Turkey Pie Recipe

By / Food / February 8th, 2012 / 1

Duncan Holmes serves up another of his tasty inventions using leftovers. Yes, I know it’s now quite a bit past Christmas. Some of us have stored those Christmas leftovers in the freezer and are now looking for ways to use them up. Others have postponed their family parties until every family member invited is able to come to the celebration. Perhaps you just miss the taste of a fabulous turkey dinner. Here’s your chance to make something great out of the leftovers.

There are many variations on this recipe. I “harvest” the bite-sized best bits of the bird and make the pies in aluminium pie plates with supplied lids. I bake them and freeze them, writing the instructions for re-heating on the lids. Mass production works well. Vary quantities depending on the size of your leftover turkey!

turkey pie
Serves 6

filling

4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups frozen peas
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 lbs turkey meat
2 cups milk or light cream
Seasonings to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add the flour and whisk until smooth. Increase the heat, add the vegetables, keep whisking, add the stock and meat, and cook another five or so minutes. Add the cream and simmer until cooked through; season to taste with salt, pepper and other tastes as you wish.

pastry

1 cup lard
2 cups flour
1 tbsp vinegar
1 egg
1 tbsp cold water

Mix the lard into the flour until it has the consistency of corn meal. Mix the vinegar, egg and water together with a fork and add to the dry mixture. Bring together in a ball. Roll to match the size of your baking dishes. Line the dish(es) with pastry, add the turkey-vegetable mixture and cover with pastry. Bake in a preheated 400˚F oven about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve, or freeze covered with the lid supplied. To reheat, preheat oven to 300˚F, remove lid and bake for about 30 minutes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Our West Coast wordsmith Duncan Holmes likes to cook all parts of the meal—hot and cold apps for the eyes; big, generous mains, where timing, color and taste come together on sparkling, white plates—and there’s always enough for seconds. But it’s at dessert time when he really shines. Not with precious fancy dancy, but with a melt-in-your-mouth-pastry apple pie. Granny Smiths, of course, and French vanilla ice cream.

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