Turn Leftovers From Thanksgiving Into Dumplings
When you look at a keg of Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s almost impossible to get creative to do anything , anything other than toss them into your mouth in front of an open refrigerator. There’s no shame in playing with a fridge shovel, but breathing new life into the last scum of your meal is as easy as putting together a pack of dumplings skins or wonton wrappers.
Here I am prone to bias: I could eat filled pasta of any kind , from every culinary tradition in the world, every meal every day, until I fell dead and never got sick from them. But even if I didn’t feel it, I still thought the dumplings were the ultimate leftover remedy. Somehow, wrapping a spoonful of tired casserole in a circle of dough is something new and exciting – and literally anything can fit inside the dumpling. Turkey and gravy? A bit obvious, but sure. Puree? Mmm, Thanksgiving dumplings. Filling? Definitely; there is nothing wrong with some hot carb action on the carb. A little bit of everything, pounded into a festive pasta? You’re talking now.
Making dumplings sounds intimidating, but it’s pretty simple: add a heaped teaspoon of filling to the middle of the wrapper, dampen the edges with your finger soaked in water, fold in half, and close tightly with your fingers or a fork. Repetition. If you want to try out more graceful folds , there are tons of videos on YouTube covering different techniques. I lovethis short sweet number from Oregon that features the owners of Wei Wei, one of my favorite places to eat in Portland. (It’s closed now, because of course it is.) Best of all, you can actually have a party out of it: bring your leftovers, queue up for a movie marathon, and ask friends to bring your leftovers, dumpling skins, and booze. … Mix and match toppings as you please, steam or grill to feed the crowd, and send everyone home with their very own bag of dumplings. Honestly, if dumpling gift bags were the favorite gift at parties, I would go to more parties.