Beans and Turkey Wings
This dish evolved when I had a good-sized holiday turkey left in the refrigerator. Somehow no one ever wants the wings. They’re too big to gnaw on politely at the table, and the meat is hard to carve delicately into slices for sandwiches later. So they sit in the fridge, getting drier each day. But don’t let that happen, because they make very good eating for one or two when they are properly reconstituted. And I found that well-flavored dried beans did the trick.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the beans in water to cover for 8–10 hours—overnight or during the workday, or use the quick-soak method in the preceding recipe, whatever is convenient. To cook, drain them and put them in a small heavy pot along with the onion, garlic, carrot, and parsley stems. Pour in enough water to cover by 1 1/2 inches, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, and simmer, covered, for almost 1 hour, but taste after 50 minutes to see if they are tender. At this point, arrange the wings in a one-serving gratin dish, cover with foil, and set in a preheated 375° oven. Give them a 10-minute start to warm up, then cover them with the beans and their aromatic vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper, and pour over them whatever small amount of bean juice you have left, fortified, if at all possible, with a little leftover gravy, or with one of the suggested substitutes. Make a loose cover of tented foil, and bake in the 375° oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle some parsley on top.
Variations
Step 2
You could use almost any kind of fowl, such as roast duck or goose wings, or some roast or braised meat. A few slices of cooked sausage are good, too.
