Anyone who has ever stepped foot into a kitchen is familiar with the name Julia Child. Child, a renowned chef, and TV personality grew up during the Depression, so she was quite familiar with making food items stretch. And while these days many of us frown at eating leftovers, Child was able to take them and create an entirely new dish.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, many households will utilize their leftover turkey in sandwiches and soups, and thanks to Child, we have found a new way to stretch that turkey left behind.

Child created stuffed cabbage with leftover turkey and sausage. To some, this may not sound like something you want to cook, but when you add protein and other savory vegetables to cabbage and bake it in the oven it transforms itself into a delicious meal.

Interestingly enough, this dish uses the products of the four main animal proteins that most of us are accustomed to. There is turkey, but there is also the sausage. This particular recipe calls for the casings to be removed from the sausage, but this would be easily remedied by using sausage without the casings. It also calls for beef stock, eggs, and salt pork. Beyond what we might consider normal spices for a savory dish, she also added in allspice which most of us recognize as a spice used in pumpkin pie. Odd, yes, but sometimes the least likely ingredient transforms a dish and offers that missing link in the flavor profile.

So, before you decide that there is no way you will stray from your leftover turkey sandwich or soup, give this chefinspired recipe a chance. You will end your meal with her famous words “Bon Appétit.”

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds of cabbage 4 cups of turkey (leftover) 1 ½ cups sausage (casings removed) 2 eggs 3 cups of beef stock 6 ounces lean salt pork (1/4 in. in thickness-you will need 12 slices) 2 cups finely minced onions 1 medium onion thinly sliced 1 medium carrot thinly sliced 2 cups crushed tomatoes ½ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper ¾ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon allspice 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

*For this recipe you will need to prepare an oven safe bowl about 3 quarts in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Get your cabbage and peel and separate the leaves.

Blanch, rinse and dry your salt pork.

Sauté the minced onions in olive oil and butter, then divide leaving ¼ of them for the sauce.

In the olive oil, gently brown the thinly sliced onions and carrots and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the meats, minced onions, and seasonings, adding a few tablespoons of the stock, and continue to mix until well blended.

In your oven-safe bowl, layer the salt pork on the bottom followed by the sliced carrots and onions.

Cover the sides and the bottom with cabbage leaves.

Add the meat stuffing mixture in a half-inch thick layer, repeating with cabbage leaves and stuffing until there is at least ½ an inch left at the top of the bowl.

Place the bowl on a pan and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for two more hours.

Add stock to the stuffed cabbage from time to time if it looks as though it is drying out.

While cabbage is baking, prepare the sauce by simmering the tomatoes and minced onions for about 10 minutes.

Once the cabbage is done, remove it along with the salt pork from the oven, drain the juice, and add a cup of the juice to the sauce mixture.

Remove the pork from the bowl and sauté it for garnishing.

Serve the cabbage with the sauce and pork garnish.