Thanksgiving is many folks’ favorite holiday; what’s not to like? No gifts involved, no divisive religious differences, just togetherness, gratitude, feasting with loved ones. Though returning to the home place can be bitter sweet, spending time with family can also be wonderful. Or a little from column A and a little from column B! We also like to count our blessings, give our attention to gratitude. Unless you are a turkey-hater, in which case we can no longer be friends, sorry, we can agree that we like to feast. We like to gather around a big table which has been covered with traditional food.

Personally, I could eat a whole thanksgiving feast every week. I love turkey and stuffing and butternut squash and green beans and mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin and pecan pies. At our house, leftover turkey is more a coveted commodity than a conundrum. Will there be enough left over for enchiladas, sandwiches, à la king, pot pie, and soup? Even for just the two of us, a 20 pound turkey is called for. Sometimes we end up with a small 12 pounder and fret so much that we get a spare, specifically for the leftover turkey meat. And yes, we are those people with an off-season turkey (or two) in our freezer. I can neither confirm nor deny that we bought a chest freezer just to hold frozen turkeys, bought at prices too good to pass up at holiday time.

Most Thanksgiving days, of course, find us celebrating with family. The more people we add, the more dishes we can rationalize: how about a green salad, roasted Brussels sprouts, that horrible, I mean “delicious” sweet potato casserole with mini marshmallows, wild rice stuffing in addition to the cornbread one, homemade rolls, a couple more pies, a trifle or pumpkin roll? You get the idea. Feasting with a capital, Victorian F.

It’s now possible to purchase an entire Thanksgiving dinner from the supermarket. Nothing but reheating involved. That is certainly one way to go. Suzi and I sometimes fanaticize about going to a fancy hotel for the meal. No one would have to do dishes but no leftover turkey, either. I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner for my beloved housekeepers at the bed and breakfast where we all worked every weekend and every holiday. Though I was nervous about overcooking my turkey, it turned out juicy and delicious and we all felt so thankful that we could still feast though we were all away from home. From then on, I am always game to throw a turkey in the oven, at the slightest provocation. Once you have a cooked turkey on your hands, your protein needs are covered for many days. I adore the concept of planned leftovers, and a cooked turkey resides atop the pyramid of useful ingredients. What fun to create something new and different form a stock of food building blocks. Our post-Thanksgiving tea menu utilizes not only leftover turkey but leftover pie, as well!

Smoked, barbequed, and deep-fried turkeys each have their admirers. Above see a proud proponent of turkey cooked in the trusty Webber kettle barbeque. I find that men like turkeys cooked out-of-doors, generally speaking, of course. I, however, favor a true oven-roasted turkey. When the bird is cooked in the oven, juices and drippings are created which add to the flavor of the turkey gravy, not a small consideration in the whole equation of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. Add stuffing and cranberry sauce to the aforementioned holy trio, and you’ve created a turkey sundae or turkey boat. Classic Thanksgiving leftover magic!
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However, now and then, a slightly less traditional leftover turkey dish is needed. Enter curry and spice, yogurt and herbs. My holiday gift to you all is this layered turkey salad recipe. It is equally welcome at lunch, dinner, or tea time. Our annual autumn tea party may feature mini wide-mouth jars of the colorful salad this year. I hope so. I do love our post-Thanksgiving tea party menu so much that I have a difficult time straying from my tried-and-true menu. Peruse it here: www.myteaplanner.com
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This is a fabulous dish adapted from an old Gourmet magazine recipe originally using a roaster chicken. My friend Louise sent me the clipping, marked with the notation YUM! and a heart. Yum is correct. This is a layered dish comprised of pretty red grapes, turmeric-spiked turkey salad, cool yogurt and herb raita, spiced chickpeas, and sliced almonds. It begs to be showcased in a glass serving dish or trifle bowl. Gourmet originally suggested serving it in glass jars, suitable to take on a picnic. Use mini jars for tea party-sized portions or glass bowls for an indoor dinner. However you serve it, your guests are sure to be happy eating their leftover Thanksgiving turkey in this YUM! dish.

Turkey salad:

• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1 tablespoons minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, nonfat is fine
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 3-4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded cooked turkey

Chickpeas:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Raita:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, nonfat is fine
• 1 English or Persian cucumber, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley or cilantro
• ½ teaspoon salt
• For assembly:
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled

Special equipment: large skillet, wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula, large bowl, small bowl, 1 large glass serving bowl or 4 individual glass serving bowls or 16 ounce wide-mouth Mason jars or 8 smaller glass bowls or jars (The style of glass jar in the photo above are Weck canning jars.)

Serves 4 as luncheon or dinner or 8 as part of a tea menu

1. Curried turkey salad: In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, cook onion, garlic, and ginger in 2 tablespoons oil, stirring occasionally until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry, cumin, and salt. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
2. Turn up heat to medium-high. Stir in tomatoes and continue to stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, and turkey. Cool to room temperature.
3. Chickpeas: In cleaned skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add chickpeas and stir for 1 minute. Add cumin, turmeric, cayenne, ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring to coat chickpeas, until skillet is dry, about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
4. Raita: In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, cucumber, parsley and ½ teaspoon salt.
5. Assemble: Layer grape halves, then turkey salad, then raita, then chickpeas, finishing with almonds on top.

• For my crafty readers, check out this link to the website that connects you to great vintage illustrations, free of charge. It has some wonderfully nostalgic stuff, on many topics. I found the pretty turkey and the cooked game illustrations there. The fall season collection is great!
• https://freevintageillustrations.com/galleries/fall-season/