Thanksgiving leftover recipes: Stuffing cakes, turkey pasta & more

Too much turkey and stuffing overload isn't a problem for those who like Thanksgiving leftovers. Chef Eric LeVine, partner at 317 Main restaurant in Farmingdale, has these recipes for a fresh twist: 

Stuffing Cakes with Roasted Mushrooms

For stuffing cakes:

2 cups leftover stuffing

2 eggs 

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

12 thin slices pancetta

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 

1 tablespoon kosher salt 

6 eggs, at room temperature 

1. Place the stuffing in a large bowl, breaking up any large clumps. Add the eggs and breadcrumbs and stir to combine, making sure all of the stuffing is evenly coated with the eggs.

2. Scoop 1/3 cup of the stuffing into your hands and shape into a patty, about 3-inches wide and 1/2-inch thick. Repeat to make 6 stuffing cakes.

3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook the cakes, two at a time until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining cakes. Loosely cover with foil to keep the cakes warm.

Roasted mushrooms:

1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms

4 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon 

balsamic vinegar

Chopped fresh chives or parsley, for serving (optional)

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

2. Trim and quarter 1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves and add them to the baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat and spread out in a single layer.

3. Roast, tossing halfway through, until the mushrooms are tender and caramelized, 18 to 20 minutes total. Remove from the oven, drizzle with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped fresh chives or parsley

Add roasted mushrooms on top of stuffing cake and top with a fried egg.

Turkey bucatini pasta

2½ teaspoons kosher salt

¾ pound bucatini or gluten-free noodles

½ cup (1 stick) + 2 tablespoons salted butter

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup panko or gluten-free panko

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ teaspoons garlic powder

¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg

½ teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

1½ cups heavy whipping cream, room temperature

2 cups freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

2 cups cubed leftover turkey

¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley, for serving

1. Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water and add 2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the bucatini and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat a small dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a small bowl. In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Transfer the panko to a separate small bowl.

3. Melt the remaining ½ cup of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter begins to sizzle, add the garlic, garlic powder, nutmeg, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Gradually stir in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add the Grana Padano and stir until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the turkey and continue cooking until warmed through.

5. Remove the pan from heat. Add the bucatini and toss to coat.

To serve, divide the pasta among 4 bowls, sprinkle with toasted panko, almonds, and parsley.

Ham croquet recipe

4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 cup whole milk room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour divided

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dry cooking wine (vino seco)

1 pound ground ham* (see note)

2 large eggs room temperature

1 cup bread crumbs (or finely ground saltine crackers)

Vegetable oil for frying

1. In a saucepan, melt butter at medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.

2. Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until it becomes a very thick sauce (a roux).

3. Add in the cooking wine and ground ham to the sauce. Mix together slowly until combined. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Transfer the filling to a bowl. Let it rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (the longer the better). The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with the breading, and fry.

5. Remove the filling from the refrigerator. Form logs from the mixture straight from the fridge. It's OK if they are cold, it will be easier to form the logs this way. You want the logs to be approximately 3" long and 1" wide. If the mixture is sticky as you're making the logs, add bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixture until it's no longer sticky.

6. Continue forming the logs until you have all the croquette logs done then place them back in the fridge to firm up once again, about 30 minutes.**

7. To bread the croquette logs, you want to set up a breading station. In one bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.

8. Remove the logs from the fridge. Dip each croquette log in the egg wash and then coat in breadcrumb/flour mixture. Repeat with each one until they are all breaded. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.

9. In a large pot or pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Fry each croquette until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Don't crowd the pot too much as you are frying. This will help them all get evenly cooked.

Sweet potato risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

3. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.

4. Measure 3½ cups of water. Add ¾ cup at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.

5. Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.

Broccoli casserole frittata

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove (thinly sliced)

3 ½ cups broccoli florets

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Salt

Pepper

8 large eggs

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 1/2 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water, season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook over moderate heat until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 2 minutes; let cool.

2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Stir in the broccoli. Return the skillet to the stovetop and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Pour in the eggs and cook over moderately low heat until set around the edge, 3 minutes. Sprinkle the frittata with the cheese. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the frittata until the center is just set, about 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.