BLOGS

Still have some of that leftover turkey hanging around? Here's a delicious and simple recipe to use up the last vestiges of Thanksgiving.

Gobbler Cobbler seems an appropriate name for this, because it crosses traditional turkey pot pie with the ease of making a fruit cobbler. The results are definitely easy to gobble up. I can verify that after making the dish a couple nights ago. Piping hot out of the oven with its biscuit-like crust, this makes an attractive, delicious and healthy dish. I had it with a small salad, a dollop of leftover cranberry sauce and a glass of Columbia Crest Two Vines Syrah.

I borrowed this idea from my good friend (and ex-wife) Toby Sonneman, who writes a great food blog that's worth a visit. She put her own spin on a recipe for chicken and vegetable cobbler by Mark Bittman, the New York Times food columnist.

You can use any vegetables you want for this, depending what you have on hand or leftover from those holiday dinners. I even threw in a little leftover stuffing.

I chopped and sauteed in a little olive oil half an onion, a couple carrots, two stalks of celery, a small bell pepper, three large Crimini mushrooms and a clove of garlic.

I added about a teaspoon of thyme and a sprig of rosemary, salt and pepper to the saute before drenching it with a cup and a half of good turkey or chicken stock (canned is fine if you don't have the real thing). I then added a cup of frozen peas. The saute doesn't have to cook very long, about 10 or 12 minutes on medium heat.

Now chop or shred a cup or so of that leftover turkey. You can also cook up a couple chicken thighs or a breast if the turkey is long ago gone. Add that to the saute and pour the entire stew into a large pie plate or oven-proof deep dish. You can add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch if the slurry needs to be thickened.

The cobbler crust is very simple, similar to a fruit cobbler crust but without the sugar. Follow Bittman's recipe or just combine a cup of flour, a scant teaspoon of baking powder and two or three tablespoons of butter in a separate bowl or food processor.

Quickly cut the butter into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter, or a few pulses of the food processor. Add a half-cup of buttermilk and one egg and mix until you have a gooey, sticky mess in your bowl.

Now spoon that on top of the vegetables and turkey in the pie pan. Smooth out the top, but leave some air holes. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until the crust in nicely browned and the vegetables are bubbling.

It will be difficult, but try to wait a few minutes before eating so you don't burn your mouth.

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