Cumin Pasta with Turkey, Black Bean, and Corn Sauce

As I mentioned in a prior post, I wanted to try my hand at cumin pasta after I had a really wonderful meal and Gravity Bar and Grill. In all, I'd say it was a huge success! The sauce portion of the recipe isn't very specific when it comes to the seasonings because (a) we don't measure a lot when it comes to spices, and (b) V did most of it! I've been forcing V to do a lot more of the cooking as he was commenting not too long ago that he thinks he knows a lot of concepts but isn't sure about the execution. Well, the boy's got skills! I can just add this to the long list of reasons I'm glad I'm married to him!


Pasta
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C white flour
1 T roasted Cumin
1 t Red Pepper
1/4 t salt
2 large eggs
1 T water

Sauce
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, also diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 package ground turkey
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn
Salt
Black pepper
Chili powder
Paprika
Cumin
Red pepper
Oregano
Chipotle Tobasco

Instructions
Place whole wheat flour, white flour, spices, eggs, water, and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and mix 30 seconds.

Exchange flat beater for dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead 2 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and hand knead for 1-2 minutes. Divide dough into four pieces and let rest before processing with pasta sheet roller attachment. Roll and cut pasta (keep in mind you probably won't get it as thin as white flour only pasta!).

In a large sauce pan, cook the onion, red pepper, and garlic until they start to turn translucent. Add the turkey, and cook until brown. Next, add the tomatoes, black beans, and corn, and season to taste. I like to then let the sauce simmer while I cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water. I only managed to get my pasta to a 4 on my Kitchenaid attachment before the wheat flour started giving me trouble, so I had to cook the pasta for about 9 - 10 minutes.

The dish I had at Gravity was very cheesy, almost like a mac and cheese, I'm guessing with Velveeta. We happened to have some hanging out in our fridge, so I grated a little bit of it to put on the pasta. It turned out to be just the right amount to give it a silky smooth cheesy taste without making the dish too heavy. In all, I think the dish turned out to be pretty close to the one I loved at Gravity, but was a bit more of an "everyday" kind of meal. This one is definitely a keeper!

Turkey and Portobello "Burgers"

I was looking around for things to do with ground turkey because we got some at Costco, and turkey there comes as 4 containers packaged together. So we have enough ground turkey to last for a while! I came across as recipe for Mediterranean Style Burgers with Caper Yogurt Sauce and Portobello on the Jennie-O website (self-proclaimed "Turkey Store), but I didn't care for some of it, so I was planning on changing some of the spices and the sauce. Turns out I ended up changing more than that because when I went to cook dinner Wednesday, the middle of the pack of ground turkey was still frozen! Oops! But it all worked out ok in the end, and we enjoyed a very tasty dinner and will definitely put this recipe on the "Keep" list!

Ingredients
"Burger"
12 Medium sized portobello mushrooms
1 20 oz Package ground turkey
2 T Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Red onion, diced
1/2 Red pepper, diced
2 Cloves of garlic, minced fine
Salt
Pepper
Dill (dried)
Parsley (dried)

Sauce
12 oz Greek yogurt
2 T Yellow mustard
2 T Honey mustard
2 T Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Dill

Directions
Heat olive oil large skillet and saute the onion, red pepper, and garlic with a pinch of salt. Add the turkey to the skillet along with a little black pepper and dill and parsley to taste and cook through.

Remove the turkey from the skillet and set aside, returning the skillet to medium heat. Brush mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms in the skillet until they just begin to soften.

To make the sauce, whisk together yogurt, mustards, vinegar, and seasonings in a small mixing bowl

To serve, arrange 3 mushrooms on a plate. Top with 1/4 of the turkey mixture, then sauce. Enjoy!

New World Chili

Ingredients

• 1 lb. turkey breast tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or pumpkin
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded fresh spinach
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers, shredded (1 cup)

Directions

1. In a 5-quart slow cooker combine turkey, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, squash, onion, the 1/2 cup chicken broth, corn, cranberries, jalapeño pepper, chili powder, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. If desired, stir in additional broth to reach desired consistency. Stir in spinach just before serving. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Ingredients

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine: 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon vegetable stock 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger 1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics: 1 red apple, sliced 1/2 onion, sliced 1 cinnamon stick 1 cup water 4 sprigs rosemary 6 leaves sage Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

South of the Boarder Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons of Chili powder

2 Tablespoons of Cumin

2 cups sour cream

16 oz. rotini noodles

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper

Directions
In a large skillet, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Add chili powder and cumin, cook for about 30 seconds. Turn the stove to medium. Add the can of tomatoes. Add the sour cream. Stir until everything is mixed. Add pasta and mix it in.

Cover and cook until pasta is al-dente, about 25 minutes, make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn’t get stuck to the bottom.

To serve, top with the cheese.

From A Taste of Home Cooking

Braised Dark Meat Turkey over Egg Noodles

Ingredients 4 to 5 pounds turkey wings and drumsticks
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 stalks celery, bottoms and tips removed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 ounces tomato paste
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar
12 ounces ale or good lager beer
6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup pitted oil-cured olives
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
Cooked egg noodles, for serving

Directions
Generously salt and pepper the turkey.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the turkey wings and drumsticks and brown as evenly as possible all over. Do this in batches if necessary.

Once browned, remove the turkey from the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-high and then add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is mixed in. Then add all the remaining ingredients, except the olives and rosemary, and stir until everything is incorporated. Bring this liquid to a simmer, then add the turkey back to the pot, along with the olives and rosemary, and bring to a simmer. Cook about 3 to 3 1/2 hours over a low flame at a low simmer until the turkey meat falls off the bone easily with just a little nudge from a fork. Remove rosemary sprigs and serve over hot egg noodles.

From Food Network