I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! I love the prep and advance planning as well as the run-up to the big meal, the repeat of the feast the next night, and the “double weekend” effect of having four days off in a row. Like icing on the cake or whipped cream on the pie, the sun came out for us too these last few days, giving us lovely options for taking walks and spending time outside.

If you are still facing turkey leftovers, I recommend this recipe. It’s an adaptation of a chicken stew with kohlrabi that I found in the Victory Garden Cookbook. We decided that we like it made with turkey even better. The savory, mildly curryish flavors are a nice change from the typical dishes three days out from Thanksgiving, and the broth tastes great over cous cous or rice. Kohlrabi is in season, and I was able to pick some up at the Sunday farmer’s market a week or so ago. You can of course use uncooked turkey tenders or chicken thighs and drumsticks for the stew if you are not making it from leftover meat, as I usually do. In that case, just add and brown the uncooked meat after the onions and peppers have sauteed for several minutes and before adding the stock.

Kohlrabi and Turkey Stew

You will need:

• 1-1/2 lbs turkey, shredded or diced
• 1 lb kohlrabies
• 1/2 pound carrots
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (I subbed diced red pepper)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• pinch saffron threads
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable broth
• 2 sprigs parsley

Peel and trim kohlrabies, separating the leaves from the flesh. Leave kohlrabies whole if small; cut into 1-inch chunks if large. Wash and derib the leaves, then cut into ¼ inch strips. (You’ll need 2-3 cups of julienned leaves.) Peel the carrots, and slice diagonally into ½-inch-think pieces.

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and sauté the onions, tomatoes (or peppers), salt and spices for 4-5 minutes.

Add the broth, kohlrabi chunks and parsley. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the carrots, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Finally, add the cooked turkey and kohlrabi leaves and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes longer or until all the vegetables are completely tender.

Serve over brown rice or cous cous.

(Serves 4)

Variation: Double the amount of stock to 1 quart and the dish will work as a very nice soup! I did this by accident because I was halving the original recipe and forgot to halve the chicken stock.