So far, I have made Turkey & Cranberry Ravioli, Turkey-Tomatillo Soup and Turkey Green Curry. I have one more zip lock bag full of diced turkey in the freezer and I am looking for ideas. Help!
Below are the recipes for the soup and the curry that I came up with. They were both sort of spur of the moment dishes, so I’ve recounted them to the best of my recollection. Should be close enough.
Turkey & Tomatillo Soup
12 tomatillos, husks and cores removed
1 1/2 cups diced, cooked turkey
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 – 2 cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)
1 white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
1 jalapeno, diced
1 can of black beans, drained
1/2 tbsp of your favorite Mexican spice blend (ideas — a mix of cumin, Mexican oregano, red pepper flakes & dried cilantro flakes)
2-3 tomatoes, diced
cilantro leaves and lime wedges for garnish
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, tomatillo, garlic and jalapeno. Let cook about 10 minutes until onions are nice and soft and the tomatillos start to break down. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
Next, add in the turkey, black beans and sweet potatoes. Give it about 10 more minutes to let the potatoes cook. Stir in the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro and lime and wedges. Eat with plenty of tortilla chips.
Turkey Green Curry
1 can of lite coconut milk
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced turkey
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 tbsp green curry paste
1 onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup turkey stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and drained of excess water
salt
cilantro leaves & plain yogurt for garnish
cooked basmati rice
For this one, sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil. Then I added the cumin seeds and the green curry paste. Let that cook for about a minute then add the coconut milk, tumeric and stock. Add the spinach and bring to a simmer and let cook for about 5-6 minutes.
Next, add in the lentils. Cook until lentils are soft — about 15 – 20 minutes. Mix in the diced turkey, the raisins and then a little salt. Taste and adjust salt and green curry paste content. Serve in bowls over cooked basmati rice with some yogurt and cilantro leaves for garnish.
I did the simplest Turkey Layered Enchiladas– used layers of corn tortillas, canned enchilada sauce, chopped onions, corn and olives, and shredded turkey, then topped with a little cheese and popped in the oven at 350 until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes).
Then I fed it to my housemates. Bwahaha.
Mary Sue: That sounds pretty good to me 🙂
But, damn it, that’s what we need. More people in the house to eat the turkey! The cats don’t count — although, I do slip them little bites of the turkey pieces on ocassion. Hey! It all adds up!
Suggestion: Turkey in mole sauce is quite good.
We have not had ours yet. But I’m certainly getting a lot of ideas online — for dishes I never dreamed of with turkey. Thanks!
Hmmmm…we just had some turkey enchiladas before Thanksgiving, (which are always good!!), so I am digging this turkey mole idea. 🙂
My mom was in town and she rolled up in salad rolls for two straight days. I never thought turkey leg meat goi cuon could be so good.
We then stripped the carcass of meat and used the bones to make broth for bun rieu – a Vietnamese soup with shrimp paste, fresh shrimp and squid, tomatoes, mint, cilantro and rice noodles.
GC: mmmmmm…that soup sounds really good!
So, for those keeping track, I decided to go with the turkey mole idea. Not homemade though, I used some of the Trader Joe’s red mole, spinach, the last of the leftover turkey, corn and onion. Kind of like a mole stew over brown rice with some cilantro, cheese and plain yogurt. Not bad at all! 🙂