This risotto turned out out better than the turkey itself, which was really good—the best leftover dish I’ve ever tried.
This is an adaptation of four recipes: brine, turkey, stock, and risotto. Adjust based on your own preferences and available ingredients.
Brine and Cook: Use this basic Apple Brine for Turkey with a ~3–4 hour cook at temperature, depending on size. I brined for 20 hours, and air dried for 7. A full brine is important for both the cook and flavoring the stock. Cook until the thigh is 170℉.
Carve the turkey, set aside the nearly cleaned carcass, and enjoy the meal. Save a cup or two of turkey meat, both light and dark, for the risotto.
The stock and risotto are adaptations from the New Basics cookbook.
Berta’s Chicken Stock:
Adjust this depending on the size of the bird and the available ingredients.
1 brined smoked turkey carcass
4–8 quarts water
Omit salt
2–3 quartered onions
4–6 ribs celery or fennel or leaks
Fresh dill sprigs
4–6 carrots
3–4 parsnips
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Break up the turkey carcass and put into a large pot. Add water until covered. Cover pot and bring to boil. Skim any foam (I never saw any with a pre-smoked carcass). Add the onions, celery, and other stalky vegetables. Simmer covered for an hour-ish. Add the peeled carrots and peeled parsnips. Simmer uncovered for another half-hour to hour or so and reduce the volume to your desired concentration. Turn off the heat, remove and discard the carcass and all solid ingredients. Strain the stock into a bowel and let cool. Refrigerate for a day to a few days until you’re ready for another turkey meal.
Smoked Turkey and Mushroom Risotto (adapted from Risotto Milanese):
I used this recipe with 3 quarts of reduced stock:
~3 quarts reduced smoked turkey stock
1–2 C chopped smoked turkey
3 medium–large onions, chopped
5 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls canola or olive oil (high heat)
3 C Arborio rice
2 C dry white wine
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1–1.5 lbs crimini or white mushrooms
Several sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped fine
Heat 1–2 Tbls canola or olive oil a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and stir fry at temperature until they’ve given off all their water are thoroughly cooked. Turn off heat, stir in the smoked turkey meat and rosemary, and set aside.
Add wine and dried mushrooms to a small saucepan, bring to boil, then turn off heat and set aside.
Boil the stock in a large pot, then reduce heat to a simmer.
This is the crucial part. Just follow what Russo and Lukins say about mastering perfect risotto (link above on page 154). If you do, yours will be perfect too.
In a large pot, preferably with a thick base, heat the oil and sautee the onions at lowish but sizzling heat for 5 minutes. Remember, good olive oil doesn’t want high heat. Add the unrinsed rice and sautee for another 3 minutes. The sautéed rice will be slightly translucent.
Now add the hot stock to the rice one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. This requires near constant, regular stirring at medium-ish heat.
After half the stock has been added, add the wine, all mushrooms, the smoked turkey, and the rosemary. Stir until the rice is ready for moisture from the remaining stock. Continue adding stock one cup at a time, stirring. When done, the risotto will be creamy and the rice will be al dente. Test after 15 minutes and cook to your own preference. The entire cooking time for the rice should be 25–30 minutes.
You should not need to add any salt, which will come from the brined carcass and the brined turkey meat. Season with pepper.
Serve the risotto hot hot hot in a round globe in a bowl so that it retains its heat. Eat the cooler bits from the edges., not the too-hot center.
I love Parmesan with my risotto, but did not garnish this dish with any because the strong smokey flavor deserves to stand on its own, and because this dish is sufficiently salted without adding anything else.
This is an adaptation of four recipes: brine, turkey, stock, and risotto. Adjust based on your own preferences and available ingredients.
Brine and Cook: Use this basic Apple Brine for Turkey with a ~3–4 hour cook at temperature, depending on size. I brined for 20 hours, and air dried for 7. A full brine is important for both the cook and flavoring the stock. Cook until the thigh is 170℉.
Carve the turkey, set aside the nearly cleaned carcass, and enjoy the meal. Save a cup or two of turkey meat, both light and dark, for the risotto.
The stock and risotto are adaptations from the New Basics cookbook.
Berta’s Chicken Stock:
Adjust this depending on the size of the bird and the available ingredients.
1 brined smoked turkey carcass
4–8 quarts water
Omit salt
2–3 quartered onions
4–6 ribs celery or fennel or leaks
Fresh dill sprigs
4–6 carrots
3–4 parsnips
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Break up the turkey carcass and put into a large pot. Add water until covered. Cover pot and bring to boil. Skim any foam (I never saw any with a pre-smoked carcass). Add the onions, celery, and other stalky vegetables. Simmer covered for an hour-ish. Add the peeled carrots and peeled parsnips. Simmer uncovered for another half-hour to hour or so and reduce the volume to your desired concentration. Turn off the heat, remove and discard the carcass and all solid ingredients. Strain the stock into a bowel and let cool. Refrigerate for a day to a few days until you’re ready for another turkey meal.
Smoked Turkey and Mushroom Risotto (adapted from Risotto Milanese):
I used this recipe with 3 quarts of reduced stock:
~3 quarts reduced smoked turkey stock
1–2 C chopped smoked turkey
3 medium–large onions, chopped
5 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls canola or olive oil (high heat)
3 C Arborio rice
2 C dry white wine
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1–1.5 lbs crimini or white mushrooms
Several sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped fine
Heat 1–2 Tbls canola or olive oil a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and stir fry at temperature until they’ve given off all their water are thoroughly cooked. Turn off heat, stir in the smoked turkey meat and rosemary, and set aside.
Add wine and dried mushrooms to a small saucepan, bring to boil, then turn off heat and set aside.
Boil the stock in a large pot, then reduce heat to a simmer.
This is the crucial part. Just follow what Russo and Lukins say about mastering perfect risotto (link above on page 154). If you do, yours will be perfect too.
In a large pot, preferably with a thick base, heat the oil and sautee the onions at lowish but sizzling heat for 5 minutes. Remember, good olive oil doesn’t want high heat. Add the unrinsed rice and sautee for another 3 minutes. The sautéed rice will be slightly translucent.
Now add the hot stock to the rice one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. This requires near constant, regular stirring at medium-ish heat.
After half the stock has been added, add the wine, all mushrooms, the smoked turkey, and the rosemary. Stir until the rice is ready for moisture from the remaining stock. Continue adding stock one cup at a time, stirring. When done, the risotto will be creamy and the rice will be al dente. Test after 15 minutes and cook to your own preference. The entire cooking time for the rice should be 25–30 minutes.
You should not need to add any salt, which will come from the brined carcass and the brined turkey meat. Season with pepper.
Serve the risotto hot hot hot in a round globe in a bowl so that it retains its heat. Eat the cooler bits from the edges., not the too-hot center.
I love Parmesan with my risotto, but did not garnish this dish with any because the strong smokey flavor deserves to stand on its own, and because this dish is sufficiently salted without adding anything else.
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