Keep on gobbling turkey

If you are roasting a turkey for today's feast, then you have one more thing to be thankful for: You are more than halfway to several other easy meals over the next few days.

Today, most of us sit down to eat turkey cooked as we imagine it was done in Plymouth at the meal shared by Pilgrims and the native Wampanoag.

But tomorrow, with spices and cooking methods from a few other cultures, you can give this leftover savory meat a whole new identity.

Shredded or sliced, cooked turkey makes a great filling for Southwestern enchiladas, burritos, or tacos. The deep flavor is also exceptional when paired with Asian spices and seasonings. For those (such as my mother) who can't abide re-warmed turkey, the tender meat is perfect cold as an addition to a light but hearty seasonally appropriate Turkey Waldorf Salad with crunchy apples, celery, and walnuts.

But the most valuable prize that comes with a roasting bird is the chance to make a rich and useful stock. Strong, flavorful turkey broth makes a great base for noodle soups, stews, fricassees, gravies, risottos, and pot pies.

I find the easiest way to carve and serve turkey also allows a turkey stock to be simmering away before dessert is served.

After your turkey is cooked and has rested out of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, set it on a large cutting board. Remove any stuffing to a lidded bowl. Have a warm platter ready. With a sharp boning knife, cut through each thigh joint and remove the thighs and legs from the roasted bird. Remove the skin if you desire, and slice this dark meat from the bones (or just split each thigh from its drumstick if serving on the bone). Slice along each side of the breastbone and remove each side of the breast as one large piece. Lay the breast meat on a cutting board, and slice across the grain. Cut through the joint in the wings and remove. Cut or pull the meat away from the bones, or serve the wings bone-in.

Then, examine the remaining carcass and slice or pry off any good pieces of meat left along the back or sides. Carving your turkey in the kitchen is a little less showy than doing it at the table, but much more practical.

You now have a carcass and many loose bones that can be placed directly into a stockpot. Cover with cold water, add a few stalks of chopped celery, a few chopped carrots, several onions quartered, and a head of garlic halved.

While you're at it (or after dinner) add a bay leaf, a few stalks of thyme, and some whole peppercorns. Plan ahead as you cook, and save tops and scraps to a bag and just dump these flavorful additions right into your stockpot. (The ends and peels of winter squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, apples, parsley ends, fennel and leek tops all add great flavors, nutrients, and color to broth.)

Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook for several hours or overnight. Have the basic vegetables ready ahead and, rather than finding room to store your carcass in an already overstuffed refrigerator, you are well on your way to your next delicious dish before this year's Thanksgiving feast is even digested.

Turkey Enchiladas With Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

Makes 4 servings

2 cups shredded roast

   turkey

2 green onions, including

   tender green tops, thinly

   sliced

3 tablespoons cream cheese,

   at room temperature

11/3 cups (51/2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack

   cheese

2 cans (7 ounces each) salsa

   verde, or 1 can (13 ounc-      es) tomatillos, drained