Christmas Turkey leftovers
This recipe comes from the Rhug Estate head chef, Elliot Knox, adding a Moroccan twist to Christmas Turkey leftovers.
With apricots, flaked almonds and a zingy couscous, It makes a welcome diversion from traditional turkey sandwiches and is another great way to make sure that we can minimise our food waste over the festive period.
Ingredients:
For the turkey & sauce:
- Leftover turkey meat (leg and breast) either flaked or cut into 1cm diced cubes
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 whole diced onions
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 6 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1kg tinned chopped tomatoes
- 50g tomato purée
- 1 bunch fresh chopped mint (half for the sauce, half for the couscous)
- 1 bunch of fresh chopped coriander (half for the sauce half for the couscous)
- 125g dried apricots (halved)
- 85g almonds (flaked and toasted)
- 500ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. clear honey
- 1 small tin of chick peas (drained)
For the zingy couscous:
- 500g dried couscous
- 500ml of chicken stock
- 1 red onion small dice
- 1 red pepper small dice
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- The rest of your chopped mint
- The rest of your chopped coriander
- 50g golden raisins
- 2tbl spoons of olive oil
Method:
Add olive oil to a pan and bring to a medium heat
Add the diced onion and brown it off until caramelised
Add all the dried spices and the garlic to the pan, stir them into the onions and gently warm them through
Stir in tomato puree and the add the chopped tomatoes
Add the chicken stock and let the sauce simmer for a good hour letting the tomatoes and the spices cook out
When your sauce has cooked sufficiently add the honey, chopped apricots, half of the chopped, fresh mint and coriander, and the drained chickpeas
When you are ready to serve add the cooked turkey meat to the sauce ensuring that the meat is heated through sufficiently. Use your judgment on how much sauce you need to add to the amount of meat you have left over (only you will know!)
Toast your almonds on a baking tray either in the oven on 180° or under a grill until golden brown
Serve the tagine and enjoy. Use the toasted, flaked almonds and some of the remaining chopped coriander to garnish the dish. You could also add some of the remaining mint to some yogurt and pomegranate seeds!
For the couscous:
Add olive oil to a pan and soften the red onion and red pepper
In a separate pan bring the chicken stock to the boil
Add the dried couscous to the pan with the pepper and onion in it and stir
Add the golden raisins
Add the boiling hot chicken stock to the couscous pan and stir thoroughly
Remove from the heat and put a lid on the pan letting the residual heat cook the couscous
After 8-10 mins remove the lid and stir in the lemon juice/zest and both the chopped mint and coriander
Season to your liking and serve as an accompaniment to your Moroccan Christmas Turkey Tagine