Turkey Meatballs

After four tries, I've finally come up with the perfect, flavorful and juicy turkey meatballs. Yes, you heard right: turkey. I believe that the key to these meatballs are fresh breadcrumbs, none of that store bought stuff. I also think that the cheese adds additional creaminess. The recipe is a combination of a Dave Baggs ground beef meatball recipe slightly altered by me. The reason I do turkey instead of ground beef is because there are members in my family that don't eat red meat.

Use these turkey meatballs in a meatball sub and top with your favorite marinara sauce or use them in spaghetti (make it whole wheat spaghetti if you want to add more fiber and protein to your diet) and you will have yourself a really good, hearty meal and you won't even miss the ground beef!

INGREDIENTS (makes 24 to 28 meatballs)

• 2 to 2-1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes or 4 Tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh, soft breadcrumbs
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until they are well distributed. Don't worry about overmixing. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the breadcrumbs absorb all the flavors.

Form turkey mixture into golf-sized meatballs.

Place them in a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs over and bake another 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. At this point you can store them and use them the next day (I find that leaving them in the fridge overnight makes the meatballs taste better the next day) or place them in freezer bags and freeze and store whenever you need to use them.

To make fresh breadcrumbs: place 1/2" pieces of French bread or thick white bread in a food processor and whiz until you get your breadcrumbs.

To make a very simple marinara sauce: saute 1 large minced garlic clove in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 30 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon fresh oregano and 1 bay leaf. Let it saute 30 more seconds. Add one (28 oz) can of "6 in 1 Tomato Sauce" and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and several grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if needed.

Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties

I'm blaming my father-in-law, Jim, for my love of making sausage. I just find it really cool that I can make all sorts of sausages, use different spices and come up with my own combination. These turkey patties were completely something I made up and I have to tell you, they were a success at the Mother's Day brunch I had. Every single patty was gone! I went back and forth with how much salt to use, but finally decided to use the ratio of 1 tablespoon per every 2.5 of ground turkey. I also used water to try to make the patties juicier since turkey is a pretty lean meat. Next time, I may use apple sauce instead.

INGREDIENTS (makes 24 patties)

• 2.5 pounds ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 3 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 to 2 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on how how you want it
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used Minnesota maple syrup)
• 1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS

In a small skillet, add the fennel and caraway seeds. Heat on med-low and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Then place seeds in grinder or mortar and pestle, and give it a grind. It's OK if you still have a few whole seeds.

In a large bowl add the turkey, ground fennel and caraway seeds, salt, black pepper, parsley flakes, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and maple syrup. Using your hands, mix the sausage mixture pretty well until well combined. Let it sit 15 minutes. Then add the water and using your hands again, mix to combine. Place sausage mixture in a container with a tightly fitting lid or in a freezer bag and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, form 24 balls and flatten each into 3" patties in diameter. Make a small impression in the middle of each patty. Fry in a large skillet with a bit of oil over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes aside, or until done.

If you're not going to use up all the sausage mixture, you can form the patties and freeze them flat. After they are frozen, put them in a freezer bag and can be frozen up to 2 months.

Turkey Albondigas

My brother and sister-in-law just had their first baby 10 days ago. She is a beautiful little girl with so much hair; she's going to need a haircut pretty soon! So, both my mom and step-mom made food for them and stored it in their freezer this way Lindsey and Tom didn't have to worry about cooking for the first few weeks while they got used to their new bundle of joy. One of the dishes my mom made for them is her albondigas soup. To me, this is probably one of the best Mexican comfort foods, and it's really good to eat when you're sick, too (I guess it's the Mexican version of Matzo Ball Soup).

Now, in just about all the albondigas recipes they tell you to use ground beef, which you can substitute, but my mom got us used to ground turkey (or even ground chicken) because there is less fat and the soup is not greasy at all. Also, if there are no zucchinis available, you can add summer squash, or you can just omit it if you want. Anyway, my mom made extra soup and I also got a nice pot of it at home.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 zucchinis, sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot combine broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and water. Add the onion, carrots, celery and potatoes (do not add the zucchini just yet).

Bring to a boil and simmer.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the ground turkey, uncooked rice, cilantro, garlic, pepper, seasosing salt, egg and ice water. Mix thoroughly, but do not overwork the mixture.

Form into small meatballs (you can form bigger meatballs if you prefer, but meatballs may have to cook a little longer).

Add carefully to soup. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the zucchini. Cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and the rice in the meatballs look nice and plump.

Laddle the albondigas and broth in soup bowls and don't forget to serve warm corn tortillas and butter on the side. Que bueno!

The Ned Diaries

Name: Ned Blaha
Breed: lhasa apso Irish
Hometown: Northfield, MN
Hobbies: Fighting squirrels, peeing on Armida, long walks on the dirt road...

Dear Diary,

Today was a good day. I was able to escape the Blaha household and immediately ran towards Mike's moon unit in the back yard. I peed everywhere and I also tracked a squirrel. The squirrel and I got into a fight, but the little turd ran up the tree. I then walked towards Matthew's vineyard and generously fertilized the ground. *wink* *wink* Then I did a recon of the neighborhood and eventually Jim and Kay (they still think they are my owners) called me and fed me dinner. Yes, it was a good day.

TURKEY TREATS FOR DOGGIES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped*
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 teaspoons grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
• 2 egg
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine turkey, garlic, cheese, parsley and mix well. Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour over turkey mixture. Add the flour, yeast, and oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed and all ingredients are coated. Drop into small lumps onto ungreased cookie sheet. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until brown and firm. Store in refrigerator or freeze for up to 2 months.

*Note: you can use 2 cups of cooked and chopped chicken livers if you prefer.

Chipotle Turkey Cornbread Pie

This recipe is a variation of the chicken taco cornbread pie. I saw this recipe being made on Food Network, but it was done in a baking dish. I really like making these types of recipes on the cast iron skillet because you have fewer pots to dirty and your cast iron skillet also serves as your serving platter. Since the chipotle gives this pie a spicier and smoky taste, a cool, not-too-sweet dry rose will pair up nicely with this dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound, lean ground turkey
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (8-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 chipotle chiles, finely diced, plus 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce, from can chipotle in adobo
• 1 cup grated Cheddar
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 (8.5-ounce) package cornbread mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, the onions, green peppers, and garlic and cook until the turkey is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and sprinkle the meat mixture with the cumin.

Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles and adobo sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro. Press down mixture with back of spoon to make an even, compact layer. Set aside.

Combine corn bread mix, milk and egg in medium bowl; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter evenly over turkey mixture to cover completely.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until corn bread is golden brown. Let the tamale pie stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Turkey Cakes with Morel Sauce

Earlier this year when I was on holiday in Minnesota, I was introduced to morel mushrooms. I had never seen an actual fresh morel mushroom because they are usually sold in dried form here in Southern California. However, up in the Minnesotan-Wisconsin region, these lovely 'shrooms grow wild and they are plentiful. The mushrooms have a very meaty and nutty taste and really wake up bland meats such as chicken or turkey. I played with the ingredients in trying to recreate the pheasant cakes with morel mushroom cream we had at Legends Grill in Prior Lake, MN. It didn't come out exactly the same, but it was still yummy. If you don't like asparagus, you can omit them from the morel sauce...I just used them because I had leftovers.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in warm water for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. panko or breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Morel Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 3 spears)
• 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in warm water for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the chopped shallot and sauté until soft, about 2 minute. Add 1 ounce morels and minced garlic, and sauté until garlic becomes fragrant, about another minute. Put mixture in a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Once it's cooled, add the ground turkey, worcestershire sauce, egg, parsley, parmesan cheese, panko and salt and pepper to the shallot and morel mixture. Combine the mixture, without overworking it. Shape into 4 patties about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.

Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add patties; cook 4 minutes. Turn patties; cook 4 more minutes or until no longer pink in centre and internal thermometer inserted into centre of turkey reads 165°F. Cover the patties with foil and place them in the warm oven while you make the sauce.

Morel sauce: Wipe the same sauté pan with a paper towel and heat 2 tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Sauté the shallot and asparagus for one minute, then add remaining one ounce of morels and garlic. Sauté for another minute then stir in the white wine. Bring to a boil then simmer for a couple of minutes, or until wine is reduced by half. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste then place the warm turkey patties in the sauce and simmer for about a minute. Serve the sauce over the turkey patties and a side of Minnesotan wild rice will go well with this dish, too.