Turkey-Cheese Soup

This is a full bodied, spicy soup that's perfect on a chilly night. The recipe is based on one from an April 1989 Bon Appetit that I finally made last night. Their recipe calls for pureeing the soup mixture after cooking the veggies, broth and wine and then pushing it through a fine mesh sieve. Since I decided to add ground turkey to my recipe, I thought that the smooth factor did not really apply. It worked out well and the texture was just fine.

Turkey-Cheese Soup

2 large carrots, peeled, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, peeled, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 small apple, cored, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 jalapenos, seeded
3 Tbsp butter
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb ground white meat turkey
6 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, process first 4 ingredients until finely minced.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add contents of work bowl and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and wine, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a small skillet, add ground turkey breaking up with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook until brown. Discard any liquid and set aside.
Place flour in bowl. Slowly whisk in half of milk, making a smooth paste. Add to veggie mix along with remaining milk and cooked turkey. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Stir in cheeses and cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper and serve in warm bowls.

Ranchero Stuffed Shells

Once upon a time in a land far, far away......Well, it wasn't all that far away, (it was Grandview after all), I had the perfect job. The perfect job for me, that is. I was the Associate Product Manager for the cooking line at The House of Lloyd. I was able to work with some of the best people ever and deal with food related items. I was involved in coming up with new products, testing the prototypes, writing up the use instructions and catalog descriptions and coming up with the recipes for the product and for the website. I was constantly going through cookbooks and magazines looking for recipes that I could rework and I have so many of those recipes still. The one I am posting is from that time. I reworked it , but will redo it again. The shell stuffing is perfect, but the sauce needs help.
I left my job at The House of Lloyd before they finally closed up. My boss there was the worst boss a person could ever dream of, seriously. I called her Ugzilla behind her back and lost a minute of my life each time I had to come face to face with her. It was really too bad because everyone else that worked there were incredible. "Diane" had some major issues, though and I could only take so much of her. I learned so much there and will always think of it as "my perfect job".

Ranchero Stuffed Shells

1 (16 oz) package jumbo pasta shells, cooked until barely tender
1 lb. ground turkey
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. cumin
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar, shredded
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper

For sauce, heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook until lightly browned. Add turkey and brown. Drain grease. Add tomatoes and green chiles, tomato paste, oregano, cilantro and cumin. Cook until heated through. Combine cheeses, eggs, chopped parsley and pepper in a bowl and stuff into shells. Place a layer of sauce in the bottoms of 2- 11x13 inch baking pans. Place shells, stuffed sides up into pans, keeping in one layer only. Spoon remaining sauce over shells, bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Roast Turkey w/ Garlic-Ancho Chili Paste

Since Thanksgiving is almost upon us, I thought I would post one of my favorite turkey recipes. I have been using this recipe for over ten years now, I adapted it from Bon Apitit. I'll be using a different recipe this year which I will post after preparing it, which I will not be doing until after Thanksgiving when my Mom is in town. I typically stuff this turkey with a quartered onion and some celery stalks, leaves and all, sometimes I will add a halved lemon and pour a can of chicken broth in the roasting pan.

Roast Turkey w/ Garlic-Ancho Chili Paste

3 large heads garlic
3 large ancho chilies, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, torn into pieces
1/2 olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. honey
1 17 to 18 lb. turkey, neck and giblets removed

For paste: Preheat oven to 350. Wrap garlic in foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Peel garlic and remove hard tips, place into 1/2 cup measuring cup to fill. Reserve any remaining garlic. Blend 1/2 cup in processor to form coarse puree.
Meanwhile, place chilies in small saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Simmer over medium low heat until soft and most of water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Add chili mixture, oil, cumin and honey to garlic in processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (This can be made 1 week ahead.)
For turkey: Rinse turkey and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Slide hand under skin of the breast to loosen. Spread 1/2 cup of paste over breast under skin. Run 2 tablespoons of paste over turkey. Reserve any remaining paste for the gravy. Tie legs to hold shape. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan.
Position rack in lowest third of preheated 325 degree oven. Roast turkey for 30 minutes, remove from oven and loosely tent with foil. Continue roasting until thermometer inserted in thickest past of thigh registers 180( about 2 hours and 20 minutes). Place turkey on platter. tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes.

Sloppy Joe Wraps

I came across this recipe in my newest issue of Saveur and thought it looked easy enough for a week night. I made mine with ground turkey instead of beef and then placed them into warm spelt tortillas with some shredded mozzarella. The only issue I had with the recipe was the amount of ground cloves. The recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon, which I thought sounded like too much and against my better judgement that is what I put in. Unless you absolutely love the flavor of cloves, I would suggest using only a 1/4 of a teaspoon. Cloves are so strong and half of the amount would be plenty. The recipe I post will have only a 1/4 teaspoon.

Sloppy Joe Wraps

2 Tbsp. butter

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. mustard

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pepper and cook until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned, 6-8 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, vinegar, sugar and cloves. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and dark, 25-30 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Makes six servings.