Turkey Cranberry Strudel

Operation use up thanksgiving leftovers, part three. 

Turkey.  What to do, what to do, with those giant chunks of leftover turkey.  The freezer is always an option, true.  Save it for either stock or broth, or even an upcoming soup.   I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes for turkey hash as a creative way to use up the meat after turkey sandwiches lose their appeal.  But as I’m apparently ahead of the hash-trend curve, and having already made up my other go-to leftover user (Turkey a la King), I needed fresh ideas.

Then, like a bright beacon of light, an image came to me…turkey, nuts, cranberries, all encased in a golden shell of….CRESCENT ROLLS!  Yes!  The much esteemed by sissy and me, deliciously kitschy Turkey Cranberry Ring my mom concocted long, long ago, based perhaps on a Papered Chef recipe, was calling to me.  It was then that I knew.  I must make it.  Now. 

It's a fairly simple idea.  Use crescent rolls as pre-made struedel dough, wrapping the rolls around a filling bursting with turkey, nuts, fruit, and a little bit of cheese (because, when does cheese ever hurt?).  You can use whatever is on hand, swapping in what you have and leaving out what you don't.  It's simple to assemble and looks like it took a lot more effort than it really did.  Perfect for a weeknight, or a buffet, or anytime.  

This seriously was an embarrassing combination of leftover bits n pieces we had laying around.  Four old pieces of pre-cut celery that had gone uneaten in the week’s lunches, a hardening handful of dried cranberries left in the bottom of a bag, some aging swiss cheese slices that had outlasted their sliced turkey companions.

But you know what?  You would never know that this delicious combination was anything other than a planned-out dish.  It tastes rich but isn't too unhealthy.  It stretches a lot of odds and ends into several meals worth of food.  Try it with broccoli and cheddar instead of cranberries and almonds.  Or peppers and pepper jack.  Or whatever you have on hand.  Probably due to my inexplicable love for crescent rolls, I bet that whatever you throw down the middle would be good.    

Because I’m cheap, I had saved the lone egg white left over from mixing a yolk into my Shepherd’s Pie potatoes.  That one lone egg white would now be brushed on the top of my log of cranberry goodness, helping it to brown up into a rich, golden, glistening shell.  A shell of love.  The most delicious shell in the world!!!!!!!!!

Really into the hyperbole today, it seems. But describing this odd, lovable recipe calls for a little bit of promotion.  It was a favorite growing up, and it's a favorite still. 

Thanksgiving!!!

Contrary to the carols that now stream endlessly from every easy-listening radio station and elevator, Thanksgiving is the most wonderful time of the year.  A holiday centered on FOOD, family, and appreciating what we have.  Adding to the food-centric splendor, Thanksgiving also kicks off a month-long holiday season leading up to Christmas, the reason why I never mind winter's return every year.  

Thanksgiving is over, alas, and my favorite food-centric holiday is but a memory (unless you count the extra gooshiness around my waistline, which will take a bit longer to fade away).  Surprisingly, I did very little cooking this year, as we had two sets of parents and siblings all pitching in to create one spectacular feast.  We started off they day with some cranberry Prosecco fizzes, samples of two batches of home-brew beer, and a spread consisting of a sweet-n-spicy brown sugar snack mix with wasabi peas and cranberries, smoked gruyere, water crackers, prosciutto, Reem's chipped beef dip, and a brie in puff pastry with almonds and apricots.  I can take credit for a batch of beer and the brie - recipe for the latter coming soon.

Several hours after letting this initial feast settle, we dove into the main event - fresh turkey with cranberry shallot glaze, roasted sweet potatoes with sugared pecans, three kinds of dressing (cranberry cornbread; traditional oyster; sage and mushroom), fancy green bean casserole, apple cider gravy, and grandma's rolls (another recipe on its way).  So much food...so much family...so much fun...so much love.

Until I get the few recipes posted - including my most favorite to-date leftovers sandwich - I leave you with simply the eye candy that was our spread of food.  I hope all of your holidays were as memorable and filling as ours.