Topline:
Thanksgiving leftovers can crowd up your fridge, and no one wants to eat the same thing over and over. So we asked some of our favorite chefs in L.A. about what they do with turkey day leftovers. You'll find plenty of inspiration!
Why it matters: No one wants to let good food end up in landfills contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
What they suggest: Stuffing hand pies. Fruity sangria. Turkey taquitos. You'll thank us when you're feeling peckish over the long holiday weekend.
With Turkey Day dunzo, you might have more leftovers than you know what to do with. Fear not: we have a plan for you. Sure, it’s easy to reheat turkey and stuffing on repeat, but there’s a whole world of leftovers out there waiting to be reinvented.
We asked some of L.A.'s top chefs and cooks for their tips. From mulled wine sangria to crunchy turkey carnitas tortas, they offer multiple ways to get creative, and if you aren't sick of baking yet, we have a bonus recipe for empanadas, using a homemade cream cheese dough that doesn't require any special kitchen equipment.
Enjoy!
Chef Teresa Montano is one of the leading voices in Spanish cuisine in Los Angeles at her cafe Otoño in Highland Park. Her unique voice, channeling Iberian flavors through her New Mexican upbringing, allows her to craft memorable dishes that have been wowing diners who regularly frequent her restaurant.
Her take on Thanksgiving leftovers does double duty: "After hosting Thanksgiving, I am sometimes left with half-full bottles of wine or some well-intentioned gifted wine I may not drink. The other thing I end up with is a lot of random baking spices such as cinnamon, allspice and star anise from my baking endeavors. Those spices sit in my spice cabinet until next year and are often not as potent and fresh by then. Instead of pouring out the wine and letting those spices go to waste, take out the crockpot and make some mulled wine!"
Here's how she would do it: 2 bottles of red wine | 1-2 cinnamon sticks |Baking spices such as allspice, clove, and star anise, to taste| 6 oz. apple cider | 4 oz. orange juice | 2 oz. lemon juice, strained| 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste) | Sliced and diced assorted fruit (if desired) and sherry or brandy, as desired.
Directions: Mull spices and wine in a crockpot overnight on low or for at least four hours. Do this on the stovetop in a pot if you'd prefer, but keep it on the lowest heat. In a separate pot, add fruit juices and sugar. Warm on low to medium heat until sugar is melted.
To serve: Add juice and sugar mixture to the mulled wine to taste. Add sherry or brandy to taste. And fruit garnish, if using.
Elvia and Alex Garcia, husband and wife duo of Evil Cooks, are some of the leading taqueros in Los Angeles. (Follow their IG for hours and locations on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays, you'll find them at Smorgasburg.) Their inventive blend of black metal iconography, creative tacos, and other Mexican food has made them sought after in the Los Angeles taco scene. Evil Cooks felt like the perfect fit for crafting something yummy on the fly using what you have on hand.
Here's how Elvira would do it: “I like to do turkey tinga. I usually have all the ingredients at home, which is onions, chipotle, cabbage, tostadas, crema, mayonesa, pico de gallo, and salsita.” (Need a little more guidance than that? Here's a quick video putting it all together.)
Here's how Alex would do it: “A la Mexicana means to make a guisado with the Mexican mirepoix (onions, tomatoes and cilantro). We add some shredded turkey and we put it in taquitos. We put it in a torta. You have some of those leftover panecitos (dinner rolls), so why not put it in there, add some gravy, maybe some mashed potatoes. That way you don't waste anything.”
Kristin Colazas Rodriguez has been an outlier in the Long Beach bakery scene for over a decade, leading the charge behind the baker's bench and providing a fair and equitable workplace for her employees. Colossus Bakery is known for its pies this time of year, so using what she has on hand makes for a perfect bite of flavors.
Here's how she would do it: "My idea for your Thanksgiving leftovers is to make hand pies," she said. "So, you're just gonna take the pie scrap, the dough you left over from your pies ... Roll it out to your desired thickness, but it should be pretty thin cause you're gonna have two layers of pie dough." Cut out circles of dough, put them in the fridge to chill while you prep your Thanksgiving leftovers. "This is where you can kind of have some fun. You're gonna pair your favorite things," she said. Maybe turkey and a spoonful of cranberry sauce, she said. "I think green beans or brussel sprouts would be really good, too."
Carefully spoon some of your mixture in the middle of one piece of dough, and top it with a second piece. Don't overstuff. "Crimp the edges with a fork." If you want to get creative, you can add a flourish, like a decorative cut out. "Cut some cute little vents in there ... You can do a little egg wash on top, and then you're just going to bake those in your oven." About 350 degrees should do it, but time will depend upon your oven and the size of your pies. Keep an eye on it and bake until just golden brown.
Ryan Wong, the chef and owner of Needle in Silver Lake, is known for putting his innovative spin on classic Hong Kong dishes. (A perfect example would be his French toast, which features peanut butter liberally applied between two slices of Japanese milk bread, dipped into an egg batter and deep fried, and then drizzled in condensed milk. It's nothing short of celestial.)
How he would do it: Turkey congee. His take on the classic white rice porridge is made by boiling down a cup of cooked or leftover rice with leftover turkey bones with approximately six cups of water until it becomes a soup-like consistency. You can utilize the whole turkey carcass and whatever meat is left over. Remove the bones when finished, and before serving. Add chopped scallions for a topping. Green bean casserole with fried onions also works as a quirky topping, according to Wong.
Owner-Chef Aaron Melendrez is is known for churning some of the best sandwiches in town at his humble sandwich shop in Uptown Whittier, Uptown Provisions. So it was no surprise that he gave us a delicious torta recipe for his leftover idea. (A bolillo roll would be ideal for this sandwich, but so would leftover holiday rolls. Use what you've got.)
Here's how he'd do it: Take 1 lb. leftover dark meat | One cup Sunny D or orange juice | One cup of water | 4-6 garlic cloves | Two bay leaves | One chili arbol | Cumin, Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
Directions: Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove meat and shred. Discard bay leaves. Continue to reduce the sauce for a few more minutes. Broil shredded meat for 3 to 4 minutes until as crispy as you like it.
To serve: Cut open a toasted bolillo roll, add a slather of mashed sweet potatoes if available, and top with turkey carnitas. Optional toppings include pickled red onion, a squeeze of lime, diced cilantro, shredded lettuce lightly tossed in white wine vinegar, cotija cheese, crushed pepitas, mayonnaise, crema and avocado. And some of that sauce.
This is a bonus recipe from Montano, who says it's "a quick, easy, foolproof empanada dough that you can stuff with ANY thanksgiving leftovers! Because of the cream cheese, the dough comes out flakey, fluffy, and rich! And since you will likely still have your rolling pin and dough cutters out, you can knock this out and have some decadent empanadas that you can freeze and bake later or enjoy for breakfast post-Thanksgiving dinner."
Empanada dough: Take 1.5 pounds cream cheese, room temperature | 1/2 pound butter, room temperature | 1.5 cups flour | Sea salt to taste | Egg wash.
Directions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl by hand and work until a smooth dough is formed. Cover and let it rest for least 1/2 hour in refrigerator. When ready to bake, take out let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. By now, the dough should be soft and ready to work with. On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the dough to the desired thickness. Cut in squares or circles. Brush the perimeter with egg wash and add any desired filling. Montano likes diced turkey and ham, and gruyere. Fold over and pinch shut or crimp closed with a fork. Brush with egg wash and bake, or freeze them for future snacking. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, longer if cooking from frozen. Or pop them in an air fryer.