Turkey Parson ?

[Graham]

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727

It's what we do with a lot of left over meat, we very, very rarely
waste any. If there's a lot left over from a Sunday joint we have a
repeat (réchauffé) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise and/or if
there's only a little left over it's made into a curry, we have a
useful supply of one or two person sized curries in the freezer! :-)

I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.
Graham

[Malcolm Loades]

Post by Graham
I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.
Graham

Out of curiosity, do you eat cold cooked meat?

For me I almost prefer rare, cold roast beef with rosemary fried
potatoes to a hot roast beef dinner. Also cold roast gammon, egg and chips.

Malcolm

[Judith in France]

Post by Malcolm Loades

Post by Graham
I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.
Graham

Out of curiosity, do you eat cold cooked meat?
For me I almost prefer rare, cold roast beef with rosemary fried
potatoes to a hot roast beef dinner. Also cold roast gammon, egg and chips.
Malcolm

Yum!

[Judith in France]

Post by Malcolm Loades

Post by Graham
I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.
Graham

Out of curiosity, do you eat cold cooked meat?
For me I almost prefer rare, cold roast beef with rosemary fried
potatoes to a hot roast beef dinner. Also cold roast gammon, egg and chips.
Malcolm

Yum!

I must change my name, I am no longer in France, I came back 4 years ago when I was widowed.

[Malcolm Loades]

Post by Judith in France
I must change my name, I am no longer in France, I came back 4 years ago when I was widowed.

Nice to see you still have access to usenet. No problem with 'in
France', change it later if it's easy for you.

Let's hope this small revival of uk.food+drink.misc isn't just a last gasp!

Malcolm

[Judith in France]

Post by Judith in France
I must change my name, I am no longer in France, I came back 4 years ago when I was widowed.

Nice to see you still have access to usenet. No problem with 'in
France', change it later if it's easy for you.
Let's hope this small revival of uk.food+drink.misc isn't just a last gasp!
Malcolm

I hope it returns I got a lot of great advice and interaction on this site.

[Chris Green]

Post by Graham

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727

It's what we do with a lot of left over meat, we very, very rarely
waste any. If there's a lot left over from a Sunday joint we have a
repeat (réchauffé) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise and/or if
there's only a little left over it's made into a curry, we have a
useful supply of one or two person sized curries in the freezer! :-)

I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.

Weird, I doubt if I can tell the difference and curries need a good
long guggle anyway. We do this to all sorts of meat, lamb (usually
shoulder), beef (not very often), pork (often at the moment as it's so
cheap), chicken (quite often). I think the lamb *does* taste a little
different second time around but different most certainly isn't worse,
just different.

[Brian]

Post by Chris Green

Post by Graham

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727

It's what we do with a lot of left over meat, we very, very rarely
waste any. If there's a lot left over from a Sunday joint we have a
repeat (réchauffé) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise and/or if
there's only a little left over it's made into a curry, we have a
useful supply of one or two person sized curries in the freezer! :-)

I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.

Weird, I doubt if I can tell the difference and curries need a good
long guggle anyway. We do this to all sorts of meat, lamb (usually
shoulder), beef (not very often), pork (often at the moment as it's so
cheap), chicken (quite often). I think the lamb *does* taste a little
different second time around but different most certainly isn't worse,
just different.

I often cook forward- a throw back to the days when we both worked, plus I
like stews, curries etc. - and bulk cook beef or pork based stews etc and
freeze them. Ditto Coq au Vin and a few other things. Plus soups -
especially Turkey and Chicken. We certainly find they taste more than
acceptable when reheated.

I also use cooked roast Turkey (or chicken) which has been frozen and
defrosted in stir fries and curries.

The one meat I don’t find responds well to reheating is roast lamb. It goes
tough / chewy. Perhaps there is a technique I don’t know.

[Chris Green]

Post by Brian
The one meat I don’t find responds well to reheating is roast lamb. It goes
tough / chewy. Perhaps there is a technique I don’t know.

We're fairly careful not to re-cook it. If we're repeating a roast
then it's been stored such that re-heating isn't necessary to make it
safe to eat so just warm enough to be good to eat is all we do. One
way we do this sometimes is to heat the gravy and then put the sliced
meat in that with very little heating (of the meat).

[Brian]

Post by Chris Green

Post by Brian
The one meat I don’t find responds well to reheating is roast lamb. It goes
tough / chewy. Perhaps there is a technique I don’t know.

We're fairly careful not to re-cook it. If we're repeating a roast
then it's been stored such that re-heating isn't necessary to make it
safe to eat so just warm enough to be good to eat is all we do. One
way we do this sometimes is to heat the gravy and then put the sliced
meat in that with very little heating (of the meat).

That could be it although lamb is normally fairly immune to over cooking -
at least if you cook it from raw. I’ve never known it go tough. Break up
yes, go tough no.

[Graham]

Post by Brian

Post by Chris Green

Post by Graham

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727

It's what we do with a lot of left over meat, we very, very rarely
waste any. If there's a lot left over from a Sunday joint we have a
repeat (réchauffé) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise and/or if
there's only a little left over it's made into a curry, we have a
useful supply of one or two person sized curries in the freezer! :-)

I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.

Weird, I doubt if I can tell the difference and curries need a good
long guggle anyway. We do this to all sorts of meat, lamb (usually
shoulder), beef (not very often), pork (often at the moment as it's so
cheap), chicken (quite often). I think the lamb *does* taste a little
different second time around but different most certainly isn't worse,
just different.

I often cook forward- a throw back to the days when we both worked, plus I
like stews, curries etc. - and bulk cook beef or pork based stews etc and
freeze them. Ditto Coq au Vin and a few other things. Plus soups -
especially Turkey and Chicken. We certainly find they taste more than
acceptable when reheated.
I also use cooked roast Turkey (or chicken) which has been frozen and
defrosted in stir fries and curries.
The one meat I don’t find responds well to reheating is roast lamb. It goes
tough / chewy. Perhaps there is a technique I don’t know.

Obviously, my reheating "phobia" doesn't apply to stews as they usually
benefit from 24 hours in the fridge before reheating.

[Judith in France]

Post by Brian

Post by Chris Green

Post by Graham

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727

It's what we do with a lot of left over meat, we very, very rarely
waste any. If there's a lot left over from a Sunday joint we have a
repeat (réchauffé) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise and/or if
there's only a little left over it's made into a curry, we have a
useful supply of one or two person sized curries in the freezer! :-)

I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.

Weird, I doubt if I can tell the difference and curries need a good
long guggle anyway. We do this to all sorts of meat, lamb (usually
shoulder), beef (not very often), pork (often at the moment as it's so
cheap), chicken (quite often). I think the lamb *does* taste a little
different second time around but different most certainly isn't worse,
just different.

I often cook forward- a throw back to the days when we both worked, plus I
like stews, curries etc. - and bulk cook beef or pork based stews etc and
freeze them. Ditto Coq au Vin and a few other things. Plus soups -
especially Turkey and Chicken. We certainly find they taste more than
acceptable when reheated.
I also use cooked roast Turkey (or chicken) which has been frozen and
defrosted in stir fries and curries.
The one meat I don’t find responds well to reheating is roast lamb. It goes
tough / chewy. Perhaps there is a technique I don’t know.

I mince it and make it into Shephers' Pie.

[Brian]

Post by Judith in France

Post by Brian

Post by Chris Green

Post by Graham

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727

It's what we do with a lot of left over meat, we very, very rarely
waste any. If there's a lot left over from a Sunday joint we have a
repeat (réchauffé) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise and/or if
there's only a little left over it's made into a curry, we have a
useful supply of one or two person sized curries in the freezer! :-)

I never, ever, reheat meat leftovers. I find that reheated meat always
has an unpleasant taste that even curry can't mask. My Father was the
same so perhaps it's genetic.

Weird, I doubt if I can tell the difference and curries need a good
long guggle anyway. We do this to all sorts of meat, lamb (usually
shoulder), beef (not very often), pork (often at the moment as it's so
cheap), chicken (quite often). I think the lamb *does* taste a little
different second time around but different most certainly isn't worse,
just different.

I often cook forward- a throw back to the days when we both worked, plus I
like stews, curries etc. - and bulk cook beef or pork based stews etc and
freeze them. Ditto Coq au Vin and a few other things. Plus soups -
especially Turkey and Chicken. We certainly find they taste more than
acceptable when reheated.
I also use cooked roast Turkey (or chicken) which has been frozen and
defrosted in stir fries and curries.
The one meat I don’t find responds well to reheating is roast lamb. It goes
tough / chewy. Perhaps there is a technique I don’t know.

I mince it and make it into Shephers' Pie.

On one of Rick Steins programmes in France, he showed a chicken version of
shepherds pie made with cooked chicken and tomatoes. I’ve made it with
Turkey. I think it is called Chicken Parmetiere.

[Malcolm Loades]

Post by Brian
On one of Rick Steins programmes in France, he showed a chicken version of
shepherds pie made with cooked chicken and tomatoes. I’ve made it with
Turkey. I think it is called Chicken Parmetier.

Parmentier indicates that the dish is based on or includes potatoes.
Derived from Antoine Parmentier who introduced the potato to France.

I guess that would be Chicken Raleigh in English if we followed the same
convention.

Malcolm

[Brian]

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

I think you can ignore the fact that Floyd used turkey, it is so
interchangeable with chicken. My mother made this type of leftover
chicken curry in the 1950's served with a ring of rice around the plate
and the curry in the centre. And Coronation Chicken from 1953 is little
more than a thicker cold version.
Victorian curries certainly used fruit in them, see
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-30718727
Malcolm

I’d not considered a link to Coronation Chicken, which I have a strange
aversion to. I was served it cold once ( it was apparently published as a
recipe for the Coronation, suitable for street parties etc and able to be
served hot or cold. I wasn’t around then but was served it cold much later
- cold curry really didn’t light my fire.

Floyd served his Parson with rice - perhaps a ring, certainly at the time
that was how curries tended to be presented. I’m sure some people still
remember Vesta Curries ;-) My mother was less than pleased when my elder
brother’s fiancé cooked him a Vesta Curry in our kitchen.

[Brian]

Post by Brian
I’d not considered a link to Coronation Chicken, which I have a strange
aversion to. I was served it cold once ( it was apparently published as a
recipe for the Coronation, suitable for street parties etc and able to be
served hot or cold. I wasn’t around then but was served it cold much later
- cold curry really didn’t light my fire.

It's brilliant as a sandwich filling!
Malcolm

I had the misfortune to try one once. Yuk. It seems cold and slimy.

I enjoy other sandwiches which some may consider cold and slimy - my wife
makes outstanding egg and tomato sandwiches - the best I’ve ever had. Prawn
sandwiches with a dressing are another favourite.

I won’t say how I describe Coronation Chicken - it may put you off it.

[Malcolm Loades]

Post by Brian
I enjoy other sandwiches which some may consider cold and slimy - my wife
makes outstanding egg and tomato sandwiches - the best I’ve ever had.

With salad cream or mayo?

Salad cream every time for me, with a pinch of black pepper.

Malcolm

[Brian]

Post by Malcolm Loades

Post by Brian
I enjoy other sandwiches which some may consider cold and slimy - my wife
makes outstanding egg and tomato sandwiches - the best I’ve ever had.

With salad cream or mayo?
Salad cream every time for me, with a pinch of black pepper.
Malcolm

A touch of Mayo and black pepper.

I’ve not had salad cream for decades. I like, my mother used to buy it, but
I don’t think I’ve had it since getting married in the mid 70s. I must get
some. I don’t think Senior Management likes it and I’m ok with Mayo so
we’ve always bought ( or made) Mayo.

[Graham]

On 2021-12-23 10:57 a.m., Brian wrote:
I’m sure some people still

Post by Brian
remember Vesta Curries ;-) My mother was less than pleased when my elder
brother’s fiancé cooked him a Vesta Curry in our kitchen.

That takes me back to my Uni days in the 60s:-)

[Brian]

Post by Brian
I’m sure some people still

Post by Brian
remember Vesta Curries ;-) My mother was less than pleased when my elder
brother’s fiancé cooked him a Vesta Curry in our kitchen.

That takes me back to my Uni days in the 60s:-)

I don’t recall ever trying one- not due to snobbery etc, I just didn’t.

When I was young, my mother regarded any food that was remotely foreign as
( at best) dubious. The closest you’d get to foreign food was spaghetti
hoops from a tin. She wasn’t unusual at the time - this was North East
England in the 1960s, early 70s. We lived on a Council Estate. Food was
healthy enough, certainly not take a ways etc, but meat, fish, veg etc.

I remember having Gammon in a restaurant was considered the height of
sophistication, provided you had pineapple on it. This would have been the
as late as the mid 70s.

[Judith in France]

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

Have you read Parson Woodfords@ diary? He talks about food a lot and particularly about curry using leftovers?

[Judith in France]

Post by Judith in France

Perhaps 40 years ago, I say one of the TV chefs - I’m THINK it was the
great Keith Floyd- show how to make a very simple curry dish he called a
Parson from left over Turkey. It used onions, curry powder, cornflour to
thicken, and milk, besides the left over Turkey. He suggested adding
sultanas as an option. It looks like a Korma and is similar - a mild,
light coloured, curry.
For years it was a regular on our menu rota over the Xmas break - I’m not
sure why or when it dropped off.
The Parson recipe came to mind this evening but I wasn’t sure of the
origins. As above, I believe it was Keith Floyd and he said it was a
Victorian recipe.
Google hasn’t helped and I know Turkey wasn’t popular as a Xmas meal here
until the 1950s / 60s. That makes the Victorian claim unlikely.
Can anyone shed any light on this minor mystery?

particularly about curry using leftovers?

No, he isn’t someone I’ve heard of.
That said, I’m wondering if perhaps my memory is playing tricks. Perhaps
Keith Floyd ( assuming it was him who I remember making it) referred to him
and his diary. It was 4 decades ago.

Parson Woodford was alive during Victorian times, his diary makes great reading, I must read it again.