Dutch Oven Braised Turkey Breast

I love this recipe because it can be made into a one-pot meal. I used a few turkey breasts (boneless) that I portioned from a whole bird. I had about 4 lbs but you can use various sizes, just keep an eye on that internal temp, that’s all. You will need a Dutch oven for this or you can do it in a saute pan and a regular ovensafe pot.

1) Dice up some bacon and render some fat, about 2 TBSPs worth. You can interchange butter, oil or other fats. Make sure the fat is hot. Pat the turkey breasts so that they don’t have moisture. Put them in skin side down and brown them for about 3-4 minutes. Flip and do the other side.

2) Take out turkey breasts and put them aside. Add 2 large onions, chopped into large pieces in bottom and some sprigs of your favorite herbs . Add a splash of wine to deglaze the pot for a few minutes. Now put the turkey breasts on top of the onions. Add 1/2 C. of chicken stock. Cover and put in a 325 degree oven for about an hour.

3) After an hour, take pot out of oven. Take turkey breasts out. To the pot, add 2 potatoes, chopped, 1 celery stalk, sliced thick and 2 carrots sliced thick. Mix the vegetables into the cooking liquid. Add seasoning if desired. Put breasts on top of the vegetables and cook for about another hour. The breasts are safe to eat at 165 degrees internal temp.

4) Remove the pot from the oven. Take out turkey breasts and let them rest on a carving board for at least 15-20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables on put in bowl, cover. You have the option of making a gravy from all this wonderful liquid leftover if desired.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Chicken Stock

As you cook more and more, you’ll realize how much stock is needed in your various recipes. Stock seems to be the glue that binds a lot of things together. The other thing you learn is that if your stock isn’t good, your soup or chowder or stew won’t be either. I like to make my stock in batches when I collect enough chicken parts and carcasses in the freezer. Often I will mix turkey and duck parts in to add a bit of complexity to the stock. Depending on my schedule, I will use the Crockpot to make stock vs. the stockpot. There are several ways to make stock and I am of the belief that whatever way works for you, run with it.

1) Chicken parts/carcasses. I will let them defrost in the fridge and will take the cleaver out to chop up the carcasses a bit. The more surface area exposed the better. Depending on time, I may roast all the bones and parts in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes, then make the stock. In this recipe, we omit this step. Put all your parts in the pot. Add water and enough to cover the chicken bones and parts. Bring to a low simmer. You will start to notice nasty looking foam. Skim that off or it will remain in your stock. I don’t like it in my stock and it detracts from the flavor and it will cloud your stock.

2) Once the foam has been removed and any new foam creation subsides, add 1 whole onion cut into wedges (you can leave the skin on), 2 celery stalks, sliced, 2 peeled and sliced carrots, 1 TBSP peppercorns (cracked if possible), a pinch of salt and a bay leaf. Simmer for a minimum of 1 hour, uncovered. I like to let it go for many hours but it depends on your schedule.

3) If the stock seems weak, let it simmer for longer. Taste as you go. I don’t overseason the stock with salt as I am not sure which recipe it will go into. You can concentrate it by turning up the heat a bit and evaporating more of the liquid. One of my techniques is that I’ll make a double stock. I’ll make a concentrated stock that will be the base for a new stock using this recipe.

4) Once the stock has been strained, any fat removed and cooled a bit, store in fridge for a few weeks or put it in the freezer. Should last several months. I use it so much I don’t worry about spoilage.

Nosh Options: 1) A friend of mine turned me onto using a Crockpot overnight. Put in all the ingredients, after foam stage, into the Crockpot and cook on Low for 8-12 hours. Works really well. 2) Duck is richer and fattier but will add a layer of flavor to your stock. Just remember that duck has a lot of fat and you remove it from the stock. 3) Add more herbs to the stock like a few sprigs of thyme or sage for added flavor. Just be careful with any strong aromatic herbs as a little goes a long way.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

My Base Meat Lasagna

My Italian cuisine and cooking skills are evolving. I am not of Italian descent and only have been exposed to this great food through friends. I have worked with this recipe of Emeril’s over the years. When I would cook food for our family vacations ahead of time, I wanted something that could be frozen and make plenty of leftovers. I also wanted a recipe where I didn’t have to precook the noodles. Warning! Some Italians will scoff at the use of ricotta here.. so be warned.. I will have another version up without it. This recipe yields 12-16 servings depending on your guests. Here is my version after many modifications.

1) In a bowl, mix 1 1/2 C. ricotta, 6 ounces grated Provolone, Mozzarella and Pecorino-Romano, an egg, 1/4 C. half/half (or milk), 1 TBSP minced basil/thyme/oregano, 1-2 TBSP chopped garlic. In reserve, have 1 1/2 lb of grated Parmesan and a package of lasagna noodles ready.

2) Meat Sauce. You can make your own but for ease of use, buy quality pasta sauce with meat. If you want to jack it up, brown a pound of meat (beef/pork/lamb etc.) I’d have enough sauce for about 6-8 cups. If you have extra, you can use it elsewhere.

3) Assembly. In a deep baking dish/lasagna pan, spread about 2 cups of sauce on the bottom. Sprinkle a quarter of the parmesan on. Cover this layer with dried lasagna noodles. Repeat. You’ll likely have 3-4 layers. The last layer is sauce unless you want it to be cheese but it may burn, so watch it.

4) Cook in a 350 degree oven 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool about 10 minutes, minimum before serving.

Nosh Options: You can add more cheese into the mixture but it may be overkill. For the meat sauce, you can do a meatloaf mix for the meat. A homemade Ragu’ Bolognese is highly recommended for tremendous flavor.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Roast Chicken - Weeknight

Someone asked me one time, “if you had me over to your house for dinner, what would you serve me?”. I answered without thought, “Roast Chicken”. For me, it is the ultimate comfort food. Complimented by a starch, a veggie and some gravy, it can’t be beat. One thing I have learned is that each cook is different and it is best to keep that in mind. With the variables in play, I focus on this: 165 degrees internal temp on the breast and anything above 180 degrees for the thighs. Cook time can be a problem especially during the week. Here is what I do to cut my cook time to 45 mins - 60 mins:

1) Take out (or have the butcher do it) the backbone of a chicken with a knife or shears. Spread out the bird and turn it over. With your hands and force, crack down on the breast (this makes cutting easier but it is only an option). Cut the breast in half. Season as you wish or dry brine if you are doing this ahead of time.

2) Turn your oven on to 450 degrees. In a rimmed baking/roasting pan or how I do it with a skillet, take an onion and cut into wide slices. Put slices down and put the chicken halves, breast side up on top of the onions, sort of a food roasting rack.

3) Cook and watch the internal temps. I like to arrange the pan in the oven with the legs toward the back as it is warmer in the back. If the skin is getting too brown, cover with foil. If the legs are done before the breast but the breast is higher than 155 degrees, I take it out as there will be carry-over cooking and the temps will exceed the USDA recommended 165 degrees if you let it rest for 20+ minutes. Resting is important here. I have a blog post about it as well.

4) Now, once the chicken is out and resting on a carving board, you have the option to make gravy. Yes, that is why the onions are there.. to flavor the gravy….

After a rest, start carving your bird and serve. The skin should be crispy and bird delicious. You can play with the oven temps and time.

Eat.Drink.Savor.

Brining your Turkey

1) Don’t wet brine a turkey that already has been injected with preservative fluid. You’ll see it on the label. Yes you can dry brine and it won’t turn the bird salty.

2) Make sure your turkey is in a deep pan as there will be liquid coming off the bird.

3) You can play around with your salt and seasonings. For this one, I used salt and a little adobo seasoning and basil. Total brine time was 48 hours, uncovered in my fridge.

CLICK HERE FOR VID

Turkey - Scaled Down

For some of us who won’t have a large gathering at the house, another option to the full 10-20 lb whole turkey is just the turkey breast. Stores will be actively stocking turkey breasts during the first few weeks of November. It is such a great option for smaller families year-round nevermind the holidays.

1) If you can and want to, you can buy a bone-in turkey breast and debone it. Save that carcass for stock and your gravy.

2) This is the version of turkey where you can stuff it and won’t have to worry about safety. In the pic, you’ll note that I have 2 breasts with the stuffing in the middle. There are plenty of air gaps for that stuffing to cook vs. a whole turkey which is normally sealed up.

3) This option will cook much faster than a whole turkey. I would count on half the cooking time. I cooked this turkey breast at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half. I pulled it when the breast meat was about 160 degrees and let it rest for 30 minutes. Of course.. I brined it!

Eat.Drink.Savor.