Repackaged

When we ate the turkey wings I had a feeling that I had made too much...last night it was clear that no one was interested in leftovers so I made a seafood chowder but those turkey wings were still lurking in the fridge.  Tonight we were going to have no choice but to eat the turkey wings so I thought about camouflaging them in a turkey noodle soup. 

That seemed kind of lame, so I tried to think of ways to jazz it up, but beans were the only thing that came to mind.  That's when I remembered that I've been wanting to make a pot pie for ages but wasn't confident that I could do it. 

Pot pie is the ultimate comfort food - I remember how happy I was when the boxes were developed allowing you do cook a pot pie in the microwave in just 13 minutes instead of 45.  However, there's a huge problem with pot pies - sodium.  Of course TJs (my favorite purveyor of frozen food) offers an alternative but the filling isn't quite right and the crust never browns properly - a pot pie is a total disaster if the crust isn't right. 

Tonight I decided to give it a go.  I sauteed onions and celery, cleaned the meat off the bones, and cut the potatoes into smaller cubes.  I added frozen mixed veggies to the saute, simmered in just a little liquid, added the potatoes then made a roux with butter, the gelatinous jus from the turkey, and flour - stirred in the turkey and heavy cream, then added that to the veggies.  I had enough filling for two pot pies. 

There's no comparison between a homemade and a store bought pot pie.  Those turkey wings were recycled into a very satisfying meal - it's amazing what a little pastry packaging can do.