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Turn leftovers into a comforting turkey soup

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So the question is: What’s going to happen to the turkey leftovers?

Of course, they can just be leftovers, heated up or not. And a cold turkey sandwich with a dab of cranberry sauce can be nice at midnight, or anytime over the Thanksgiving weekend.

But what are you going to do with that carcass and the scrappy bits of meat that aren’t sandwich-worthy? Soup comes to mind. A hearty minestrone wouldn’t go amiss, with white beans and chard, perhaps. Or you might rustle up a little turkey risotto.

My desire, though, after a day of overindulgence, is for something a bit lighter, yet still packed with flavor. In response to this impulse, here’s a not-really-authentic but nevertheless quite tasty version of sopa de lima, the restorative and delicious Mexican soup popular in the Yucatan.

It’s usually made with chicken and a particular kind of small local lime, but your leftover turkey parts and whatever kind of lime you can find will make a lovely reasonable facsimile.

Traditional or not, it seems fitting to make this soup with turkey since it is so beloved in Mexico, and has been for a very long time. The ancient Aztecs had already domesticated turkeys when the conquistadors arrived. The European conquerors took breeding stock home, and the turkey-eating habit caught on, well before the Pilgrims headed for Plymouth. In a sense, we really have Mexico to thank for our holiday bird.

Today there are regional turkey dishes throughout Mexico, though turkey in mole sauce is perhaps the most famous. It’s also one of the most complex, an enormous daylong process that involves a lot of grinding, frying and simmering of chilies, seeds and spices. Delicious yes, but not necessarily what I want to do after having just spent 48 hours cooking up a storm. Let’s save that project for a later date.

Here is the plan for today (or Friday, or Saturday, as the case may be): Simmer up a pot of turkey broth enriched with a few vegetables and aromatics, then ladle it forth.

Into the individual bowls go shredded turkey meat, avocado, green onions, cilantro, lightly fried tortilla strips, jalapeños and a generous squeeze of lime. Soup’s on.

TURKEY BROTH

Time: 1 ¾ hours

Yield: About 8 cups

2 pounds leftover turkey carcass and meaty bones, or 2 pounds fresh turkey wings

1 onion, stuck with 2 cloves

1 small carrot, peeled

1 bay leaf

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the carcass and bones in a baking pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

2. Transfer to a soup pot, add onion, carrot and bay leaf, and cover with 12 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 1 ½ hours, occasionally skimming off foam or fat.

3. Strain though a fine mesh sieve and skim any remaining fat from surface.

TURKEY SOUP WITH LIME AND CHILE

Time: About 1 hour

Yield: 4 to 6 large servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced carrot

½ teaspoon cumin seed

½ teaspoon coriander seed

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long

Cayenne

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

8 cups unsalted turkey or chicken broth

Vegetable oil for frying

4 corn tortillas, at least a day old, cut in ½-inch strips

4 to 6 cups cooked turkey meat, shredded

1 or 2 firm-ripe avocados

6 scallions, chopped

2 jalapeños, thinly sliced

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped

Lime wedges

1. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and let soften, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

2. Toast the cumin, coriander and peppercorns in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute, then grind in a spice mill or mortar. Add the ground spices to the pot, along with the garlic, cinnamon, a pinch of cayenne and salt.

3. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, then taste for salt and adjust. Keep hot, covered, over very low heat.

4. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of ½ inch into a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and looks wavy, add the tortilla strips and fry until barely colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The oil may be strained and saved for future frying.)

5. In a medium saucepan, heat the shredded turkey meat with a little of the hot soup. Divide the meat among 4 to 6 soup bowls and add a few slices of avocado to each. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each bowl, then garnish with tortilla strips, scallions, jalapeño slices, chopped cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice.

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Texas spices up the traditional turkey

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Texas spices up the traditional turkey

PALESTINE, TX (RNN) -  Erica Reyna says tamales have been a large part of her family’s Thanksgiving celebration since before she was born.

“I remember, my mother would always bake an extra turkey the day before Thanksgiving and make tamales with it just to have something different at the table,” the Palestine, TX, resident said.

In addition to a main course, using the turkey in tamales is an innovative way to use the leftover bird in a completely new dish.

Reyna said that friends invited to her family’s Thanksgiving are often awed that turkey tamales are involved. She even says her friends enjoy it.

“They will choose tamales over the turkey slices every time,” Reyna said.

Another dish Reyna’s family serves is pico de gallo.

“It is a salad made of diced Roma tomatoes, diced yellow onion, chopped cilantro, chopped Jalapenos, half a lemon,” Reyna said. Then season with garlic and salt to your taste.

Pico de gallo can be used as a condiment and be mixed into dishes, and, Reyna says, goes well with the tamales.

Reyna hasn’t lived at home for six years, and isn’t privy to the tamales recipe herself. “I need to learn to make them to pass the tradition on to my daughters,” she said.

Here’s a recipe from the Food Network’s Alton Brown that might satisfy that turkey tamale craving for your dinner or to revamp your leftovers.

Turkey Tamales

Total Time: 5 hours

Prep: 1 hour

Cook: 4 hours

Yields: 2 dozen tamales

Directions

For the meat filling:

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly toasted and ground cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 raw turkey legs, approximately 2 1/4 pounds
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced

For the wrappers:

  • 2 dozen dried corn husks

For the dough:

  • 15 ounces masa harina (powdered hominy) approximately 3 1/2 cups
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 ounces lard, approximately 1/2 cup
  • 2 to 4 cups reserved cooking liquid

For the meat filling:

Place chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt, black pepper and turkey legs into a 6-quart pot and add enough water to completely cover the meat, approximately 2 1/2 quarts. Cover, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is very tender and falling apart, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the meat from the water to a cutting board, and set aside to cool. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Once the turkey legs are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred, discarding any skin or cartilage. Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 2 minutes. Add the garlic and chili and continue to cook for another minute. Add the meat and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and cook until heated through and the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble.

For the wrappers:

While the meat is cooking, place the husks in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours. If you have an electric kettle, place the husks in the kettle, fill with water and turn on. Once the kettle turns off, allow the husks to sit for 1 hour in the hot water.

For the dough:

Place the masa, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the lard and using your hands, knead together until the lard is well incorporated into the dry mixture. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 2 to 4 cups to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.

To assemble the tamales:

Remove a corn husk from the water and pat to remove excess water. Working in batches of six, lay the husks on a towel and spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat and fold the bottom under to finish creating the tamale. Repeat until all the husks, dough and filling are used. Tie the tamales, around the center, individually or in groups of three, with kitchen twine.

To steam the tamales:

Place a steamer basket in the bottom of an 11-quart pot and add enough water to come to the bottom of the basket. Stand the tamales close together on their folded ends and lean them in towards the center, away from the sides of the pot. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Check the water level every 15 to 20 minutes, and add boiling water by pouring down the side of the pot, if necessary. Steam until the dough is firm and pulls away from the husk easily, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve warm. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.

Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com, recipe by Alton Brown

Copyright 2011 Raycom News Network. All Rights Reserved.

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Turkey Gravy Secrets Revealed

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Turkey Gravy Secrets Revealed

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. You have your Turkey all prepared and ready to go into the oven. The vegetables are ready to cook – but what about the gravy for the Turkey – did you remember?

To make the best tasting turkey gravy you need three things; well-seasoned fat, flour, and a good rich broth. For each cup of finished gravy you will need one tablespoon of fat, one tablespoon of flour and 1 cup of broth.

Start by making up some rich turkey broth. You can use the turkey neck, heart, gizzard or other parts usually found packed inside the turkey cavity. Add some minced onion, diced celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt in enough water to cover, simmer until vegetables are tender. Dice the turkey liver, add to the broth and simmer for about 15 minutes.

You can use the turkey bones if you like. The turkey bones yield much more broth, just add more onions and celery to the pan. You will have to carve the turkey ahead of time, which means no whole roasted turkey sitting on the dinner table waiting to be carved by the host or hostess.

Make sure you use the drippings from the roasting pan, as grandpa always said “that’s the goodies”, just after you’ve removed the cooked turkey and roasting rack from the roasting pan. Strain poultry drippings through a sieve into a 4-cup glass measuring cup.

Add 3 tablespoons of corn oil to the bottom of the roasting pan. Stir around to get out the brown bits that have baked on. Add to your turkey drippings. “Wash” the roasting pan out with the turkey broth if it’s made or add water you’re going to use in the broth if you haven’t made it yet.

The trick is to know how many cups of broth you have and if you have enough fat. Remember you will need one tablespoon of fat, one tablespoon of flour and 1 cup of broth for each cup of finished gravy.

If you are light on broth you can add some canned chicken broth. If you are light on fat you can add a small amount of corn oil. You can save the rest of your broth for storing and reheating the turkey.

Here are a few more tips to making great tasting gravy:

First take the measured fat and combine with the proper amount of measured flour in a medium saucepan. Make sure you have covered all the flour with fat and blended it well. Place on burner. Slowly bring the flour and fat mixture to a simmer until it begins to smell slightly salty. It will be bubbly; the colour will be a light brown.

Next remove pan from burner; whisk in all the measured liquids.

Finally return the pan to the burner, again, slowly bring this to a simmer.

Remember you already cooked the flour in the fat so all you need to do now is stir this until it thickens up to your liking. You can let it stay sort of thin or let it cook out until it is thicker than your Mashed potatoes. The choice is yours.

author:Chef Phronc

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The Truth About Turkey

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The Truth About Turkey

All along, turkey has been associated to once a year family feasts. You know, the Thanksgiving turkey. The Christmas turkey. Roast turkey stuffed with some yummy stuffing, eaten with gravy or cranberry sauce is a must for the end of the year celebrations.

The fact is, turkey is such a healthy meat, it should not be reserved ONLY for Christmas and Thanksgiving. You should have turkey as part of your daily diet. Especially the breast meat of the turkey, without the skin.

Why?

3 reasons.
1. Turkey meat has a very high protein content
2. Turkey meat itself has low fat content.
3. Turkey can be really delicious. My mom cooks a fantastic roast turkey.

Here are 2 of her roast turkey recipes. http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey.htm

Protein.

Ok, so we can get lots of protein from meat, fish and soya beans. Sure, beef packs plenty of protein that your body needs, but red meats are high in cholesterol.
For example, 1 oz of turkey contains between 15 mg and 24 mg cholesterol while 1 oz of beef contains 20 and 30mg of cholesterol. It all adds up to a large difference in artery clogging cholesterol between beef and turkey. That means if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, switching from beef to turkey can make a big difference.

As for protein, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council billed turkey as the perfect protein. It has more protein than chicken, or even a top loin beef steak.
That makes turkey the ideal food for growing children, athletes and anyone who wants lean muscle.

Fat.

Most of the fat in poultry is found in the skin. That means, by trimming off the skin in chicken or turkey, you remove most of the fat. Beef, pork and lamb on the other hand have the fat embedded in the meat itself. So just by switching to poultry alone, and removing the skin, you effectively remove most of the fat. In fact, 3 ounces of skinless, boneless turkey breast contains a mere 1g of fat and no saturated fat. That is a weight watcher’s dream. This is about as healthy as you get.
This makes turkey the ideal meat for anyone who wants to stay slim, yet eat to his or her heart’s content, without consuming much fat. Still even if you do switch to turkey, watch your portion size. Double the amount you eat and you will still gain weight.

The flip side is the lack of fat in turkey meat compromises the taste. After all, the yummiest foods contain fat. Fat flavours food. Then again, with the right seasoning, gravy and all, turkey can be delicious. Just try my mom’s recipes like her roast turkey with rice stuffing http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey-rice-recipe.php or the roast turkey with bread crumb stuffing http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey-breadcrumb-recipe.php . It is time to switch to something healthy and yummy.. like turkey.

Three Light, Simple and Easy Meals from Turkey Leftovers

If you’re like me, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, every year, is a blur. There never seems to be enough time to prepare for the holidays. Our immune systems plummet and stress rises. During this time, I try to find shortcuts to make things less stressful, for myself. Turkey leftovers are a mandatory part of this strategy. Even if the family dinner is not at my home, I buy a turkey. During the holiday season, it is very economical and a lifesaver.

Here are three light, simple and easy ways to use your turkey leftovers:

1 Turkey Quesadillas. Spray a whole wheat flour tortilla with Butter Pam. Place in frying pan and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped turkey pieces and sliced green onion. Place another tortilla on top and spray with Butter Pam. Brown on both sides until cheese is melted. You can add some chopped olives or jalapeno peppers if you desire. Serve with salsa.

2 Spinach and Turkey Salad. Mix together – chopped turkey, bacon flavoured almonds, dried cranberries and fresh spinach. Serve with your favourite vinaigrette or honey mustard salad dressing.

3 Turkey Soup. I cook the turkey carcass the weekend after Thanksgiving. You can do that or use canned chicken broth, chopped turkey and a bag of your favourite frozen vegetables. Pour everything in a pan and heat through until vegetables are crisp and tender, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve with a good brown bread.
While I still love hot open faced turkey sandwiches and all of the leftovers from Thanksgiving, these fast and easy meals provide a break in more ways than one. We are constantly bombarded with food and goodies during this time of year. It’s good to intersperse light dinners with heavier meals. All of these dinners can be made in thirty minutes or less. When we arrive home, after working or shopping or usually both, a light meal which takes almost no effort is a welcome relief. Having a light meal, once or twice a week, also helps to keep the calories from skyrocketing. So, give yourself a break, during the busiest time of the year. Your mind and your body will thank you for it.

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Turkey: Dining for the Diabetic

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Turkey: Dining for the Diabetic

The best gift anyone can give this holiday season is the gift of food safety. This is especially true for the elderly, young children and people with chronic diseases. Every year people call to ask about how to thaw a frozen turkey. Placing a frozen turkey in the refrigerator is the only reliable and safe method for thawing and it is the only method that is recommended. The turkey should be kept in its original wrapper during the thawing process and it should be placed on a platter to catch any juices that may leak from the package. Thawing the bird in the refrigerator may require several days, especially if the turkey is a large size, but it is absolutely the safest method for thawing. The cool temperature of the refrigerator (usually no higher than 40°F) discourages the growth of harmful organisms in the turkey as it thaws. Up to 5 hours defrosting time per pound should be allowed to properly thaw the turkey. The required time may vary because of the individual temperature settings of different refrigerators.

For the best results, the stuffing should be prepared immediately before the turkey will be stuffed, and the turkey should be stuffed immediately before it is ready to go into the oven. This will reduce the risk of the growth of harmful bacteria. Some cooks make the mistake of preparing the stuffing and placing it in the turkey well in advance of roasting the bird in order to save time, but this is a dangerous practice. Even if the stuffing is to be baked in a separate dish, the ingredients for the stuffing should not be mixed together until it is time for the dish to be placed into the oven. There are, however, some steps that can be taken to save time, such as chopping the vegetables or preparing dried and cubed bread for the stuffing base. This provides an easy situation in which the stuffing ingredients can be mixed quickly, immediately prior to the time that the turkey is to be cooked. The total quantity of stuffing that is prepared may not fit properly inside the turkey. In this case, the extra stuffing can be cooked in a baking dish. Many cooks prefer to place all of the stuffing in a baking dish because an unstuffed turkey does not require as much time to cook. The turkey should not be overstuffed. The stuffing will expand during the cooking process and some of it may not cook thoroughly because of the density of the stuffing inside the turkey.

The National Turkey Federation recommends roasting a turkey in a 325 degrees F oven until a meat thermometer indicates the internal temperature registers 180 degrees F in the thigh and 170 degrees F in the breast. If you do not stuff your turkey, the addition of 2 cups of coarsely chopped celery, onion and carrots to the cavity will enhance the fragrance and add to the flavor of the pan juices.

The roasting times shown on the chart below reflect the shorter cooking times of the turkeys produced by today’s turkey industry. Turkeys today take less time to cook than in the past because new turkey breeds produce a higher proportion of white meat. Since white meat cooks faster than dark meat, care should be taken to follow these guidelines to ensure a moist turkey. Use roasting times as a planning guide only; use a thermometer to determine actual doneness.

“Open Pan Method” NTF Roasting Guidelines for a Fresh or Thawed Turkey

Roast in a 325 degrees F Conventional Oven on the Lowest Oven Rack

Weight – Unstuffed Turkey – Stuffed Turkey

8 to 12 pounds – 2 3/4 to 3 hours – 3 to 3 1/2 hours

12 to 14 pounds – 3 to 3 3/4 hours – 3 1/2 to 4 hours

14 to 18 pounds – 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours – 4 to 4 1/4 hours

18 to 20 pounds – 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours – 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours

20 to 24 pounds – 4 1/2 to 5 hours – 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours

24 to 30 pounds – 5 to 5 1/4 hours – 5 1/4 to 6 1/4 hours

Turkey is an excellent choice not only for Thanksgiving but any time of the year. It is fairly economical, high in protein and low in fat! Enjoy your turkey with these side dishes!

Seasoned Green Beans

1 10 oz. package frozen green beans or 2 cups fresh green beans

1 cup fat free broth

1 small onion, chopped

½ tsp. commercial herb mixture (spicy is best)

juice of one lemon or 3 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice

black pepper to taste

Heat the broth in a saucepan until boiling. Add the herb seasoning mix, beans, and onion. Turn down the heat. Cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes. Before serving sprinkle with lemon juice and pepper

Makes 4 ½ cup servings

Calories: 25

Sodium: 2 mg.

Carbohydrates: 6 grams.

Protein: 1 gram

Fat: 0 grams

Exchange: 1 nonstarchy vegetable

Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

5 potatoes (peeled and cut into pieces for boiling)

2 large carrots (peeled and cut into pieces for boiling)

½ cup skim milk

¼ cup “diet” margarine

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

Cook potatoes and carrots until tender. Drain. Beat with margarine and milk. Add seasonings. Makes 8 servings

Calories: 70

Fat: 4 gm.

Sodium: 88 mg.

Protein: 2 gm.

Carbohydrates: 15 gms.

Light Pumpkin Pie

2 cups canned pumpkin

3 egg whites slightly beaten

4 tablespoons brown sugar

12 packets Equal (aspartame)

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

10 oz. evaporated skim milk

10 inch, unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the first eight ingredients beginning with pumpkin and ending with evaporated milk. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for another 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Allow pie to cool. Store leftovers in the refrigerator

Makes 10 servings

Calories: 163

Sodium: 198 mg.

Carbohydrates: 22 gms.

Protein: 6 gms.

Fat: 7 gms.

Exchanges: 1.5 starches, 1 vegetable, 1 fat

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One Turkey the President Didn’t Pardon

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One Turkey the President Didn’t Pardon

The talk around town in November was mostly politics, but after the election, people started talking turkey.

The thought of using a self-basting or kosher turkey did not appeal to me, I’ve never liked taking too many short cuts, I find it ruins the fun. But I had heard a lot of talk about brining and how it cut cooking time down and made the turkey universally moist.

I did a bit of research, reading magazines and online articles and finally I got the basic formula: one cup of salt per one gallon of water. Salt and water seemed pretty boring so I researched further. Recipes for brine were a dime a dozen, some made sense while others were downright bizarre.

Finally, I decided I wanted my brine to give my turkey a little more than a salt bath and came up with my own recipe based on that one cup – one gallon ratio

I started out with a half-gallon of water in a large pot. I added two cups of salt and one cup of brown sugar. I brought it to a boil and kept it on just long enough to dissolve the salt and sugar. Next, I dropped in some peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves, and some thyme.

Finding a container big enough to hold a fourteen pound turkey and enough brine to cover it wasn’t much of a task. I just so happened to have a five-gallon bucket that I used for home brewing.

I poured the slightly cooled liquid into the bucket, topped it off with another half-gallon of water, and added a couple trays of ice cubes to hasten cooling. I then added one gallon of apple cider and one cup apple cider vinegar. I placed my turkey into the liquid, completely covered and let it brine away in the fridge for eighteen hours.

The Big Day

On Thanksgiving morning I preheated my oven, pulled the turkey out of its salt soaked slumber, rinsed it off, and patted it dry. I stuffed the turkey with stuffing that I had pre-cooked that morning and found a suitable roasting pan. Twenty minutes per pound was what I had heard for roasting a brined turkey and I factored in an additional twenty minutes for the stuffing.

I roasted the foil-covered turkey at 400F for the first three and a half hours, basting it every half hour. In its last hour, I removed the foil, turned the heat down to 375F degrees and brushed a honey mustard glaze on it. I let it rest about thirty minutes so that the juices could settle and then it was carving time.

My first reaction was “Wow it slices like butter!” The reaction of my dinner guests said it all—this turkey was different from its grainy, bone dry predecessors—this turkey had taste! Safe to say I’m sold on brining.

author:Paul Rinehart

The Truth About Turkey

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turkey

The Truth About Turkey

All along, turkey has been associated to once a year family feasts. You know, the Thanksgiving turkey. The Christmas turkey. Roast turkey stuffed with some
yummy stuffing, eaten with gravy or cranberry sauce is a must for the end of the year celebrations.

The fact is, turkey is such a healthy meat, it should not be reserved ONLY for Christmas and Thanksgiving. You should have turkey as part of your daily
diet. Especially the breast meat of the turkey, without the skin.

Why?

3 reasons.
1. Turkey meat has a very high protein content
2. Turkey meat itself has low fat content.
3. Turkey can be really delicious. My mom cooks a fantastic roast turkey.

Here are 2 of her roast turkey
recipes. http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey.htm .

Protein.

Ok, so we can get lots of protein from meat, fish and soya beans. Sure, beef packs plenty of protein that you body needs, but red meats are high in cholesterol.

For example, 1 oz of turkey contains between 15 mg and 24 mg cholesterol while 1 oz of beef contains 20 and 30mg of cholesterol. It all adds up to a large difference in artery clogging cholesterol between beef and turkey. That means if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, switching from beef to turkey can make a big difference.

As for protein, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council billed turkey as the perfect protein. It has more protein than chicken, or even a top loin beef steak.

That makes turkey the ideal food for growing children, athletes and anyone who wants lean muscle.

Fat.

Most of the fat in poultry is found in the skin. That means, by trimming off the skin in chicken or turkey, you remove most of the fat. Beef, pork and lamb on the other hand have the fat embedded in the meat itself. So just by switching to poultry alone, and removing the skin, you effectively remove most of the fat.

In fact, 3 ounces of skinless, boneless turkey breast contains a mere 1g of fat and no saturated fat. That is a weight watcher’s dream. This is about as healthy as you get.

This makes turkey the ideal meat for anyone who wants to stay slim, yet eat to his or her heart’s content, without consuming much fat. Still even if you do switch to turkey, watch your portion size. Double the amount you eat and you will still gain weight.

The flip side is the lack of fat in turkey meat compromises the taste. After all, the yummiest food contain fat. Fat flavors food.

Then again, with the right seasoning, gravy and all, turkey can be delicious.

Just try my mom’s recipes like her roast turkey with rice stuffing http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey-rice-recipe.php or the roast turkey with bread crumb stuffing http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey-breadcrumb-recipe.php . It is time to switch to something healthy and yummy.. like turkey.

How to Carve a Turkey

To someone who is just learning to cook, this topic may seem like one of the hardest meals you will ever have to prepare. Needless to say, if you’re having a turkey there’s usually company involved which means a number of hungry people are relying on you to prepare a great meal. This can be very intimidating. Luckily we have all the information you need, in order to ensure a great meal for you, your friends and your family.

In order to successfully carve a turkey, you will need to have the following pieces of equipment:

• One warm serving platter
• A pair of kitchen scissors
• An electric knife or a large slicing knife (you may want to choose a manual knife since they provide more control than electric ones)
• A small carving knife or fork for arranging and serving the meat

Now that you have the equipment you need to carve the turkey, follow these steps in order to become a turkey carving expert:

1. Leave the turkey to sit 20-30 minutes after roasting and before carving. This will make the meat moister and easier to cut.

2. After the turkey has sat for the time indicated above, transfer the turkey onto a cutting board; this is where you will begin carving the turkey.

3. Remove the Leg: To do this, hold the drumstick firmly with your fingers and gently pull the meat away from the body of the turkey. While doing this, cut through the skin between the leg and the body. Next, cut through the joint joining the leg to the backbone. Then separate the drumstick and thigh by cutting downwards through the joint, until the knife hits the cutting board.

4. Slicing the Drumstick (Leg) Meat: Once you have detached the leg from the rest of the body, you will want to slice the meat. Hold the drumstick in an upright position and turn the drumstick in a circular motion while cutting downwards. This will produce tasty slices of meat which are approximately equal size.

5. Slicing the Thigh Meat: When slicing thigh meat, you want to hold it close to the plate and secure it so it does not move. For best results when cutting thigh meat, make sure your knife is parallel to the bone and cut downwards towards the plate in slow, steady motions.

6. Slicing the Breast Meat: Make a deep cut into the breast of the turkey towards the body frame, as close to the wing as you can. Starting at the front of the turkey (about halfway up the breast) start cutting downwards, parallel to the cut you made to the wing. Only cut enough meat as you think necessary for the amount of people. Uncut meat will stay fresher longer.

7. Serve the Turkey: place all the slices of meat in an attractive manner on a large platter and serve to your guests.

* Note: Remove stuffing from the turkey either by taking it out of the hole made where the leg was removed or by making a new hole in the neck and taking it out from there.

Healthy Lifestyle – Cooking Turkey with Bill & Sheila

How to Stay Sane on Thanksgiving Day

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How to Stay Sane on Thanksgiving Day

Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Thanksgiving

Cooking a huge meal for over a dozen relatives and friends during the holidays is one of the most stressful challenges that the average home cook will undertake.
What’s the key to keeping your sanity? Plan, plan, plan, then plan some more… Cook as much as possible 1 or 2 days ahead of time.

For the big day itself, I like to write out a timeline of the entire day. Why?

- You can avoid doing too much at once. Most Thanksgiving disasters occur because you have too much going on at once and you forget to tend to some dish at a crucial moment.
- You can see if your menu is feasible for your kitchen. You might find that you have too many dishes that use the oven, and you can’t possibly cook everything in your kitchen.

So how do you do it? I like writing the timeline using Excel, but you can just use pencil and paper too.

1. Decide what dishes you want to make

When you’re coming up with the menu, keep in mind the resources of your kitchen. Don’t plan every dish for the oven. Think about whether you can fit 10 lbs of potatoes in your biggest pot; maybe you’ll need two pots and two burners. Write each dish down at the top of your timeline.

2. Figure out what can be done ahead

Cooking ahead is the number one way of making things easy on yourself on the big day. Write down the steps that can be done ahead of time on your timeline.
Stuff that can or should be done 2 days ahead:

- Cranberry Sauce (try making your own, it actually tastes good!)
- Pumpkin Pie
- Make turkey stock for gravy
- Start thawing the turkey (you might even need more than one day to thaw).

Stuff that can or should be done 1 day ahead:

- Make salad dressing
- Assemble stuffing and get it ready for baking the next day
- Mashed sweet potatoes (they keep very well)
- Cut vegetables for crudité
- Make dips
- A hearty Autumn soup (pumpkin, butternut squash)
- Make casseroles
- Bake bread or rolls
- Brine your turkey
- Clean your house, decorate, set the table…

3. Plan out the big day on the timeline

Make a column for each major cooking resource, each oven and each stove burner, and add another column for miscellaneous tasks.

Figure out when you want to serve dinner, and then plan the turkey around that time. If you’re serving at 4pm, then you should take your turkey out of the oven at 3:30 (to give it time to rest), and put the turkey in at 12:30 to give it a 3 hour bake time. Mark these tasks on the timeline under the column for oven. These are just our examples; your cooking times will vary depending on the size of your bird.

Schedule your other dishes on the timeline under the kitchen resource they will be using up (range burner #2, oven #1, …). Also, schedule miscellaneous steps (eg. peel and cut 10 lbs. potatoes) under the miscellaneous column.

Make sure that you don’t give yourself too much to do with any given time slot. If you do, shift the recipes to a less busy time. During the actual cooking, the schedule often slips, so give yourself wiggle room between dishes just in case.

4. Re-evaluate your menu

When you filled out your entries, did you have trouble fitting things in? Were too many dishes using the same oven? You might need to plan more non-oven dishes. Be creative. There are recipes for butternut squash soup might make a good starter.

If you just have too many things packed into a time slot, you should try to plan more dishes that can be made the day before. Instead of baked sweet potatoes, maybe make a asparagus salad that can be prepped ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

5. Time to cook

For the days before Thanksgiving, just make sure that you do all the steps you’ve planned for yourself. The exact timing isn’t as important.

On the big day, just start following the timeline. At any given time, you can easily see what you’re supposed to be doing by checking the row for the current time.
Now most importantly…

6. Have fun

I know all this planning sounds like a pain, but it doesn’t really take much time to make a timeline, and it’s much less painful than having a mental meltdown on Thanksgiving day.

The whole point of scheduling things out is so that you’re not too busy at any given time. This way you can stay calm and have fun before and during the big meal. It’s also so that you can be a good host. No one wants to watch you freak out on Thanksgiving. So don’t worry and have fun! That’s what it’s all about…

author:Howie Wang

Note from the Spanishchef: you can use this methodology for any big celebration or gathering – weddings, christenings, Christmas, Easter etc. Plan everything out ahead of time so there is no panic on the day. We use this method all the time – even for our barbecues.

How to Cook Turkey on Natural Gas Grills

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How to Cook Turkey on Natural Gas Grills

The holidays bring with them thoughts of carving and serving delicious turkey dinners to your family and friends. Tradition has its fans, but perhaps this year you’d like to try a twist to your turkey recipe. If you have a gas grill and enjoy the smoky flavour of grilled meats, why not try grilling your turkey this year? It’s not only possible, it is rather simple. And it delivers a delicious flavoured bird to your table. Plus, having the turkey on the grill instead of the oven leaves you with all the room you need to prepare the rest of your dinner in less time.

When you are ready to buy your turkey, the first thing to consider is the size of your grill. You don’t want a bird that is so enormous that it can’t fit on the grill rack. Ideally, the turkey you select should sit on the grill and the lid should close without touching the bird. If this isn’t possible, don’t worry, you can still grill your turkey. You’ll need some heavy duty aluminium foil and either a V shaped grill stand or another metal cooking instrument that you can safely use to prop open the lid of the grill.

Prepare and stuff the turkey as you normally would. Place it on the grill so that it is positioned over one burner that you can turn off. Turn that burner off and the other burner or burners on. Since you can’t really “flip” a turkey, you want the turkey to cook by indirect heat, not by a direct flame underneath it.
You get the smoky flavour by using wood chips. If you haven’t used wood chips before, they’re easy to use. You soak them in water so that as they dry out from the heat of the grill, they’ll release a flavoured smoke that infuses the turkey. You can purchase a tray that is designed for putting wood chips on the grill or you can make one yourself from heavy duty aluminium foil. Take the wood chips out of the water and put them into your tray. Place the tray on the grill over the lit burner.

Next, close the lid fully if possible. If not possible, prop the lid up just enough to keep it from touching the turkey. Then cover the remainder of the opening with aluminium foil. If heat gets out you will probably have to cook the turkey longer. However, the foil creates enough of a barrier so the smoke is kept circulating inside the grill and flavouring the turkey.

The time required to cook the turkey will vary depending on whether or not you were able to close your grill completely. If you can, it will take less time. If you can’t, you might want to increase the heat on the other burner or burners to try to make up for the lost heat by having to prop open the grill. After a couple of hours, rotate the turkey 180 degrees to help ensure even cooking.

As with any method of cooking poultry, it’s important to make sure that the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally you should use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature as you cook. If you don’t have one, then you’ll have to check the readiness by poking the thigh with a fork or skewer. If the juices that run out are clear and the turkey has turned a nice golden-brown colour, then you are ready to remove it from the grill. Consider glazing the turkey with a sauce you use on other meats, or possibly adding barbecue sauce to the traditional cranberry sauce as a condiment. Don’t be afraid to experiment – enjoy the new twist you’re putting on an old family tradition.

author:Mike Wolderbaum

Bill & Sheila’s Barbecue & Grill – Turkey

3 Non-Traditional Ways to Prepare Your Holiday | Turkey

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3 Non-Traditional Ways to Prepare Your Holiday Turkey

Deep-Fryed Turkey

3 gallons peanut oil for frying, or as needed
1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
1/4 cup Creole seasoning
1 white onion

In a large stockpot or turkey fryer, heat oil to 400 degrees F. Be sure to leave room for the turkey, or the oil will spill
over.

How to determine the amount of oil you need:

The easiest way I’ve found to determine the amount of oil you need is to place the turkey into the fryer and fill with water until the turkey is just covered. Remove turkey and allow to drain, pat dry with paper towels as well. Make note of the level of water in the fryer. Discard water and dry throughly. Fill frying vessel with oil to the level as noted above. This should help in preventing hot oil spill overs.

Layer a large platter with food-safe paper bags. Rinse turkey, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Rub Creole seasoning over turkey inside and out. Make sure the hole at the neck is open at least 2 inches so the oil can flow freely through the bird. Place the whole onion and turkey in drain basket. The turkey should be placed in basket neck end first. Slowly lower basket into hot oil to completely cover turkey. Maintain the temperature of the oil at 350 degrees F, and cook turkey for 3 1/2 minutes per pound, about 45 minutes. Carefully remove basket from oil, and drain turkey. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; the internal temperature must be 180 degrees F.

Finish draining turkey on the prepared platter.

Grilled Whole Turkey

12 pounds whole turkey
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon paprika

Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium heat, and lightly oil grate. Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Place turkey breast side down on the prepared grill. Sear turkey on both sides until skin is golden to dark brown. In a large roasting pan, mix together the water, bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, parsley, and paprika. Place turkey breast side down in the roasting pan. Scoop the pan mixture over the turkey. Cover tightly with foil and place on grill. Grill 3 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180F. Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Smoked Turkey

1 turkey 8 to 22 lbs., fresh or completely thawed
Sweet Pickle Brine (recipe to follow)
Maple syrup

Sweet Pickle Brine:

1 gal. water
2 1/2 cups salt, rock, pickling or canning salts are recommened
1/3 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Liquid garlic
1 oz. pickling spices

Mix well. You may need to adjust the amounts depending on the size of your bird. This recipe should suit you fine for an 8 to 12 lb. turkey.

Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water, drain and pat dry. Prepare sweet pickle brine. Brine turkey according to the following schedule,
8 to 12 lb. bird 3 days, 13 to 16 lb. bird 4 days, 17 to 22 lb. bird 5 days. Remove from brine; rinse thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Allow to dry in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Lock wings behind back and tie legs and tail together. Baste turkey with maple syrup before putting in smoker and every 2 hours while smoking. Position turkey on cooking grill. Smoke cook until done.

The best way to determine doneness is to insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey (the breast) the internal temperature should read 180 degrees F.

Smoking food is more an art than a science; this recipe is not intended for the novice. Allot of factors go into determining the cooking time for a particular food when smoking.

Cool turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving to enhance the smoked flavor. You may serve the turkey right away if you wish.

by: Chef Phronc