Turkey and Wild Rice Soup (great for leftover turkey!)

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup (great for leftover turkey!)
Serves around 12

I just got an order from them with a handful of imps, so I don't need any more. But here's a recipe anyway in the spirit of Thanksgiving feasting.......

4 to 5 (10.75 oz each) cans condensed chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup wild rice
     (I use a package of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild rice, and use their spice packet)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (I use 2 bunches of green onions)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup whole kernel corn ( I usually use a whole pkg of the frozen one - the smaller pkg)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups half and half (the fat free one works fine)
2 to 3 cups cubed turkey or chicken (cooked)
8 slices bacon - fried crisp and crumbled
3 tbsp. diced pimento

Add the Rice ( I use original or the herb one) to the chicken broth and water in a large pan Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min. Add veggies and turkey.

In separate pan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and stir till bubbly Add in poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and the half  & half. When smooth and bubbly add to the rice mixture, stirring constantly until well blended. Simmer 30 minutes.

christyhco
(11/22/07)

Read More

How to Cook Wild Turkey Breast from Mary

How to Cook Wild Turkey Breast from Mary

Here's what we did with a wild turkey breast. Can't get much leaner than that. I guess for your goose, I don't think I'd roast it whole. Maybe a braised treatment, still keeping it rare, browning a bit at the end after rubbing with butter and sprinkling on some flour.

Anyway, here's how we did turkey breast: floured, then dipped in beaten egg, then grated parmesan cheese, and/or shredded veggies, like onion/carrot/celery, shredded extremely thin.

This is what we did with a wild turkey breast: maybe both the veggies and the parmesan cheese. Roasted carefully, until the juices were just the palest of pink, when the breast was pierced with a skewer used for stuffing.

Boneless breast, wrapped in bacon, grilled until rare.

Sounds delicious however you cook it.

Mary
(11/26/03)

Read More

Italian Wedding Soup 2

Italian Wedding Soup 2

Here's my version of Italian Wedding soup, just made today, and pretty damn tasty, if I say so myself. Pretty low fat as well.

Meatballs:
2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
2 eggs
1/2 cup Italian flavored breadcrumbs
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, pref. imported sheep's milk variety
milk for moistening
2 tsp Penzey's Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
liberal grindings of black pepper

Mix all ingredients except milk together in a bowl. Moisten with milk (about 1/3 cup or so). Mixture will be soft and very sticky and will not easily form balls. Don't worry.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and drop meatballs by spoonful into pan, in batches. Don't attempt to turn them until they are cooked on the bottom. Cook them on both sides. They need not be cooked through as you will finish them in the soup. Set aside in fridge while you make the rest of the soup.

Soup
3 quarts chicken stock
3 good sized onions, chopped
at least a ball of garlic, chopped
2 large bunches of escarole thoroughly washed (it can be sandy) and cut into chiffonade
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, pref. imported, with juices
1 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh thyme (I happened to have some of this lying about, you don't really need it, but don't omit the rosemary)
1/2 cup prepared pesto, or one cup fresh basil leaves chopped generous pinch dried oregano, but don't go overboard
2 cans white cannellini beans, drained thoroughly

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Add escarole, which should be a bit damp from washing. Toss around for a minute, then put the lid on and sweat for a few minutes until thoroughly wilted. Add stock, tomatoes (crush them up with your hands before adding to the soup), wine, and all herbs except for the basil or pesto. Add meatballs and beans and simmer one hour.

About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the pesto. Liberally grind black pepper over and correct for salt.

Serve over cooked pasta -- mini penne, ditalini or anying med small and stubby, with plenty of real (not in the can) Romano or Parmesan.

Carolyn
(3/23/03)

Read More

Chicken or Turkey Casserole

Chicken or Turkey Casserole

Grease a 3 quart casserole

• 3 cups homemade white sauce (thick or thin, a lot or a little as you prefer)
• leftover chicken or turkey - 1-2 cups cubed
• 1 lb pasta cooked until not quite al dente (I like spinach fettuccine best)
• 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms (or a can, drained)
• 1 small yellow onion minced
• 3 tbsp. olive oil (if not using grease of bacon below)
• 3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
• 3-6 large cloves garlic crushed (shallots are nice here too)
• 1 bunch or 1 pkg frozen leaf spinach, cooked and well drained
• salt
• pepper
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

While cooking the pasta, sauté the onion in olive oil (or bacon drippings if you don't worry about fat) when translucent, add garlic and then mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are almost tender and onion is lightly browned. At this point you have two options depending on your cooking style - you can set this aside and make a butter/flour roux to make a white sauce or add a bit more fat to this sautéed mixture, add flour and then milk to make your white sauce. I usually do the latter to save time and pot mess. At the end, add salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne to taste.

Drain pasta. Put about 1/4 of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the casserole. Layer pasta, spinach, cubed poultry and sauce mixture (or onion/mushroom mixture first then sauce) in 2 or 3 layers depending on the depth of the dish used, ending with a layer of sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired.

Bake uncovered at 350° F for 25-40 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and top is golden.

Yum. You can adjust amounts to suit your family's taste. Mine likes stuff saucy so I make a good amount of white sauce. You can use more chicken. You can omit the mushrooms. You can substitute barely steamed broccoli for the spinach (but don't overcook it before adding to the casserole or it will be mushy and yuck) The bacon adds something but can be omitted if you don't have any or are being careful of fat content.

Joy
(2/19/02)

Read More

Garlic Gamehens

Garlic Gamehens
Serves 2

For those who consider garlic a vegetable not a spice.. Modified a garlic chicken recipe I had. Had it as a special dinner tonight. Was WONDERFUL!

• 2 rock Cornish game hens
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups garlic cloves, whole but peeled
• some butter
• tarragon
• sage
• rosemary

Stuff the hens with the garlic cloves, (next time I'll microwave the garlic a bit first to be sure it is cooked when the hens are done) melt a little butter and add the other spices. Brush the hens with the spice butter cook until done uncovered in a medium oven (I don't know how long I use a meat thermometer and cook to 185° F internal temp)

Squish garlic cloves over fresh baked bread to eat with the hens. (I made a whole wheat bread, but a sourdough would work well too or even biscuits)

Serve with 1 bottle of a nice medium red wine (yeah I know but the garlic cries for red not white wine, besides the neighbors make a wonderful Pinot Noir that goes great with this)

Oogie McGuire
(10/21/01)

Read More

Czarnina (Duck's Blood Soup)

Czarnina is the correct spelling for the duck soup and here is the recipe I have, even though I don't make it:

Czarnina (Duck's Blood Soup)
1 duck cut up
1 lg. onion, held together with toothpick

Bouquet garni: 5-8 whole allspice, 4-6 whole cloves, 1 tsp mustard seed, 1 lg.
bay leaf, 1-3" cinnamon stick, tied in a cheese cloth bag

1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup raisins
1 small apple, chopped
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup ducks blood

Cover duck with water, bring to boil. Skim off foam. Add spices wrapped in cheesecloth, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat about 2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove meat and bones from soup.

Cut up meat and return to soup. Add prunes, raisins, and apple. Cook 20 more minutes. Stain 3 cups broth from soup; cool before adding blood mixture. If broth is cool, it is not as apt to curdle when the blood mixture is added.

To prepare blood mixture:
Mix about 2-4 tbsp flour and 1 cup of blood to form a smooth paste. Add cooled broth a little at a time to make a smooth mixture. When the flour, blood, and broth reach pour-able consistency, add slowly to soup in kettle; stir constantly but gently. Serve with kluski noodles. Don't let soup come to a boil when reheating.

Good luck with this recipe. As far as finding ducks blood, if you live near Toledo Ohio, I can tell you where to buy it but anywhere else, I am not sure. If you live near a city, look for a meat market that makes and sells their own kielbasa and fresh duck or someone that raises and processes their own ducks. DH says his mother used to buy the duck and get the blood herself but I won't go into any details! Polish people did not waste even the smallest amount of any foods, everything was used. The only thing that I make is Polish coffee cake which is a cross between a coffee cake and bread. Maybe one day I will make this soup!

Sandy C
(1/3/00)

Read More

Czarnina 2 (Duck's Blood Soup)

Czarnina 2 (Duck's Blood Soup)

Duck Blood
1-2 tbsp sugar, if desired
1 pkg. neck bones or spareribs
handful of raisins, (optional)
1/2 box prunes
neck and giblets of duck
1 apple, peeled and quartered
2 carrots
1/4 small jar of vinegar
1 stalk celery
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour

Bring water to a boil, add neck bones or spareribs, giblets and neck. Add carrots and celery, salt and pepper. Cook until tender.

Remove all meat, carrots and celery. Add fruit.

Put flour in bowl and work in blood with vinegar. Add to soup gradually as not to curdle. Stir constantly. Add sugar, if desired.

Enjoy!

Peggy
(1/2/00)

Read More