This was always the traditional left-over-turkey dish that was made in our home on Boxing Day. Mom would make Boxing Day turkey rice in the turkey roaster and it would fill the kitchen for a second time with the rich smell of roast turkey, stuffing, and sage.

Boxing Day is December 26th, the day after Christmas. It stems from the British tradition, followed in Canada, of giving gifts to the poor after Christmas (perhaps in the form of leftover food, I’ve always thought…just like this turkey rice made of all the table leftovers from our Christmas meal)

Ingredients

• Shredded left-over Christmas turkey meat
• Left-over turkey stuffing, crumbled or cut into small pieces
• Left-over Christmas dinner vegetables, diced or chopped
• 1 can kernel corn
• 3 carrots, cubed
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 5 chicken livers, chopped (optional)
• 1 T sage
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 2 tsp salt
• Rice (2-1 liquid-to-rice ratio )
• Turkey broth from bones, plus left-over gravy
• Water as needed

Preparing Boxing Day Turkey Rice

Remove meat from turkey bones. Boil up bones until a good broth is formed, the longer, the better.

In a large roasting pan, combine all ingredients except broth and rice. Measure out enough liquid (gravy mixed with turkey broth and, if necessary, extra water) to cover all ingredients in pan well. Add rice at a 2-1 ratio and stir it all together.

Cover with foil and place in a 350ºF oven. Bake for about 1-1/4 hours or until most of liquid is absorbed, then uncover and bake more (up to about 2 hours) until the top of rice is crusty and brown.