A feast after the feast.(Recipe)

Byline: Leah Eskin

When the leftovers are gone, give thanks steadfast supper

The turkey has been conquered. Likewise sweet potato, cranberry, carrot, squash and cornbread. Pie, even that mysterious pink one, vanquished. Whipped cream, ice cream, sour cream, and coffee cream downed. Thanksgiving has been dispatched with dispatch.

Not that it was easy. There were days of scrubbing and scraping and slicing and sauteing. The rambunctious to distract and the table to set and the gourd collection to arrange to convey _ in its knobby, wart-pocked way _ bounty.

There was the gravy/no gravy confab and the extraneous mashed potato conundrum and cornbread versus white-bread stuffing conclave. (No one championed whole wheat.) There was the junior pumpkin-bread sous-chef to supervise. The misguided pine-cone-place-card inspiration. Broom and dustpan duties to delegate.

Followed by the feast. It was a group effort-everyone in the family pulling his weight, and then some-in the effort to undo what we had just done. The big plates. The medium plates. The small plates. Then another round.

Dishes. More dishes. And, in the festive spirit of the day-after-the-big-day, apple crisp for breakfast and stuffing sandwiches at lunch and turkey potpie for dinner.

After which we swore we would never eat again.

And didn't.

For a while.

The warm mug of tea and bowl of broth, however virtuous, eventually cool to tedious. After a while, the kitchen gleams clean again. The fridge, relieved of leftovers, smiles cheerful again. Eating sounds, well, novel.

It's time to stage the comeback. Not tea, not broth. An actual meal. One prepared with fresh ingredients-ingredients reminiscent of neither turkey nor squash. Nothing orange. Nothing mild. Nothing New World or Pilgrim-approved. Something hearty and spicy and flavorful.

We study the cookbook, the one heavy with bold flavors and pungent aromas. We admire the views of salty salt cod, garlic-soaked peppers, spice-wrinkled potatoes, red-wine granita. Here are the hearty appetites of Spain. The very place Columbus fled. Sounds promising.

We shop. We cook. We stew up Basque fishermen's stew-hearty and spicy and flavorful. Even before the guy contingent flicks on the game, the post-season looks like a winner.

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BASQUE FISHERMEN'S STEW

Serves four to six

2 dried pimientos choriceros or 1 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into small pieces

4 to 5 plump sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup water

1-{ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

\ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small white onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/3 cup dry white wine

3 cups fish stock or 2 cups bottled clam juice diluted with 1 cup water

Coarse salt and pepper

1-{ pounds boneless bonito or bluefin tuna, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Grilled or toasted country bread

1. Soak: Submerge the pimientos choriceros or ancho chiles and sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup hot water until soft, 30 minutes. Using a blender, puree (along with soaking liquid). Set aside the tomato-chili paste.

2. Break: In the Basque tradition, break up the potatoes by gouging each with a paring knife, twisting out small irregular chunks. Set aside.

3. Wilt: In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the onion and red and green peppers and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring once or twice, until the peppers are very soft, 10 more minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and potatoes and cook, stirring, 5 minutes.

4. Simmer: Add the reserved tomato-chile paste, the wine, and 2-{ cups fish stock. Increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil, skimming. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are very tender and some are just beginning to fall apart, 30 minutes. If the sauce seems too thick, add some or all of the remaining { cup fish stock and return the sauce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Fortify: Rub the tuna cubes gently with salt and add them to the sauce. Cook, shaking the pot gently, until the fish is just cooked through, 5 minutes. Season the stew with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley and serve in soup bowls with bread.

_Adapted from "The New Spanish Table" by Anya von Bremzen

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(c) 2006, Chicago Tribune.

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PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): afterfeast

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