Now listen up! I can guarantee you have never seen Thanksgiving leftovers prepared this way, and I can’t wait to share this family tradition with you. Since I first met Bill and his family about 30 years ago, we have always eaten Thanksgiving Turkey Congee for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.
We ate this congee for breakfast again this morning, just like every morning since Thanksgiving.
USE YOUR LEFTOVERÂ TURKEY CARCASS!
When the holiday turkey is gone, the carcass usually gets thrown away. Better investors buy into it. The brightest cook congee. Yep. It came from our mouths!
This rice congee is so outrageously delicious that you should prepare it even if you don’t have any other intentions for your turkey carcass. I’m more excited about it than the turkey.
That’s not what I’m saying. Our turkey is the greatest I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had a lot of turkey in my life. Thus, I like this turkey congee. But of course, I say that.
Did I mention that it’s also ridiculously simple to make? It is.
The nicest part is that you may use only the bones and vegetables from the bottom of the roasting pan as leftovers.
The leftover turkey can be used in sandwiches, pot pies, or any other way you like.
It’s important to emphasize that after everything is done, not a single scrap will be discarded. You should squeeze every last drop of goodness from that bird!
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 cups of water
- 1 cup of white rice
- chopped scallion
- chopped cilantro
- Salt
- white pepper
- leftover turkey carcass
- all the vegetables (celery, carrots, onions) at the bottom of your roasting pan
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Put the turkey carcass and all the vegetables in a large stock pot. Put the rice and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook at low heat for 90 minutes. Get out the tongs and get rid of the bones and whatever.
- Salt, white pepper, and scallion or cilantro for garnish.
- This is the standard procedure at this point. However, there is another way to achieve a silkier congee texture. The rice can be added later; the stock pot should be filled with the carcass, veggies, and water first.
- Low boil for 2 hours to get a flavorful stock.
- You should filter the stock into a new saucepan after removing any large bones. When the water boil, add the rice and continue cooking at a low simmer for another 90 minutes.
- Mix in some shredded turkey from the leftovers, season with salt and pepper, and serve with scallions and cilantro on top.