post-thanksgiving turkey congee
火雞稀飯

living in zurich...

is crazy expensive, so any chance for me to get more bang for my buck (or Swiss Franc) makes me feel a little smug, like I beat the system here! The days after Thanksgiving are a perfect opportunity to breathe fresh life into classic flavors. For me, I was craving Chinese food, so I opted for congee or rice porridge.

Turkey Stock:

I always make stock from the carcass and use it in a variety of different soups and stews. (Leftovers’ leftovers?) I picked every last morsel of meat off the carcass and put it in a big pot of water. I added two peeled onions and brought it to a boil. I skimmed off all the impurities as they rose to the surface, and then reduced the heat to a simmer. After 3 hours, I added a few more cups of water, brought back to a boil, reduced to simmer and cooked for another 3 hours. The broth was already quite flavorful at this point without any salt. I covered the pot, and put the soup outside in the freezing winter temperatures over night. The next day, I skimmed all the remaining fat from the top before using.

Porridge:

4 rice bowl servings of porridge

I filled a medium saucepan halfway with turkey broth. Add a tablespoon of chopped ginger to infuse the broth with Chinese flavors. Wash 1 cup of riceand add to the pan. Chop and add the following ingredients:

white part of 1 green onion

1 Chinese sausage

10 mushrooms

a few dried Shiitake mushrooms

1 cup roughly chopped Napa Cabbage

Leftover turkey meat

Add salt, fish sauce or soy sauce to your preferred level.

Bring the pot to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until the rice absorbs all the liquid. The rice will continue to absorb liquid the longer you cook it, making the porridge thicker. This is an incredibly forgiving recipe. I just use whatever I have on hand - ham, eggs, onions, leeks, zucchini, broccoli, leftover chicken etc etc.

I top the porridge with chopped green onions and a dash of rice wine vinegar….and promise myself I’ll only have one bowl…yea right..ha!