Second to none

Some people look forward to the turkey leftovers as much as or more than the first carvings of the bird on Thanksgiving Day. They might roast an extra turkey to ensure there will be meat to spare, like David Hill of North Charleston.

“We travel a lot on Thanksgiving. And even when we don’t, we’re often at another relative’s house here in Charleston for dinner. So I often cook a small turkey purely for leftovers when we get back, and have collected many recipes over the years to help ‘scratch that itch.’ ”

Hill was one of several readers responding to a call for favorite recipes using leftover turkey. We received the gamut, from soups and casseroles to hash and sandwiches.

Turkey meat can be on the dry side, so a “moisturizing” addition often is welcome. That’s why we pass the gravy and that’s why turkey takes well to being reinvented into a new dish the next day.

Check out the variety of recipes inside and let no turkey go to waste.

"Here are three (recipes): the first is a breakfast (for those hearty/crazy souls headed out for Black Friday), the second is more of a lunch (having a panini maker would simplify the whole "foil covered brick" thing, but I left it in as an option), and the third I see as a dinner that might make people forget it's all (or mostly all) leftovers: a turkey shepherd's pie you could change quite a bit depending on the makeup of your leftovers. They're all good."

David Hill,

North Charleston

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes at room temperature

1 large egg, plus 4 for frying

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

2 cups diced leftover turkey meat

1/2 cup leftover turkey gravy

1/4 cup leftover cooked corn kernels

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the potatoes, egg and milk together until combined. Add the flour, sage, season with salt and pepper, and mix until smooth. Heat 2 teaspoons oil on a nonstick griddle over medium heat; pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the warm griddle, gently spread it to a circle about 4 inches wide, and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes more. Add the turkey, gravy and corn and cook, stirring until turkey is heated through. Season hash with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and keep warm over low heat. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil on the griddle over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs onto the griddle and cook until desired doneness. To serve, put a warm potato cake on each of four plates. Top the cakes with a fried egg and divide the hash evenly among them.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

8 slices whole-grain bread

6 ounces thinly sliced Fontina cheese

8 ounces sliced leftover turkey

1/2 cup leftover cranberry relish

1 cup arugula leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

For each sandwich, lay 2 slices bread on a work surface. Lay about 3/4 ounce cheese on one slice of the bread; top with 2 ounces turkey meat, 2 tablespoons relish, about 5 to 6 arugula leaves and an additional 3/4 ounce cheese. Top with the other bread slice. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Brush the top of the sandwich with olive oil. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Put the sandwich, oiled-side down, into the pan. Place a small heavy pan or aluminum foil-wrapped brick on top of the sandwich to press it down. (Editor's note: may use a sandwich or panini press or a George Foreman griddle).

Cook until bread is golden and crisp and cheese is beginning to melt, about 5 minutes. Remove the heavy pan or brick, brush the top of the sandwich with oil and carefully flip it. Put the heavy pan or brick back on top of the sandwich and continue cooking until bottom bread slice is browned and crisp, cheese is melted and sandwich is heated through, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the pan and cover to keep warm while cooking the remaining sandwiches.

Slice on the diagonal and serve warm.

Ingredients

2 cups leftover turkey meat

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1 1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan, combine turkey, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves and thyme. Pour chicken broth over and set pan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes, until liquid reduces slightly. Remove bay leaves. Remove from heat and stir in peas.

Transfer turkey mixture to a deep-dish pie plate or shallow casserole dish placed on a baking sheet. Spoon mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make an even layer. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

"My family has enjoyed this for many years. ... I usually use low-fat milk products and would probably use the new high-fiber spaghetti. I have already lowered the amount of butter. Enjoy!"

Carol Hilton,

Harleyville

Yield 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package of spaghetti

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups diced cooked turkey

1 cup diced cooked ham

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (8-ounce) carton commercial sour cream

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Break spaghetti into 1 1/2-inch pieces, and cook according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Saute onion and mushrooms in butter; stir in turkey, ham and seasonings. Heat thoroughly. Combine sour cream, cottage cheese and spaghetti; add meat mixture, mixing lightly.

Spoon mixture into a buttered 1 1/2-quart casserole; top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

'I would love to take credit for this recipe, but it's actually the late Craig Claiborne's from 'The New York Times Cook Book' 1990 edition. I sometimes add peas, and if that's the case, I just buy frozen peas and carrots and add them in to taste ( 1/4 to 1/3 cup).

"Note: I use half the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to saute the onions and garlic. I also use skim milk and chicken stock (unless I increase the flour just a tad, it separates a bit). For the cornmeal pastry, I use 1/3 cup cold butter instead of the vegetable shortening. It is hands down one of the favorites of my family, especially my husband."

Kay Newman AvRutick,

Charleston

Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup flour

1 1/2 cups turkey stock

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups diced cooked turkey

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Sage cornmeal pastry (recipe follows)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the onions and garlic in it until golden. Blend in the flour. Remove from heat and stir in the turkey stock and half-and-half.

Cook, stirring, until the mixture is medium thick. Add the turkey, seasonings and lemon juice. Turn into a 1 quart casserole. Top the casserole with sage cornmeal pastry. Trim, turn under, and flute the edges of the pastry. Cut 2 or 3 gashes in the top to allow for escape of steam. Bake for about 20 minutes, until brown.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons water

Directions

In a mixing bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal, sage and salt. Add shortening and cut it in until the mixture resembles loose crumbs. Add the water. Mix lightly to form a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness and 1 inch larger than the circumference of the casserole.

"After the turkey tetrazzini, turkey curry and turkey sandwiches, we make French Onion Soup with the turkey remains. This soup is delicious and we have come to prefer it to the original with beef. The recipe is largely based on Onion Soup Cyrano from the 1961 'New York Times Cook Book' edited by Craig Claiborne. Quantities for the recipe can increase with more stock and it could be tried with less butter."

Amanda Graham Barton,

James Island

Makes 4 servings

Remove any skin left attached to the bird. Place carcass in large stockpot and add water to cover. Add a peeled or chopped onion, celery stalks, carrot and bay leaf. Simmer several hours until stock is flavorful. Strain the stock through a sieve to remove bones and particulates. Store overnight in fridge. In the morning remove any fat that floated to the top of the stock. When ready to make the soup:

Ingredients

2 cups sliced onion

8 tablespoons butter, divided use

1 1/2 cups turkey stock

Freshly ground black pepper and salt

4 slices toasted French bread

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter until golden, stirring often. Add the stock and boil 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the toast in four small casseroles or bowls, add the soup and top with the cheese. Dot the tops with remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown.

Serve with a simple salad and white or red wine.

For this stroganoff, "If you want to cut calories, use light or nonfat sour cream."

Cynthia Edmiston,

Sullivan's Island

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound dark turkey meat, cubed

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cups sour cream

4 servings fettuccine, cooked al dente

Directions

In a sauce pan, saute first seven ingredients 15 to 20 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add sour cream; do not boil. Stir until fully mixed. Serve over fettuccine with a salad and warm French bread.

"Here are a couple of recipes for leftover turkey. The first one is my absolute favorite way to use the leftovers."

Jeannie Scheirman,

Mount Pleasant

Ingredients

1/2 stick margarine or butter, melted

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups cooked rice

3 cups chopped turkey

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet

Directions

Mix butter, onion and rice together and alternate layers of this mixture and the chopped turkey in a greased casserole dish.

Mix together the mushroom soup, milk, parsley flakes and Kitchen Bouquet. Pour over the rice and turkey in casserole dish and bake at 300 degrees 30-40 minutes.

Serve with a salad and rolls.

Ingredients

3 cups diced turkey

1 (8-ounce) can sliced and cut up water chestnuts

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Potato chips to taste, crushed in a sealable plastic bag

Directions

Mix everything except the mayonnaise and potato chips. Mix in spoonful of mayonnaise at a time to make it easier to distribute the mayo throughout.

Place in a 9x13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle on the potato chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This recipe "is from a Curacao (my husband's home island, off the coast of Venezuela) cookbook for a delicious chicken soup. Last year after Thanksgiving, I tweaked it a little for turkey soup ... m-m-m good! Getting a little tired of turkey taste and still have leftovers? Try adding it to spaghetti sauce for a spaghetti supper. Yummy!"

Dee Beaujon,

Charleston

(Curacao Turkey Soup)

Ingredients

Turkey carcass

Dash of thyme

Diced leftover turkey meat

5 ribs diced celery

2 green peppers, cut up

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

5 to 6 carrots, sliced

2 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)

4 to 5 potatoes, cut into chunks

1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 chicken bouillon cubes

Vermicelli

Directions

Put carcass in pot (broken in half if needed) and cover with water, add a dash of thyme. Bring to a boil then simmer about 30-45 minutes. Remove carcass from pot and pick loosened meat from bones. Put meat from bones and diced leftover meat back in pot. Add all vegetables, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste and bouillon to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add vermicelli the last few minutes of cooking.

Note: The vermicelli may be cooked separately (al dente) so it doesn't get mushy. Put a serving in the bottom of each bowl before ladling up soup.

"This recipe for Turkey Frame Broth is one I've used since 1992. It comes directly from 'The Butterball Turkey Cookbook.' After fussing over a holiday dinner, it is always nice to have a simple leftovers recipe on hand. This recipe lacks the need for endless skimming, like a chicken broth would require. I usually add back some of the cooked turkey, a can of mixed vegetables and some cooked rice or noodles to fill out a meal.

"And very often during the year when there is a good sale on frozen turkeys, I'll purchase one just to make this wonderful broth."

Louise Pennisi,

Mount Pleasant

Makes about 8 cups of broth

Ingredients

1 roasted turkey carcass, preferably with some meat

3 ribs celery, cut into 4 pieces

1 carrot, cut into 4 pieces

1 onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic, cut in half

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

10 black peppercorns

1/8 teaspoon paprika

10 cups water

Directions

Break up the turkey carcass and place the pieces in a heavy 4-quart saucepan or stockpot. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove the carcass and set aside to cool. Strain the broth and discard the vegetables and seasoning. Remove meat from cooled carcass and reserve for another use.

A Southwest-inspired soup recipe from C.H. Smith of North Charleston.

Makes at least 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups turkey or chicken, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, drained

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 (11-ounce) can Mexican corn (whole kernel with red and green chile peppers)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

For topping:

Sour cream

Shredded Mexican four-cheese blend

Directions

Saute onion in oil for 6 to 7 minutes over medium heat. Add minced garlic clove. Saute 1 minute. Stir in the chopped turkey and the next 7 ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with desired topping and hot biscuits.

Oscar Vick III of Charleston says this recipe freeze well.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

4 cups leftover turkey, diced

1 cup each, diced: red bell pepper, celery, spring onion, ripe tomato, sweet onion and parsley

2 cups uncooked rice

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon each: black pepper, garlic salt, red pepper and onion salt

1/2 pound fried mild bulk sausage, well-drained

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

4 sliced diced, fried applewood smoked bacon

1 Red Delicious apple, cored and diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Over medium heat, blend all ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover and bake for 1 hour, stirring at the end of 30 minutes.

Serve with coleslaw, pickles and a roll.

This recipe was shared by June Griggs of North Charleston.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Enough deboned turkey to generously cover bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish

Leftover drained vegetables such as whole kernel corn, green peas or broccoli

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup turkey or chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

Spray sides of a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Place a generous layer of turkey in bottom of dish. Top with leftover vegetables.

Mix soup and broth and pour over turkey and vegetables.

Mix milk, Bisquick and butter. Pour on top and bake at 350 degrees until crust is golden brown.

Linda Hewitt of Brecksville, Ohio, is the sister of Food Editor Teresa Taylor. She's had this recipe for years and wouldn't miss a chance to make it after Thanksgiving. The recipe originally appeared in the "Southern Heritage Cookbook."

Cook's notes: You may reduce up to half the amount of oil and bacon drippings called for. Frozen butter beans and corn may be substituted for the okra, if preferred.

Turkey Gumbo

Yields 5 quarts

Ingredients

1 turkey carcass

1 gallon water, divided use

4 cups chopped cooked turkey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup bacon drippings

1 cup all-purpose flour

8 ribs celery, chopped

3 large onions, chopped

1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound okra, cleaned and sliced

1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon red pepper

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon firmly packed brown sugar

Hot cooked rice for serving

Directions

Crack turkey carcass. Combine carcass and 3 quarts water in a large stockpot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove carcass from stock and set stock aside.

Remove any meat remaining on bones. Discard bones. Chop meat into bite-size pieces and combine with chopped turkey. Cover and refrigerate.

Combine oil, bacon dripping and flour in large stockpot. Stir until well-blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until roux is the color of a copper penny.

Stir in celery, onion, green pepper, garlic and parsley. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently. Add okra and sausage. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add reserved turkey stock, remaining water, tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce, bacon, salt, hot sauce, red pepper and bay leaves.

Simmer uncovered for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in reserved turkey and cook uncovered an additional 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Stir in lemon juice and brown sugar.

Ladle gumbo over rice and serve immediately.