“I have a pretty steady history of turning leftovers from one meal into a completely different cuisine the following day - plus, I hate wasting food – and really, who thinks of ramen and Thanksgiving?! While I have always been a big fan of a traditional turkey dinner, this unconventional recipe idea just came to me and was challenging enough to keep my interest… for two long years before I was able to pull it off! Plus, turkey broth is one of the great secret leftovers of Thanksgiving! There is no better way to fully enjoy the deliciousness of the broth than through a bowl of ramen.”
Recipe by tonya Quinn sanchez
Born in Eugene, OR in 1981
Lives in Sandy, OR
Profession: Marketing & Communications Manager for Organically Grown Company
Leisure: Hiking in the beautiful PNW; cooking but not baking; reading, traveling, gardening, snapping pics, working on my 3 acre property!
Word of the day? Bubble
Childhood cuisine: Eugene hippie healthy with a strong sprinkling of frosted mini wheats
Umi Notes: The main idea here is to use your leftovers from preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal (Turkey, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce) and make them into bowls of ramen. Using leftovers is a huge timesaver and you can make a few things fresh if necessary to round out the dish. The broth alone will astonish you.
Active time: approximately 1 hour | Inactive time: 4 hours | 6 servings
Turkey and vegetable broth:
Leftover turkey carcass, neck, and giblets
Leftover root vegetable scraps: carrots, celery, onion, etc.
2 fresh shallots: left whole, peeled|
Fresh herbs, 2 bunches each: rosemary, sage and thyme
4 cloves garlic, left whole, peeled
Salt to taste
Optional: soy sauce, tamari, or miso
Sweet potato and bread stuffing croquettes:
2 baked sweet potatoes (about 2lbs)
Leftover bread stuffing
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper, pinches
A little flour, optional
A little oil
Delicata squash rings:
1 pound deicata squash
A little oil for frying
Stir-fried green beans and shiitake:
A little oil for frying
1/2 pound green beans
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
A splash apple cider vinegar or fruit juice
Salt & pepper, pinches
Crispy fried shallots:
4 shallots, peeled & thinly sliced
A little oil for frying
Cranberry sauce:
7.5 ounces of fresh cranberries
7 ounces pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 apple, quartered
1 orange or tangerine, peeled
2 ounces walnuts, chopped
2 ounces honey
24 ounces (2 packages) Umi Organic fresh ramen noodles
Leftover turkey meat
Directions
Turkey and vegetable broth:
In a large stock pot, add all ingredients. Add enough water to cover the bird. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Simmer gently for 4 to 6 hours. You could also use a pressure cooker/InstaPot to speed up the process. Once the broth is rich and unctuous, strain all the ingredients and salt to taste. You can also season with soy sauce, tamari or miso to add depth and saltiness. Broth can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to make soup.
Potato and bread stuffing croquettes:
Peel the sweet potatoes. In a medium sized bowl, mash potatoes with a fork. Add equal parts leftover bread stuffing. Add the beaten egg, pinch of salt and pepper, and combine with hands. Shape into 3 inch diameter patties. If the mixture is too wet, add a little flour. Heat your frying pan to medium high heat. Add a little oil and fry croquettes for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from stove onto paper towels or paper bags to soak up the extra oil.
Delicata squash rings:
Slice squash into ½ inch rings. Remove seeds with spoon or paring knife. Heat a frying pan to medium high heat. Add enough oil to cover bottom of skillet and fry squash rings for approximately 15 minutes, turning every few minutes. Remove from stove onto paper towels or paper bags to soak up the extra oil.
Stir-fried green beans and shiitake:
Trim ends off green beans and shiitake mushrooms. Heat your frying pan to medium high heat. Add enough oil to cover bottom of skillet and stir-fry green beans for 4 minutes. Add a splash of the vinegar or fruit juice. Deglaze pan for 1 minute. Add shiitakes, the pinches of salt and pepper, add cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from stove.
Crispy fried shallots:
Heat your frying pan to high heat. Add enough oil to cover bottom of skillet, add your thinly sliced shallots and fry until crispy. Remove from stove.
Cranberry sauce:
Place all items in a blender and pulse! That’s it.
Cook the noodles:
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Tease apart the noodles and drop into the boiling water. Start a timer for 2 minutes. Stir to loosen the noodles. When the timer rings, drain the noodles in the colander and rinse briefly under cold running water. Shake out the water thoroughly.
Assemble your bowls:
Place a portion of Umi noodles into each bowl. Add ingredients to each bowl, working in a circular fashion striving for a balance of color, shape and flavor. Gently ladle bone broth into each bowl. Using a fork or chopsticks, loosen the noodles in the broth. Garnish with a dollop of cranberry sauce and a sprinkle of crispy shallots. Enjoy in your pajamas :)
Photos by Shawn Linehan.
