have turkey! As with most good cooks, I hate to waste food. Each part of that turkey from the liver to the gizzards to the bones and of course the meat has been turned into some sort of stock, soup, pot pie, mousse and of course Thanksgiving dinner at one point or another. I actually love using all parts of an animal. Since we take that animal's life to energize our bodies, I believe it is our duty to not waste any part of the gift. I actually kind of get in to utilizing all that I can. Saving shrimp shells for stock, keeping the livers in a bag in the freezer until I have enough for a pate, setting aside the rope along the filet for ground round or chili meat, saving bits of sauces in my freezer to enhance a new one, buying a duck then making a confit with the leg, searing the breast and making stock with the bones and so on. While I am neurotic about recycling, I have not gotten into composting but have already made that my 2010 New Year’s resolution. I do my best to do my part in the circle of life, so what about my leftover turkey meat?? My youngest daughter loves my pasta with chicken and goat cheese so why not that but with Turkey meat??

It worked. Actually, it worked pretty darn well!! I used cooked turkey meat for raw chicken and my roasted turkey stock for chicken broth and the family loved it. Again, I did my best to measure as best as I could so I could recreate the recipe for you. The original recipe started from a vegetarian dish in “The Wolfgang Cookbook”, called Angel Hair Pasta with Goat Cheese and Broccoli. I actually think my husband made it one time I was gone and he was cooking for the kids. They LOVED it and asked me to make it and of course, in my hands, it changed a bit. I think my husband added chicken and tomatoes to Wolfgang’s original recipe, then I added pancetta, peas and chili flakes and changed the pasta. The end result is truly delightful. I hope you enjoy it!

Pasta with Turkey and Pancetta in a Goat Cheese Broth

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cup chopped pancetta (a bit over a 1/3 of a pound)
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups turkey stock (can substitute chicken stock or canned broth)
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned is fine)
• 12 ounces cooked turkey, chopped
• 2 stalks broccoli, cut into small pieces and blanched
• 1 ½ cups peas (frozen is fine, thawed)
• I pound pasta, such as Conchiglie rigate
• 3 ounces mild goat cheese

In a large sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat and add the pancetta; cook slowly until it begins to brown. Remove from pan and add shallot and sauté until soft, around 2 minutes. Add garlic, chili flakes and half of the basil and cook for one more minute. Deglaze the pan with wine, scraping up the font on the bottom of the pan. Reduce by ½ then add the stock and again reduce until you like the flavor. You may need to add a bit of salt to bring up the flavor a bit. Add the tomatoes and again, reduce if needed. Your sauce should have wonderful flavor, if not, reduce a bit and add a pinch more salt. Add in the turkey, broccoli, peas and remaining basil to heat. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water until it taste like the sea and add the pasta. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, maybe a minute less than normal since you will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Scoop a bit of the pasta water out before you drain in case you need it to enhance your sauce. Bring your sauce back up to a boil and add the drained pasta and stir to coat all the pasta. Add the goat cheese in bits and stir to incorporate into the sauce. Add pasta water if you feel there is not enough sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if you like.