Budget conscious, taste forward A roundup of use-it-up recipes that shop the shelves of your fridge, pantry Homemade
By: Eva Wasney Posted: 2:00 AM CST Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025

Leftover turkey carcass

Leftover turkey meat, chopped

250 ml (1 cup) long grain rice, uncooked

625 ml (2 1/2 cups) carrots, peeled and sliced

625 ml (2 1/2 cups) celery, sliced

125 ml (1/2 cup) onion, diced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Add turkey carcass to a large stock pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer for at least six to eight hours, adding water as needed to keep the carcass covered. The longer you simmer, the thicker your broth will be.

Drain the broth into a large bowl and discard the bones, you should have about 2,000 ml to 2,500 ml (8 to 10 cups) of liquid. At this point, you may want to let the broth cool and become jellied, which makes it easy to skim off the fat. You can also store some of the broth in the fridge or freezer for another use.

Return the broth to the stock pot or a large pot. Add the rice, carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper. Simmer until rice and vegetables are cooked to your preferred doneness. Taste and adjust seasoning (we taste our soup continually because it’s so good).

Serve soup hot with nutty, whole grain bread.

“This recipe truly is an heirloom in our family. Being a thrifty Scot, my grannie never wasted one speck of a turkey after a special occasion dinner. This is how she and my mother taught me how to use the entire bird. As in many recipes that have been passed down, ingredients don’t have exact measurements but rather are estimated and tasted for flavour.

“When I make this soup my family just can’t get enough and it’s always appreciated on a Winnipeg winter day. The aroma that hit your nostrils as you entered from the cold was most welcoming and comforting. You knew you were home.”

— Barb Howie

250 ml (1 cup) whole brown lentils (don’t use split lentils)

190 ml (3/4 cup) rice

190 ml (3/4 cup) olive oil or other neutral tasting oil

2 large onions, peeled, halved and sliced into thin crescents

625 ml (2 1/2 cups) water, plus more for soaking

1 tbsp (15 ml) salt

Black pepper, to taste

10 ml (2 tsp) cumin

1 bay leaf

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) allspice, optional

Rinse lentils and let soak for 15 to 30 minutes.

Rinse rice until the water runs clear, set aside.

Add the oil to a pot and fry the onions, stirring frequently, over medium heat until crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Scoop the crispy onions onto a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the oil.

Drain lentils and add to the pot with the reserved oil. Cover the lentils with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add to the pot rinsed rice, salt, pepper, bay leaf, cumin and allspice, if using. Cover and cook over low until rice is done, 20 minutes or longer if using brown rice.

Remove from the heat and fluff the mixture with a fork.

Serve with crispy onions.

Note: This is traditionally eaten with Greek yogurt or labneh, but tzatziki would also work. Possible additional sides include a tomato and cucumber or green salad with vinaigrette dressing or a variety of pickled vegetables. Acidic and sour flavours go well with this dish.

“Lentils and rice is a peasant dish from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. There are different versions, all dependent upon taste and what is available. Together, the lentils and rice form a complete protein, enhanced by adding yogurt to the dish. It is a frugal and filling one-pot dish. When I make it and eat it, I remember my grandmother cooking this dish for her family, and how much we enjoyed it. The word moujadara means ‘pockmarked,’ which is what the dish looks like with the lentils.”

— Zana Lutfiyya