CrustlessTurkey Pot Pie

When I was growing up, my mother would make this dish from The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook called Turkey Dish for Ladies’ Aid Society. The recipe was simple: saute vegetables (onions, green peppers, mushrooms, celery), add flour and broth to make a thickened sauce, and then mix in some cubed leftover turkey (or chicken) and peas. The original recipe called for serving the mixture over toast (kind of like pot pie, but with toast as a crust). My mother served it over rice like chop suey (which I remember my mom making basically the same way, but with the addition of soy sauce, bean sprouts, and water chestnuts.

In the cookbook, the recipe followed another for roast turkey, which offered the following observation: “I’m very lucky, because twice a year, if I need the excuse, I can have turkey for a regular Thanksgiving meal. Once for Sukkoth and once for Thanksgiving.”

If you have turkey leftover from Sukkot–maybe you threw it in the freezer–this is a perfect use for it (and it works with defrosted frozen turkey).

Crustless Turkey Pot Pie
Adapted from Turkey Dish for Ladies’ Aid Society from The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook

4 tbl. olive oil (original recipe called for shortening)
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I didn’t have, but would have added if I had them)
(1 carrot, sliced)
2 stalks celery, sliced (or minced)
2 Tbl. flour (Wondra works well here, but is not necessary)
1 1/2 cups broth (or use water and increase seasonings–I added a pinch or two of poultry seasoning)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups diced cooked turkey (or chicken)
1 cup peas
2 Tbl. chopped parsley (I  left out)
6 slices toast (I left out)

Saute the vegetables in the oil for fifteen minutes, stirring often, until the liquid evaporates. Stir in the flour and let it cook a bit (the original recipe says to let it brown, but I just cook it enough to take off the raw taste and get a golden color). Add the broth and bring to a boil, stirring. Season with salt and pepper (I also added a pinch of poultry seasoning). The sauce should thicken nicely. Mix in the turkey and peas (and parsley if using) and heat over low for ten minutes to heat through.

The original recipe says to serve over toast, but my family always served this over rice.

Vegan version: use seitan strips (works perfectly).

The very charming and useful Molly Goldberg cookbook, by the way, was a product of a partnership between the creator of the television program, Gertrude Berg, and prolific cookbook author Myra Waldo. Well known in her time, she has fallen into obscurity. For an in-depth post about Myra Waldo and a copy of her obituary (she passed away in 2004), take a look at Sandy’s post.

Tags: chicken pot pie, Chop Suey, Holiday Leftovers, pot pie, Thanksgiving, Turkey, turkey pot pie