If Thanksgiving is a day for cooking then Friday is a day for leftovers. And that’s great news. You’ve done more than your fair share of cooking (how did you manage to fit everything into the oven?), located the turkey platter, and somehow figured out how to get all the leftovers wedged into the refrigerator.

 So now is the time to pop your feet up and binge watch a box set or two. The elephant – or in this case the poultry – in the room is the turkey. First thing we do, is strip the carcass bare of any meat. Pop the bones into a large stock pot, add a bay leaf, some peppercorns, chopped celery, carrots, and onion and top with water. Cook over low heat for several hours, strain, and refrigerate. Skim off any fat from the top and either turn into soup or freeze for a winter day.

For the turkey meat? We love to make a turkey pie with a layer of turkey meat, tossed in red chile sauce, topped with beans and then some crumbled goat’s cheese. Top it off with your choice of fried tortilla strips, diced avocado, green onions or a healthy dollop of sour cream.

As for the chile sauce, make it from scratch with our red chile pods (there’s a recipe on the pack or try our award-winning recipe) or our red chile powder. Relax, enjoy and give thanks for leftovers.

Note: this makes enough for 2 or 3 hungry people but feel free to double or triple the recipe.

1 onion, diced,
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
2 heaping cupfuls of chopped turkey meat, about 12 oz.
¾ cup red chile sauce, plus extra for serving
1-14oz. can of black beans or pinto beans, drained
2 ¼ oz soft goat’s cheese (about ½ a small log)
Salt

To garnish (optional):

Fried tortilla strips
Chopped spring onions
Chopped avocado
Sour cream
Red chile sauceChopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350°F

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and sauté until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cumin and heat for another minute or two. Add the turkey meat, stir to combine then pour over the red chile sauce. The sauce should coat the turkey meat so add a bit more if needed. Taste and add a generous sprinkle of salt as needed.

Remove from the heat and place the red chile turkey into the base of a pie or quiche pan. Top with the beans. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the top and place in the hot oven. Heat for about 15 minutes or until everything is hot and the goat’s cheese soft and melting.

Serve with your choice of garnishes on the side.