GOT TURKEY?

I froze my leftover turkey and gravy this Thanksgiving (separately, of course) until I could decide what I wanted to do with it. After downloading several different recipes from Epicurious, and consulting several friends, I decided to try this one, since I happened to get some fennel from The Bountiful Sprout this week.

ITALIAN TURKEY, BEAN, AND TOMATO SOUP

 (four servings)

2 cups chopped fresh fennel (can reduce to 1 c., if you're not sure you like fennel)
4 ounces sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped (available in the deli section)
1 lb. cherry tomatoes
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 15-oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup leftover turkey gravy
1 1/2 cups chopped leftover cooked turkey meat
1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I used a sprinkle of dried basil, since all my basil plants are kaput now)

Saute' the fennel and pancetta together in a heavy large pot over high heat until the pancetta begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Using back of fork, crush tomatoes (beware of hot splatter!). Add remaining ingredients (except for fresh basil). Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper.

I served mine with a grating of fresh Pecorino Romano cheese, just because I had some. And it was Italian. And I like cheese.

Easy peasy, fast, and one of the best uses for leftover turkey I've ever tried. Best of all, I still have enough turkey left to try that recipe for Green Chile Turkey Enchiladas that a friend in New Mexico shared with me. That's just gotta be good!