Tuesday Turkey Pot Pie

Stage two of Sunday's turkey dinner is Tuesday's turkey pot pie.  There's no trick to my version of it other than making sure there is plenty of creamy gravy in the pie.  On Sunday, I removed the rest of the meat from the turkey and cut the bones into quarters.  Today, I made a stock from the bones, some chopped celery, and half an onion.  I let the stock simmer for 2 hours and then reduced by almost half by boiling the stock rapidly until it became opaque in color and concentrated in flavor.  After straining out the solids,  this produced maybe 2 1/2 cups of stock.

Saute in butter, 1 chopped onion, 2 carrots, and 3 ribs of celery.  Season with salt and pepper.  Once the onions are softened, add in a sprinkle of thyme and the left over turkey.  I had one side of the breast and a few other smaller pieces which I cut into 3/4 inch squares.   Add 1/4 cup of flour and cook for a bit longer.  Then deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of vermouth and add in the stock to mix well.  The creamy part comes from the 1/4 cup of cream I added.  Let come to a boil and simmer covered for about 10 minutes more.  Check for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.  Remove from heat and let cool down a bit before placing into individual dishes.  Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.  

About an hour before you are ready to eat, take the pies out of the fridge.  Using prepared puff pastry, cut squares to fit over the top of the dishes.  My favorite prepared puff pastry is from Big Johns Pacific Food Imports.  Buy the sheets made with butter and while you're down there, check out all the other wonderful items they carry, including a large variety of cheeses and olives at great prices.  Brush the pastry with a little melted butter and place in oven to bake at 400f until the pastry is puffed and golden.  About 40 minutes.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Every last bit of that turkey got used.... even the bits I removed from the bones after making the stock.  Pacino got a little turkey treat.  As for the pot pie?  Creamy, crispy yumminess!