Conference turris::cooks

    	This dish is tasty and fairly low-calorie.  4 oz of the meat
    plus 1/4 of the veggies and sauce should be under 300 calories,
    qualifying this dish for Lean Cuisine!
    
    	2 turkey thighs (about 2 - 2 1/2 lbs) (or one large thigh,
    		or a whole leg...)
    	2 medium onions
    	4 cloves of garlic (I like garlic, tone it down if you are less
    		fond of garlic)
    	1 16 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, or one can of stewed
    		tomatoes
    	Your favorite tomato sauce herbs - I used
    		1T parsley
    		1T basil
    		1T oregano all crushed together.
	[Optional: 1T to 1/4 of red cooking wine.]
	[Optional: 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms.]
                
    Remove the skin and all the fat you can from the turkey.  Remove
    the bones.  Arrange turkey in an oven/microwave safe casserole
    (I used a 9x9 2 Qt casserole).  It should cover the bottom in about
    a 1 inch thick layer.
    
    Chop the onions and spread them over the turkey.  Mince the garlic
    and put it evenly over the onions.  [Add the mushrooms.]
    Slice the tomatoes (if you're not using the stewed ones, which
    usually come sliced) and add the herbs [and wine] to them.  Pour
    tomatoes over the turkey.  Cover the dish.
    
    Microwave on a turntable for about 25 minutes.  About halfway through
    the cooking, take the pan out and turn the turkey pieces around
    so that the parts that were in the middle of the pan are now near
    the edges, so that they will cook evenly.  If you don't have a
    microwave turntable, turn the dish a quarter turn about every 5
    minutes.
    
    You could cook this in the oven too - I'd expect it'd take about
    an hour and  a half.
    
    Serve over spaghetti - Serves 4 to 6.

    This recipe comes from the Better Home and Gardens Low Calorie
    recipes magazine.  They did an entire article on Turkey parts,
    which is what got me started.  This one was delicious and different.
    
    1 2- to 2 1/2 lb turkey hindquarter (thigh and drumstick)
    1 small apple, cored and chopped
    1 scallion, chopped (green onion - sd be about 2Tbsp)
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 tsp curry powder
    1/2 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules
    1/8 tsp ground ginger
    dash ground red pepper
    1 2 1/2 oz jar sliced mushrooms (I used 1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms)
    2 tsp cornstarch
    1 tsp parsley
    2 cups hot cooked rice
    
    Skin the turkey.  Place in 12x7x2 inch baking dish.  In small pot
    combine apple, onion, garlic, curry, bouillon, ginger, pepper and
    1/2 cup water.  Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.  Pour over
    turkey.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake in 350 deg oven for 1 to
    1 1/2 hours or until tender.
    
    Remove turkey to a warm serving platter and cover.  Pour pan juices
    into a small saucepan.  Drain mushrooms reserving 2 Tbsp liquid.
     Combine the mushroom liquid and cornstarch; stir into pan juices.
    Cook, stirring, over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Stir
    in mushrooms and parsley; cook stirring 2 min more.  Spoon some
    of the sauce over the meat; pass the remaining sauce.  Serve with
    hot rice.  Makes 4 servings.  371 calories apiece.  223 mg sodium.
    102 mg cholesterol.  37 g protein, 33g carb., 9g fat.

    This is definitely not low calorie...
    
    Country Fried Turkey
    
    Turkey thighs (one per person)
    flour
    pepper
    oil
    
    set electric fry pan to 350 degrees.  Put about 1" of oil in bottom.
    Mix pepper into flour,wet turkey parts and drip in flour.  Place
    in hot oil,cover and cook about 10-15 minutes on each side.  Remove
    lid and cook until nicely browned. This can be cooked either with
    the skin on or removed. 

    
    	This is even more fattening! Use the last recipe except soak
    the turkey or chicken in buttermilk for an hour or so. It makes
    a wonderful batter.
    
    Linda
    

I use turkey parts (primarily "ties" as Justin Wilson calls 'em) for lots of 
stuff.  Instead of chicken in stir fries, instead of beef in curry, sliced, 
and pounded and used for Turkey Marsala, or for Turkey Kiev.  One of my 
favorite quickies is to cut the turkey into bite sized chunks with an 
assortment of veggies, wrap in foil with a Tbps of Hoisin sauce and a dash of 
rice vinegar, and cook for 15 minutes on a grill.

						     
							- JP

    On the simple side: throw a pair of turkey thighs into your favorite
    roasting pan skin side up, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika, and
    roast as you would any poultry. Baste it two or three times with a
    sauce made by mixing white wine and Dijon mustard. (I use about a
    quarter of a cup of mustard and half a cup of white wine, but you can
    adjust it to your tastes.) It takes a little less time to bake than
    a chicken of the same weight. 
    
    --bonnie
     

Turkey cutlets make for real easy stir frys.  They can be cut into small bits
or strips much easier that most meats, since the butcher has done most of the
cutting already (and you paid for it).  You can also use boneless breasts or
the tenderloins, or get a whole breast and bone it yourself. 

The chunks can be stir fried with snow peas and mushrooms with a bit of hoisin.
Or can be done with a spicy chili garlic paste added, or with lots of garlic
pieces and broccoli, or...

Besides stir fry, you can use chunks in chili, or in spaghetti sauce, or in 
meat loaf (beef or ground turket style) to provide a different texture.  You
can poach it, bake it, or braise it, then slice and serve with a sauce.  Or
shred it and use the meat in burritos or fajitas.  Or cut holes into it and
put minced garlic and herbs, then slow cook it in some bbq sauce, or stock.

If you bone your own, use the bones to make a bit of stock to enhance the sauces
you put over it.

One of my fave's is to poach it, with some carrots and celery, then dice, add
some cooked potatoes, and peas, make a sauce out of the poaching liquid, and
cover the whole thing with an herbed bisquick crust.  Bake till the crust 
browns and you have the best "pot pie" going.  Or you can mix the ingredients in
a large pot, and top with bisquick (or homemade) dumplings.

... Ya can't do all this with an eagle!

							-JP

    Turkey cutlets - marinate them in your favorite marinade - then
    barbecue, (or broil if the cold is too much for you!).  They
    don't take too ong to cook, so keep an eye on them.  This is a favorite
    in our house.
    
    Use them as you would boneless chicken breasts - stuff them with:
    stuffing, or veggies, or ham and cheese, or crabmeat and cheese,
    or whatever.  Put a white sauce over them; use a gravy made from
    stock.
    
    Turkey - a versatile food !
    
    

 A relatively easy but tasty way to cook turkey, chicken or veal cutlets is
as follows:

 Flatten the cutlets with an appropriate tool. Pat dry. Roll in flour seasoned
with lemon pepper and salt. Tap gently to know off excess flour. Dip in slightly
beaten egg, then roll in bread crumbs seasoned with Paul Prudhomme's poultry
magic (cajun) spices, and a bit of dry mustard. Allow the cutlets to set for
at least 20 minutes on a rack or plate; don't stack or they won't dry properly.

 Cook in 1/4" of butter and olive mixture, heated to the fragrance point. Shake
the pan frequently to prevent sticking. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, then
flip. Take a lemon and slice enough slices so that each cutlet will have a
1/4-3/8" slice. Use the end of the lemon to squeeze over the cutlets in the
pan, getting some on each cutlet and the rest in the butter/olive oil mixture.
Remove from the pan, place on a heated platter, and garnish with the lemon 
slices (add a piece or two of parsely if you feel fancy).

 It's quite delicious. (I made it with veal on saturday and chicken breast on
wednesday.) :-)

 The Doctah

PS- I find this to be sufficiently flavorful to not require a dipping sauce,
but if you like dipping sauces, one based on a dijon mustard would go quite
nicely.

    
    Pound the cutlet until thin, lightly dredge in flour and broil until
    almost done.  Finish cooking in a saute pan with olive oil and a
    tablespoon of vinegar.  Top with barely-warm homemade salsa.
    
    Mike

    Well, gee all these cutlet recipes are great, but what about roasting a
    whole breast?  I have one recipe that you put some herbs under the skin
    and roast, is that my best bet?  Could I follow a recipe for a whole
    turkey and just reduce the amount of the marinade?  I got a great deal
    on this and want to do something special.
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    Jennifer

>    Well, gee all these cutlet recipes are great, but what about roasting a
>    whole breast?  I have one recipe that you put some herbs under the skin
>    and roast, is that my best bet?  Could I follow a recipe for a whole
>    turkey and just reduce the amount of the marinade?  I got a great deal
>    on this and want to do something special.
    
my favorite part!  I make up a stuffing mixture using bread crumbs, butter,
diced onion, diced celery, poultry seasoning to taste, additional rubbed
sage to taste, and just enough broth to moisten well.  Slip a nice 1" layer
of the stuffing up under the skin to keep the meat moist - it will tend
to dry out if you aren't vigilent - and bake the rest of the stuffing in
a casserole dish with more butter dotted over the top.  Roast the bird,
with 1 cup of white wine or apple cider in the bottom of the pan, basting 
every 30 minutes:

		1st basting - melted butter
		2nd basting - melted butter
		3rd basting - juices from the roasting pan
		4th basting - juices from the roasting pan
			.
			.
			.
Follow the package directions for roasting time - I think I remember it
being approx. 25 mins/lb of meat at 325 degrees F.  Be sure and baste often
or your meat will be dry.  The stuffing under the skin helps keep it moist and 
tasty - I use a lot of butter or margarine in the stuffing.

Check the temp of the breast meat with a meat thermometer 30 minutes before
you think it will be done - ovens may vary.

I remove the meat when done and cover with a tent of foil to keep warm,
then use the pan drippings to make a gravy.  The gravy served over meat
and stuffing, a nice salad with lots of crunch and a nice, refreshing
vinegarette dressing, white wine, and a light dessert - voilla! you have
one of my favorite dinners.

    I have cook a whole breast several times and I found that if you place
    the breast in a rack upside down the meat doesn't dry out and it is 
    easier to stuff.

I agree with that, I also roast chickens with the breast down and it is 
much juicier.

dana

    If I decided to follow the stuffed breast recipe, that is put stuffing
    under the skin, and then cooked it upside-down, will it affect the
    stuffing and/or presentation?

>    If I decided to follow the stuffed breast recipe, that is put stuffing
>    under the skin, and then cooked it upside-down, will it affect the
>    stuffing and/or presentation?

if you flip the breast over in the last hour or so of roasting, the skin
will get nice and browned and still look wonderful.  The stuffing under
the skin will survive well also.  It is quite a good idea....I'm using
it the next time I roast a breast for sure.

Final note:  don't slice the meat until it has rested at least 15 minutes.
It may sound silly, but it really makes a difference on the moistness of
the meat.

    I'm amazed there's no note dedicated to using up leftover turkey!  Oh
    well, this is a reasonable place to add this recipe.
    
    This is a delicious and different barbeque recipe.  I like the texture
    and flavor of dark turkey meat in this dish.  Dark meat is less
    "prized" than white meat in our household, and this is the tastiest use
    for it I've found yet.
    
			Gingered Turkey Barbeque
			------------------------

1 lb cooked turkey meat, shredded
1 T canola oil
1/2 C diced green bell pepper
1/2 C diced yellow onion
2 t minced garlic
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground allspice
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 C ketchup (I use low-sodium ketchup, to cut down on saltiness)
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/4 C honey
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T minced fresh ginger

8 sandwich rolls

1) Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add green
pepper, onion, garlic, coriander, allspice, and red pepper flakes.  Saute for 5
minutes.

2) Add ketchup, lemon juice, honey, Worcestershire sauce, and ginger.  Simmer
10 minutes over medium heat, stirring a few times.  Add turkey; reduce heat to
low and cook an additional 10 minutes.
                                          
3) Serve atop 8 toasted rolls, dividing evenly.