Thanksgiving Leftovers: Black Bean Turkey Pot Pies and 5-Spice Cranberry Sauce

The Pilgrams were fortunate. They didn’t have access to Asian food, and therefore didn’t experience the withdrawal symptoms that yours truly has been subjected to thanks to the onset of Thanksgiving.  We have just concluded 5 days of family entertainment, culminating in the traditional annual celebration of white person food. My dairy consumption is off the charts, and this morning’s blood test revealed a soy sauce level that is dangerously low.  I have grown two inches taller, and have developed a Minnesota-shaped rash on my right arm.  Coincidence? I think not.

Yet there is an issue of leftovers that must be resolved. Since my cookbooks have more to say about pickled mustard greens than mashed potatoes or turkey, I must find a way to transform the pounds and pounds of leftover Thanksgiving food into something Asian-y. 

Update: Zao Jun the Kitchen God has smiled on me today and helped me to create damn good Asian Turkey Pot Pies. Google doesn’t turn anything up in this particular category, so perhaps we’re starting something here. This made a dent in the leftover turkey, gravy, veggies, biscuits, AND cranberries. Thanks to all the cooking that actually took place on Thanksgiving day, this was an easy 10 minute assembly. There is real heat in the cranberry sauce, so add cayenne and taste as you go, yo.  

Black Bean Turkey Pot Pies and Five-Spice Cranberry Sauce

Pot Pie

1 can Pillsbury or other oven-bake biscuits

1 cup green beans, cut to ¼ inch dice, or 1 cup peas

1 cup mushrooms, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup cooked turkey, diced

1 T fresh ginger, grated or finely diced

2 large garlic cloves, diced

1 ½ cup brown, mushroom, or turkey gravy

1 ½ tsp black bean sauce

1 T vegetable oil              

Soy Sauce

Preheat over according to directions on can o’ biscuits. Grease 8 muffin tins.

In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté until they start to soften. Add garlic and ginger, sauté 1 minute. Add beans and mushrooms, cook 2 minutes or until just starting to soften – leave them al dente. Add turkey and gravy and remove pan from heat. (Unless you are Emeril or Oprah, that turkey is probably already dry, so don't cook it anymore, for pete's sake.) Stir black bean sauce in and mix all to combine.    

Roll each biscuit into large, thin rounds between two pieces of wax paper. Place one into each muffin tin, with the edges folded out like flower petals. Fill each cup with pie filling, and fold edges of dough in toward the center. Filling will not be completely covered – just make sure the edges of the dough don’t creep back down into the cup.

Bake according to directions on biscuit can, or just remove from the oven when they look ready to be bitten.

Serve with soy sauce to drizzle, ma nizzle.

Cranberry Sauce

½ cup leftover cranberry sauce

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

Mix all to combine well. Serve alongside pot pies