We all love those turkey sandwiches, hot or cold, that follow the Thanksgiving feast. But often, there seems to be enough leftover turkey to feed an army. When sandwiches grow boring, I often turn to other, perhaps more inspiring dishes.
A paella is one solution. The traditional Spanish version includes seafood, sausage and chicken nestled in saffron rice. Here, I’ve speeded up the process by eliminating the sausage and seafood and using leftover turkey (or chicken, if you like).
Menu
Turkey and olive `paella’
Orange-watercress salad
Garlic toast
Vanilla yogurt with berries
Albarino wine
Tips
Add other leftover meats or seafood, if you like.
Use any leftover vegetables in place of peas.
Purchase chopped onions and peppers in the produce aisles.
Turkey and olive `paella’
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This is not a real paella, but it is similar. I love to use the Spanish smoked paprika (pimeton; available in specialty or spice shops) for dishes like this. But Hungarian or regular paprika works well too. Look for chopped onions and peppers in the supermarket’s produce aisle.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carton (7 ounces) chopped onions and bell peppers
1 1/2 cups short-grain rice
1 teaspoon smoked, hot or sweet paprika
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, optional
Freshly ground pepper
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups diced leftover turkey or chicken
1 jar (7 1/2 ounces) pitted Spanish green olives, coarsely chopped
1 cup leftover peas, chopped green beans or other vegetable, optional
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add onions and peppers. Cook, stirring, until lightly colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in rice and paprika; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chicken broth, salt, saffron and black pepper to taste. Heat to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until rice is almost tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Spoon rice mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Stir in tomatoes, turkey, olives and peas. Bake until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle each portion with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
354 calories, 29% of calories from fat, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 38 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 1,683 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
