Turkey – Page 2 – The Food Wife

Moroccan-inspired Turkey or Chicken Soup

17th October 20212nd November 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

I LOVE this soup.

Itâ€™s a warming bowl which makes use of your stock and leftover breast meat from your roast. After Christmas itâ€™s perfect for any turkey still going but the spoils from a roast chicken are just as good at any time of year.

Make this in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, be careful not to burn the spices, and with no need to purÃ©e the soup, itâ€™ll be ready in half an hour!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon

1 heaped tsp ground cumin

1 heaped tsp ras al hanout

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1L chicken stock

1 tin butter beans or chickpeas, drained

150g cooked turkey/chicken breast , chopped

2 tsp cornflour, slackened in a little cold water

6 dried apricots, finely chopped (alternatively a small handful of sultanas)

1 tbsp date or pomegranate molasses (or use 1/2 tbsp honey)

Salt & pepper

Step 1: Sweat the onion in the oil over a medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and stir to stop it from catching. Then add the purÃ©e and spices and stir for 30 seconds.

Step 2: Add the stock and chopped tomatoes, along with the drained butter beans or chickpeas. Allow to cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes then add the shredded meat and chopped apricots and stir in the molasses and slackened cornflour to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Itâ€™s Christmassssss!

14th December 202015th December 2020
by thefoodwife

I thought Iâ€™d do a bumper post with links to some of my favourite recipes for this time of year. There will be savoury and sweet recipes and plenty of ideas for what to do with all that left over turkey!

If you fancy making your own mincemeat, but are looking for a slimmer version, why not try my Fat-Free Bramley Apple and Vintage Cider Mincemeat my latest batch had the addition of amaretto instead of the rum. Delicious. You can use it in my Mince â€˜Pieâ€™ Cupcakes with Custard Buttercream for a festive themed baked treat. On the theme of amaretto, if youâ€™re looking for an alternative showstopper dessert for the big day, take a look at The Food Wifeâ€™s Chocolate and Amaretto Italian Cheesecake. Make ahead and easily made gluten-free.

When it comes to the main event, my favourite part of the Christmas dinner is always the â€˜stuffingâ€™. Here is my take on it with my Pork and Pear Stuffing. This year Iâ€™ll be following the same principles but using dried apricots in place of the pear.

And after the 25th? Well you may well have a lot of left overs. We deliberately buy a bigger bird in order to create some exciting post Christmas meals such as a Vietnamese soup with a post-festive twist, my Turkey Pho or my sticky Korean Turkey Baos. If youâ€™re looking for less fuss then give my Turkey Tagine or Coronation Turkey a whirl.

If Turkey isnâ€™t your bag, then you may have bought a different joint. Pork or Beef will work wonders in my recipes for RagÃ¹.

And finally, wave goodbye to this year and see in the next with my New Year Rocky Road . It wonâ€™t disappoint (the rocky road, that is. I canâ€™t guarantee anything about 2021).

Thai-inspired Glass Noodle and Mince Salad

25th April 202010th May 2020
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

As the weather gets warmer, substantial salads are great as a main meal. This Thai-inspired noodle and mince salad ticks the box. The dressing has the unmistakable saltiness from pungent fish sauce and the mince is fragrant with ginger, lemongrass and, if you can get them, lime leaves.

Lime leaves come in pairs, so the four stipulated in the ingredients will actually look like eight leaves. These can be tricky to get hold of regularly. I buy a box from the frozen section of the Asian supermarket. Kept in the freezer these last a long time, and are on hand for whenever a recipe calls for them.

Ingredients:

For the mince:
1 tbsp (coconut) oil
750g lean mince (turkey or pork works well)
2 inches of ginger, peeled and grated
3 sticks of lemon grass, finely chopped
4 lime leaves, finely chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

For the salad:
200g glass noodles, soaked until soft and then drained
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Lettuce, shredded

For the dressing:
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp chilli flakes

Step 1: Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the mince and fry until browned and dry (there should be no liquid left in the pan).

Step 2: Add the ginger and lemongrass and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the lime leaves and soy sauce and stir through until the pan is dry again. Remove from the heat.

Step 3: Combine the dressing ingredients together.

Step 4: In a large bowl, toss the noodles, salad ingredients and dressing together. Serve.

Korean Turkey Bao

10th December 201910th December 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes enough sauce for 4 baos

Baos are essentially a light, fluffy steamed bread, that is folded to create a little pocket to fill with deliciousness.

You can find ready to steam bao buns in supermarkets nowadays. I still get mine from the freezer in the Chinese supermarket though, a more cost effective way if you need lots!

This is a good way to use up some of your leftover turkey. We had a bao feast last New Yearâ€™s Eve and this was one of the favourite fillings!

Ingredients:

1 heaped tbsp gochujang

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

To serve:

Shredded (cooked) turkey

Strips of cucumber

Strips of leek or spring onion

Steamed bao buns

Step 1: Combine the sauce ingredients. You will have a thick dark paste.

Step 2: Over a gentle heat mix the sauce and shredded turkey. Allow the turkey to warm through and the sauce to become sticky.

Step 3: Serve the spicy sticky turkey in freshly steamed bao buns with strips of crunchy cucumber and leeks.

Turkey Pho

7th December 20197th December 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Hereâ€™s a little something different to try with your leftovers this Christmas. Utilising your leftover meat and stock, you can create a light but filling Vietnamese soup.

Ingredients for the broth:

1 L turkey stock

25g sugar (I used coconut sugar)

10 star anise

1 black cardamomÂ

2 large pieces of cinnamon or cassia bark

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercornsÂ

4 cloves

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp fish sauce

For the bowls:

100g pho noodles (I used flat rice noodles) cooked (by soaking in boiled water for a few minutes)

2 handfuls of beansprouts

1 pak choi, shredded into 1/2 cm pieces

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 small handfuls of cooked turkey meat, shredded/roughly chopped (I used the dark meat)

Coriander and basil, roughly chopped

1/2 lime

Step 1: Place all the ingredients for the broth (except the fish sauce) in a lidded sauce pan and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. (You can either put all the aromats in a muslin or be prepared to sieve these out at the end).

Step 2: Add the fish sauce and check seasoning. Add ground pepper and sugar as required.

Step 3: In each serving bowl place the cooked noodles followed by the spring onion, chilli, bean sprouts, pak choi, turkey and herbs.

Step 4: When ready to serve either remove the muslin, or sieve out the aromats before ladling the broth over everything in the bowls. Serve with a wedge of lime.