As has been my habit in the Thanksgiving issue of the Star, I am again offering a suggestion for the remains of the big bird. Chances are, by the time you read this, much of the white meat, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, mince, or apple pies will have been consumed and you will be contemplating some sort of tetrazzini or a la king.
Consider this: take what you have of your turkey (a bird that is often stuffed) and use it to stuff a moussaka (a dish often served in Turkey). Not only will you be stretching the turkey since the moussaka requires a mere two cups of it and will feed four to six, but I will also be stretching the point because the particular type of moussaka is rather more Greek than Turkish. Enough of this nonsense and on with the recipe.
Turkey Moussaka
A 1 1/2 lb. eggplant
Salt
Olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cups finely chopped cooked turkey (either white or dark meat)
1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
3 Tbsp. pine nuts
2 Tbsp. currants
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup turkey or chicken stock
2 Tbsp. dry vermouth
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
Freshly ground white pepper
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Trim ends from the eggplant and slice crosswise into half-inch thick slices. Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with salt and weight with another platter. Set aside for 30 minutes. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and brushing the foil with olive oil.
Heat three tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute until soft but not brown. Stir in the mushrooms and continue cooking over medium heat until most of the mush? room liquid has evaporated. Stir in garlic and add turkey. Add the dill, pine nuts, currants, oregano, cinnamon, stock, and vermouth. Simmer for five minutes.
Combine yogurt and tomato paste and stir in, simmer gently for another few minutes and taste for seasoning. Add about half a teaspoon of salt and some pepper (gentle on the pepper). Set this mixture aside. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Season with three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Remove from heat and cover by placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface, to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside.
Preheat broiler. Rinse and dry eggplant slices and arrange them on the foil-lined baking sheet. Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil. Broil until lightly browned, turning them once. Remove from broiler. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Congratulations! You have completed the preparation of the various parts of this dish. Now it is assembly time. (You really needed a production like this for just after Thanksgiving, didn’t you?
Lightly oil a nine-inch square baking pan (or other pan of roughly 90 square inches, one and a half to two inches deep). Closely arrange a layer of eggplant slices in the baking pan. Cover with the turkey mixture. Sprinkle with two tablespoons grated cheese and top with a layer of remaining eggplant. Spoon sauce over the eggplant, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Allow to sit at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving, or serve at room temperature. Serves four to six.
NOTE: This dish may be frozen, completely baked. Bake it in a disposable foil pan for convenient freezing. Defrost at room temperature and then bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or bake frozen for about one hour, 10 minutes.
