This daddy of all gumbo packs a fiery kick (and uses your leftovers!)

Gumbo’s Daddy With Chicken, Shrimp and Turkey

Recipe from Gail Jennings, adapted by Melissa Clark

This recipe, adapted from Gail Jennings of North Carolina, is what her family thinks of as the daddy of all gumbos, a thick mix of leftover roast turkey rounded out with plump shrimp, chicken wings and collard greens. Jennings spikes the soup with a mix of curry powder and King’s Pepper, a spice blend that she developed based on a West African recipe. But any chili powder, including cayenne, can be substituted.

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1¼ pound chicken wings
• 1¼ teaspoons fine salt, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon chili powder, such as King’s Pepper, plus more to taste (or use cayenne pepper)
• 3 cups chicken or turkey stock or water, plus more as needed
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chili, seeded (optional)
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1 (15-ounce) can collard greens (with their liquid) or 1 large bunch collard greens, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups chopped or shredded leftover turkey
• 1 to 2 turkey bones (optional)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Cooked rice, for serving

STEPS

1. Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels. Season all over with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon chili powder (or a pinch of cayenne), and set aside.
2. In a blender, combine 1 cup stock or water, tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, chili (if using), curry powder, tomato paste, remaining 1 tablespoon ground chili (or ½ teaspoon cayenne) and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
3. Add oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot but not smoking, add chicken and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. While the oil is still hot, carefully pour the onion-tomato mixture into the pot. Do this slowly as the sauce may splatter. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickens slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the reserved chicken wings, collard greens, turkey, turkey bones (if using), remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and 2 cups stock or water. Cook on simmer, partly covered, until chicken is cooked through and very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. If the gumbo looks dry, add more stock or water.
5. Stir in shrimp and cook until it is just cooked through and opaque, 3 to 5 more minutes. Taste and add more salt and chili powder, if needed. Remove turkey bones and serve gumbo with rice.

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Turkey Barley Soup

Recipe from Cristiana N. de Carvalho, adapted by Melissa Clark

This mellow, velvety soup filled with barley and vegetables is a perfect place for your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Adapted from Cristiana N. de Carvalho of Massachusetts, it’s savory, herby and very warming on a cold winter evening. If you want to make your own stock from the turkey bones, the soup will be even richer. But store-bought stock works just as well and makes this straightforward recipe quick to put together. Brown rice makes an excellent barley substitute, though you may have to add a few minutes to the cooking time.

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch coins
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons fine salt, plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 4 parsley sprigs, plus 1 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts turkey or chicken stock, preferably homemade
• ¾ cup pearled barley
• 2 to 3 cups shredded or chopped leftover turkey
• 1 lemon, halved

STEPS

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high, melt butter, or heat the oil until shimmering. Add carrot, celery and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and sage, and sauté for a minute, until fragrant. Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.
2. Tie the thyme and parsley sprigs and the bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine to make a bouquet garni and add to the pot (or just throw the herbs directly into the pot; you’ll just have to fish them out later).
3. Add stock and barley and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until barley is almost done, about 30 minutes. Add turkey and cook until barley is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes longer.
4. Remove from heat and remove the bouquet garni or herbs. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the soup, and stir in chopped parsley. Taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice, if you like. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges. Garnish soup with more parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.

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Instant Pot Congee

Recipe from Liyan Chen, adapted by Melissa Clark

You can use any leftover roasted meat to flavor this mild, comforting congee, which is delicately seasoned with white pepper. Adapted from Liyan Chen of New Jersey, this recipe is a perfect use for all the bits and pieces of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey (or chicken or duck during the rest of the year). If you’d like to, add the shredded lettuce just before serving so it retains some of its texture. Then garnish the top with any combination of scallions, ginger, soy sauce or chili sauce that pleases you. Note that congee will thicken as it cools, but you can thin it out again with a little water or stock.

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 cups diced roasted duck, chicken or turkey (preferably dark meat), with some of the skin
• 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
• 1½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 cups chopped romaine (optional)
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
• Thinly slivered ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil or chili crisp, for garnish (optional)

STEPS

1. In the pot of an electric pressure cooker, add roasted meat, rice, salt, pepper and 6 cups water. Cover and cook either on the porridge setting or at high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
2. Unseal the pot and check the rice. If it isn’t soft enough for your taste, cook on high pressure for 2 more minutes, then manually release the pressure.
3. Uncover the pot and taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed. If it looks too thick, stir in some more water. Stir in romaine, if using, until it just starts to wilt. Sprinkle scallions on top and serve with any of the other garnishes, if you like.