Turkey Kale and White Bean Soup →

This easy to make soup uses leftover cooked turkey or chicken, canned white beans, and pre-made chicken stock flavored with a smokey sausage like linguiça or chorizo, garlic, leek, and onion. The secret ingredient is Portuguese Red Pepper Paste which is a staple condiment in Portuguese cooking. The soup will still be delicious, hearty, and healthy without the red pepper paste, but this condiment gives the soup its distinctive flavor. I highly recommend you take a few minutes to make a small batch of this delicious flavoring condiment to keep in your fridge. Use it in soups, sauces, or to flavor meat, fish, or poultry. 

Turkey Kale and White Bean Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients:
·   1-2 cups kale middle rib removed torn in pieces
·   1- 10 inch leek sliced white and pale green parts only
·   1 medium onion chopped (add another onion if you don’t use the leek)
·   4 cloves of garlic chopped
·   1 tablespoon olive oil
·   1 6 inch piece of linguiça or chorizo sliced thin and chopped
·   1 cup cooked turkey or chicken cut into 1-inch pieces
·   2-15 ounce cans of cannellini or white navy beans
·   2 tablespoons Portuguese Red Pepper Paste
·   2 quarts of low-sodium chicken stock
·   ½ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
1. Sauté the linguiça for a minute or two then add the leek, onion, and garlic and sauté until the vegetables become soft.
2. Add the torn kale and sauté until it begins to wilt.
3. Add the red pepper paste and black pepper and stir for a minute before adding the chicken stock, turkey, and beans.
4. Simmer for a half-hour if you’re in a rush or preferably an hour to meld the flavors. Serve hot with a crusty bread.

Wine pairing: White wines: Vinho Verde, Viognier, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Dry Riesling; light fruity red wines with low tannins

Spice Rubbed Turkey Breast →

One of my most valued kitchen tools is my trusty cast-iron skillet. In fact, I’m such a fan of cast-iron skillets I have several for different uses. I have one 10 inch skillet for stovetop and oven use and one I use for roasting on my grill. Cooking a turkey breast is much easier than preparing and roasting a whole turkey and it yields multiple meals (turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes, turkey hash on waffles, sandwiches, salads, soups, tacos, etc., etc.) This is the easiest, tastiest roast turkey recipe you will ever find. Rub the spices on your clean turkey breast, put it on a hot cast-iron pan in your covered grill or oven, walk away, and come back 1 ½ hours later to a golden brown, crispy-skinned, flavorful turkey breast. The versatile spice rub is also great on roast chicken or grilled or oven-baked wings. For turkey leg lovers, rub the spice on turkey legs and throw them on the grill for an hour or less and dig in. Why buy sliced deli turkey for sandwiches when you can slice your own freshly cooked breast meat at home for a fraction of the cost? Home cooking rules!

Spice Rubbed Roast Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

Photo c. foodblogchef 2020

• 1 small turkey breast (approximately 5 pounds)

• 2 tablespoons canola oil (one to rub on the breast (optional) and one for the cast-iron pan)

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Spice rub from https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2018/11/26/smoke-chicken-wings/

Preparation:
Preheat your grill or oven to 400F.

1. Wash and dry the turkey breast making sure to remove any giblets. (see Note)

2. Sprinkle the spice mixture on the inside of the breast.

3. Rub the oil all over the breast (optional) and sprinkle and rub the spices all over the outside of the bird.

4. Refrigerate the prepared breast uncovered for about 4 hours, removing it a half-hour before roasting. This step contributes to making the skin crispy and flavorful when fully cooked.

5. Preheat your cast-iron skillet to very hot.

6. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the skillet and carefully place the turkey breast in the skillet. It will be a tight fit, but that’s ok.

7. Roast the turkey in a covered grill or your oven for 1 ½ hours or until the internal temperature of the breast reads 155-160F. on your meat thermometer. Once removed from the grill or oven the breast will continue to cook for approximately another 10 degrees. (see Note)

Note: if using a grill, you can add a nice smokey flavor to the turkey meat using a combination of soaked Apple and Mesquite wood chips either placed directly on your charcoal, or in a smoking tube or pierced foil packet in your gas grill.
Note: save the giblets, neck, and wingtips to combine with pre-made chicken stock, fresh herbs, onions, and celery for a flavorful stock to use for soup or gravy.

Wine paring: Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Viognier, White Cotes du Rhone blends, Dry Riesling

Turkey Liver Pate with Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish →

I prefer not to use the turkey liver when I’m making my gravy stock with onions, celery, herbs and the rest of the giblets, wing-tips, and neck from the bird. This easy recipe is a delicious use of the liver and makes for a nice appetizer served with crackers or toast points before the big meal.

Thanksgiving Turkey Liver Paté with Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019 -
Turkey Liver Paté with Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish

Yield: 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

• 1 small turkey liver

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1/2 shallot

• 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac

• 2 small cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme stripped; leaves chopped (substitute with ¼ tsp. dried thyme)

• 1 hard-boiled egg

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or more as needed)

Garnish: Cranberry Pomegranate Relish
Garnish: 1 tablespoon parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions:

1. Rinse the raw liver and pat dry. Slice the liver into uniform pieces so they cook evenly.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the onions, sautéing over medium-high heat until they begin to brown.

3. Add the liver, garlic, and thyme and saute for about 3 minutes; don’t burn the garlic. The liver will not take long to cook, and should still be slightly pink on the inside.

4. Add the cognac or brandy and flambé. (There will be flames, so stand back.) Reduce until the liquid has almost evaporated.

5. In a food processor or blender, combine the liver, onions, and garlic mixture, hard-boiled egg, salt, and pepper.

6. Coarsely blend the pâté and then begin adding the olive oil in small amounts while blending. Every now and then, pause and use a spatula to push any pâté along the sides back down towards the blade.

7. The finished pâté should be smooth with an even texture. If it is still chunky and too thick, continue adding a little bit of olive oil.

8. Transfer the pâté to a serving bowl. Serve with toast points or crackers.

9. Store the pâté in a covered container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Adapted from: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Chilld

and, http://www.emmafrisch.com/2013/11/dont-throw-it-away-make-turkey-liver-pate.html