Better Flavor With No Hassle (Turkey Stock, Braised Brussel Sprouts)

Just a quick note here, since Thanksgiving is here and for some reason I took a catering gig on Friday.  The Fresh Fun Foods kitchen is a busy place and the Fresh Fun Foods fridge is stuffed to the gills.  When you are cooking tomorrow, be sure to make a quick turkey stock from the neck and wing tips of the bird.  Use peelings for flavor.  Why throw them out?  That’s what chefs do.  There is really nothing that you can do to help out your meal like making stock and using it in your gravy, to baste the turkey and to braise brussel sprouts.  

Turkey Stock

turkey neck and wing tips

1 gallon cold water

1/2 cup onion peelings

1/2 cup carrot peelings

the trimmings from celery, bottom and leaves

1 clove garlic, crushed

pinch fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

This is a quick stock where clarity is not paramount, so we’ll take a few shortcuts.  It will be perfect for our Thanksgiving needs. 

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot.  Turn the heat on medium and bring the stock to a simmer in about 30 minutes.  Skim off the froth that rises to the top.  Reduce the heat and simmer lightly for 60 minutes.  Strain the stock through a fine strainer and pick the meat from the neck to chop and use in your gravy.

Baste your turkey with this stock by pouring a 1/2 cup over the turkey every 30 minutes (or when you think about it).  This way, you will have a deeply caramelized bird and a pre reduced pan juice to magically turn into gravy using Grandma’s flawed recipe.  At least this way you’ll have concentrated flavor to start out. 

Additionally, consider braising your brussel sprouts in turkey stock.  Score the bottom of the sprouts and blanch them as you normally do.  In the mean time, peel and chop a carrot and some onion.  Sauté them in a large pan.  Maybe add some bacon?  Drain the sprouts and add them to the pan, season with salt and plenty of fresh black pepper.  Cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inch of stock and braise them uncovered in a 350° oven for 20 minutes. You can do everything except the braising the day before.  Resist the temptation to roll sprouts in olive oil and char them all to hell in a blazing oven.  I don’t know where this came from.  It is a poor technique that produces dried out veg coated in bitter ashes.  Drizzling them with Balsamic vinegar doesn’t make you Mario Batali.

…and no matter what the experts say about brining turkeys, don’t do it.  It’s evil, immoral and wrong, a tacky fashionable trend that ruins the pan juices that you need to make a proper gravy.  Just use a thermometer and take the turkey out when it reads 160°.  Rest the thing for 20 minutes before carving.  That’ll give you plenty of time to eat the crispiest skin before your jerk brother does.

Gluten Free (yogurt marinated turkey legs, red lentil dal)

A number of readers have suggested that I post some gluten free recipes.  Actually, by accident, I already have, for example the chili and salsa recipe and any of the soups, as long as they are thickened with potatoes, rice, beans or lentils.  The bean cakes with fennel and tomato stew would also work. 

Gluten free has really not been on my French cooking radar.  No one in our family has celiac disease.  According to Rachael Ray, only one percent of Americans do.  You should fact check her.  I don’t trust perky.  Looking back at the recipes that I’ve posted, it seems that I already have a good handle on cooking without gluten, although I felt that I had to do a bit of research.  You are going to be along for the ride. 

That ride took an early, ugly turn.  A friend posted a link that screamed, “NO DOUGH PIZZA!!!!!!! This one is a WINNER!!!! Gluten Free, Low Carb, Diabetic Friendly!!!!!!”  While it is gluten free, the recipe is neither low carb nor diabetic friendly.  A brick of cream cheese has a lot of carbs, is fulla fat and carries a trashy glycemic index.  Instead of using a crust, the author suggests putting your sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni on a base of cream cheese and grated parm with eggs whipped in.  Here’s the thing.  If you don’t have celiac disease or a gluten allergy, a gluten free diet may not be of much value.  It isn’t necessarily going to help you drop weight, especially if you make pizza on cheesecake instead of the standard crust.  Gang, use your head.  Some common sense recipe adjustments will help those on a gluten free diet stay healthy.  We'll work this out together. 

Oh, and stay away from those interwebs.  It is a crazy place.

As always, our guide will be that the food has to taste good.  That’s why today I’m suggesting two recipes that are gluten free, flavorful and guaranteed to make you  happy.  Additionally, the Fresh Fun Food blog is all about being cheap.  Turkey legs cost a buck each and the lentils go about fifteen cents a portion.  You’ll be able to feed four friends for well under ten dollars. 

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Grilled Curried Turkey Legs

2 fresh turkey legs

2 cups yogurt (yes, make your own)

3 tbs. curry powder

1 tbs. sweet paprika

3 tbs. grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

salt and black pepper

Choose the freshest turkey legs.  Frozen do not grill well.

Debone the legs, separating the meat, bones and tendons.  Leave the skin on.  If you are uncomfortable boning the legs, ask you butcher to help out.  Lansdale Meats and Deli is the place I go to.

Here's what you'll need to marinate the legs.

Combine everything in a large mixing bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

The marinade should cover the turkey.

Cover the legs with plastic.  Marinate them for an hour or maybe over night in the refrigerator.

Preheat the broiler to high.  Raise the rack so that you can broil the legs about 6 inches from the flame.  Place the marinated legs on a broiler pan or baking sheet.  Broil for 5 minutes, turn, then broil on the other side for an additional 5 minutes.

When the legs are cooked through,

to 165°F, remove them from the broiler and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

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Red Lentil Dal

1 cup red lentils, washed

2 cups water

2 tbs. onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. unsalted butter

salt and black pepper

Heat a 2 quart pot, add the butter.  When the butter melts,

sauté onions and garlic until transparent.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add the water, bring the dal to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

After simmering, the dal will be the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.  If you would like the dal to be thinner, bring it back up to heat and add 1/2 cup of water.

 

I served the sliced curried turkey legs with the red lentil dal and fresh spinach that had been quickly sautéed in butter.  One leg will serve two hungry people.