Sweet and Spicy Turkey Soup

If anyone made the spiced honey recipe back when I was emailing recipes, this is a great use of it. It highlights the flavor of the heritage turkey from Sweetgrass. If you didn't make that honey, no problem.

3 c large chunks of Sweetgrass turkey (leftovers are perfect)
1 bag of Gaia's Breath Bok Choy, chopped
1 the Farm B/B onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced (Russia Corners or The Farm)
4 c turkey stock
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c spicy honey*
3 c cooked rice
s/p

In a large stock pot, heat oil over med heat. Add in onion and garlic,season with s/p, saute until soft about 5-7 minutes. Add in honey, and bok choy. Toss to combine, cook for 1 minute. Add in turkey and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat simmer for 30-45 minutes.

I like to place my rice in the bowl, then top with hot soup.

*Place 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes in 1/2 c honey. Let stand for at least one hour. Can leave the flakes in for extra heat or strain out.

Tips for Thanksgiving leftovers

Use a ice cream scoop to scoop stuffing out onto wax paper lined baking sheet, place in freezer, once frozen place in zip lock bag to freeze to have handy when you are busy. Reheat in oven at 350 degrees for about 25-30, or until heat through.

Use ice cream scoop for mashed potatoes, again scoop onto line baking sheet, freeze, bag and keep handy. (This works great for mashed sweet potatoes as well).

Cube leftover turkey meat, place in zip bags, in 2 c amounts. Use later for potpie, add to soup, biscuit and gravy. Or grinder some up to use (2c) in a turkey shepard pie. Dice (small cube) and use to make turkey hash. (equal amounts of potato dice, seasoning, cooked in lard until golden and delish! Top with a poached egg!)

Any veggies left freeze and toss in a soup, or add to that shepards pie.

Quick breads leftover, cube and freeze in 2 c bag, use to make a bread pudding. Yeast bread left over, cube roast in oven at 350 degrees for 30 min, allow to cool. Grind in a food processoer and have bread crumbs on hand.

Don't forget to clean the carcass, and make stock!!

Most pies can be frozen for up 3 months.

Savory Acorn Kale Bread pudding

This dish is a great on the side with, yes turkey, but also a nice pork roast. It is more of a combo of two things, stuffing and bread pudding.  Feel free to use any winter squash, I am a fan of the acorn in this though.

5 c of cubedb/ stale sourdough bread (I used Heidelberg)
1 The Farm B/B  acorn
1 bundle of kale or braising greens from The Farm B/B or Gaia's Breath
1 onion, diced The Farm B/B Redwing
1 garlic clove, Russian Corners or the Farm B/B
1 tbsp of Garam Marsala
2 tbsp Wild Mountain Buckwheat Honey
8 oz JFF cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 c milk, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
s/p to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, generously butter a large casserole dish. (use one that can fit in a large roasting pan)

Cut acorn in half and clean out seeds/pulp. Cut into 1" slices. Using a peeler, remove the skin, then dice into roughly 1" cubes. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove stems from kale and rough chop. Blanch in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out all excess water. Finely chop, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cream cheese and eggs, slowly whisk in milk. Combine well. Add stale bread, set aside.

In a large skillet saute onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil. (5-7 minutes) Add in kale, Garam Marsala and honey. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Bring a teapot of water to boil.

Add kale and acorn to bread cubes, combine well. Season with s/p to taste.

Pour into prepared dish. Level off top. Place this dish in a large roasting pan. Place on rack in oven, then carefully pour hot water into roasting pan, about 1/2 way up dish. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes clean.

Soup of the Week: Hungarian Goulash

I was just talking in class this past weekend about Paprika. A spice when mentioned I imagine, if you are like me, think of that stuff that is sprinkled on deviled eggs and such. But good quality Hungarian paprika is a valuable spice of its own. And goulash, what comes to mind? Ground beef with , elbow pasta dish? That is use to come to mind for me and that is far from what this traditional dish is.

This dish again stress the importance of good quality ingredients. You could use stew meat in place of the soup bone, but you will have a less beefy broth. Make sure you use a good Hungarian paprika, the paprika in jars at the grocer labeled paprika, will be disappointing. Oh and unless you like things very spicy, don't buy the Hot Hungarian paprika, a good quality Hungarian Paprika has a nice smoky and spicy flavor.

1 lg Sunnybrook Farm Beef soup bone
2 large The Farm B/B onions, diced
1 c chopped bell pepper (green or red, you know the ones you chopped and froze from Old Path)
3 medium The Farm B/B potatoes, cubed (I used fingerling potatoes, small whole cut big ones in 1/2)
3 carrots, diced either Gaia's Breath or the Farm B/B
1 tsp caraway seed
2 tbsp Hungarian Paprika
2 c crushed tomatoes (good we preserved the summer bounty!)
6 c water
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste


Place a large pot over med/high heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil, season soup bone with s/p. Carefully place bone in pot. Sear meat for about 4-5 minutes on each side, then remove to a platter and set aside.

If needed add remaining tbsp of oil. Stir in onions and peppers. Lower heat to med/low and cook until softened and just a hint of color shows. Stir in paprika and caraway seed and cook for 1 minute. (stirring to avoid burning the paprika). Add in tomatoes, meat and enough water to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover askew and allow to simmer for about 2-2 1/2 or until the meat is fork tender. (adding additional water to keep meat barely covered, if needed)

Remove meat and cool slightly, add  carrots to broth and let simmer for about 15 minutes. When meat is cool enough to handle, remove from bone and dice in to pieces. (remove any chewy pieces and disgard with bone). Add meat and potatoes to the pot. Stir to combine, allow to simmer for another 30-40 minutes. Potatoes and carrots should hold form, but be fork tender. Adjust your seasoning.

Serve with a dollop of Maple Hill Greek Yogurt.
 (I love the deep earthy red of this soup from the paprika!)

Soup of the week: Old Goat Salsa Soup

Salsa has become a great staple in my pantry! Yes the usual great for a quick dip, but it is a perfect base for many dishes that call for onion, peppers, tomatoes, spices etc. We are lucky to have this convenience food available from Old Goats farm!
In the winter I always cook dried beans, wheat berries and a few other things to have on hand to make a meal quickly during the week. You could easily add in your choice of chopped meat to this soup, but I like the meatiness of the beans, the sweetness from the zucchini, carrots and corn which gets rounded out nicely with the heat of Spikes Hot Salsa (you can use Violets if you like it more mild).

2 c dried black beans (or a combo of black and red kidney)*
olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp cumin
s/p
2 the Farm shallots, peeled and cut in half
1 jar of Old Goats Spike hot Salsa
2 c shredded carrots (note** you can shred and freeze carrots for later use)
2 c shredded zucchini (you know when you bought extra from The Farm, and froze it)
2 c corn kernels
4 c veggie stock (preferably your own)
3 c water

*Soak beans overnight. Drain and cover by 2" inches with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer. Place a lid on the pan askew and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Drain, and cool. Set aside until needed. Beans will keep in the frig for about 5-7 days. Don't forget that you can also freeze the beans, just put in zip lock bag, take all the air out and freeze.

In large pot cover the bottom with olive oil. Heat oil over med/high heat then add in beans, cumin and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the beans just start to crisp slightly. Add in salsa, corn, carrots, zucchini, shallots, stock and water. Stir to combine, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover askew and cook for 30-45 minutes.

Pork Cooking Times and Temperatures

PORK COOKING TIMES AND TEMPERATURE

                                                                                Internal Time

FRESH PORK                                   WEIGHT         TEMP             MIN/LB

Center loin/bone                                   3-5 lbs             160F                 20

Boneless Top Loin                               2-4 lbs             160F                 20

Blade lion/Sirloin                                 3-4 lbs             170F               40-45

Rolled lion                                            3-5 lbs            170F                35-40

Half Leg/bone                                      5-8 lbs            170F                35-40

Leg Half/shank/butt                             3-4 lbs            160-170F           40

Boston Butt                                          3-6 lbs            160-170F           45

Shoulder                                               4-6 lbs             170F                40-45

Ribs                                                      3 lbs well           1 ½-2 ½ hrs total time

       Shoulder and butt are enhanced with flavor with slow roasting. Sear seasoned with salt and pepper in lightly oiled pan over high heat then place in roasting pan. Add enough liquid to be about ¼ -½ way up the meat. Roast at 225 degrees F for 5-6 hours. Delish!!
       Shoulder with skin from Wintergrass, heat oven to 550 degrees F, place roast in a pan. Roast for 20 minutes, to start the crisping of skin. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F, season with salt and pepper, roast for up to 4 hours depending on size. Remove crackling, pull the pork and chop the crackling, mix together.

FRESH PORK

                                                             GRILLED

                                                             Indirect heat

                                                           Med (145F)            Well (160F)

Steak (blade) ½”-1” thick                  10-12 min               12-14 min

Chops ¾”-1”                                      12-14 min               14-19 min

Patties ½” thick                                  6-8 min                   8-10 min

Lamb and Goat cooking Times and Temperatures

 Oven Temperature 325 degrees F

                              Weight                  time/doneness(minutes/lb)

                                                       mdrare              med             well
                                                       145 F                160 F             170 F

Whole Leg            5-7 lbs             15-20               20-25             25-30

                              7-9 lbs            20-25               25-30            30-35

Leg half (bone)     3-4 lbs             25-30              30-40            30-35

Leg roast bnless     4-7 lbs               20                             25                30

Rib (rack) roast     1 ½-2 ½             30                             35                40



Chops grilled over high heat          5                               8                  10

Again remove at least 5-10 degrees sooner then desired temperature, allowing for carry over time.

Veal Cooking Times

VEAL COOKING TIMES (med. Done) 155-160 degrees F

                                                   Oven temp                  weight         Time/lb

Boneless Shoulder                325 degrees F                 3-5 lbs      35-40 min/lb

Boneless Loin                       325 degrees F                 3-5 lbs       25-30 min/lb


Grilling (indirect heat) med/low             Thickness                Total Time

Loin or Rib chops                                    1”                             12-14 min.

Arm or blade steak                                 ¾”                             16-18 min

Shoulder kabobs                                    1 ¼ “ cubes                16-18 min

Ground patties                                        ½” ( 4 oz)                  12-14 min

Chicken Time and Temperature

OVEN ROASTED (internal temperature of 180 degrees F.)


CHICKEN WHOLE                                     TIME

OVEN TEMP     WGHT           UNSTUFFED    STUFFED

350                      2 ½-3 lbs         1 ¼-1 ½ hrs      1 ½-1 ¾ hrs

350                      3-4 lbs             1 ½-1 ¾ hrs      1 ¾-2 hrs

350                      4-6 lbs             1 ¾-2 hrs           2-2 ¼ hrs




GRILLED (indirect heat) Internal temperature 180 degrees F

Whole broiler/fryer      3-4 lbs             60-70 m              1 ¼-1 ¾ hrs

Whole roaster               5-7 lbs          18-25min/lb           23-55min/lb

Breast half                   6-8 oz            10-15 min/side
    Boneless

Leg/Thigh                  4-8 oz              10-15 min/side

Turkey Cooking times and temperature

Turkey Cooking times and temperature (oven temperature at 325 degrees F)
Internal temperature of 180 degrees F.

TURKEY WHOLE          unstuffed                           stuffed

 8-12 lbs                            2 ¾-3 hours                    3 -3 ½ hours

 12-14 lbs                          3 -3 ¾ hours                  3 ½-4 hours

14-18 lbs                           3 ¾-4 ¼ hours                4-4 ¼ hours

18-20 lbs                           4 ¼-4 ½ hours                4 ¼-4 ¾ hours

                                 20-24 lbs 4 ½-5 hours             4 ¾-5 ½ hours

BREAST

Half /2-3 lbs        50-60 mins

Whole 4-6 lbs      1 ¼-1 ½ hours

Whole 6-8 lbs       2 ¼-3 ¼ hours

Drumsticks
                    2-2 ¼ hours

Thigh
                   1 ¾-2 hours

Wings
                   1 ¾-2 ¼ hours

Beef cooking terms and times

I was talking with a group of young people, (anything 35 and under is young to me, ha, maybe even 40) and I was glad to hear that more and more are getting into cooking/preparing meals. But so many are at a loss with what to do with what meat. So here are some terms that even some of us "seasoned" cook may have heard but were afraid to ask about....

 Grass fed beef is best rare to med/rare, it has less fat so requires about 30 % less cooking time. Also if using an older recipe, drop you oven temp by at least 25 degrees. Also using a "oil" based marinade helps.

ALWAYS START WITH ROOM TEMPERATURE MEAT AND REMOVE FROM OVEN 5-10 DEGREES LESS THEN CALLED FOR, RESIDUAL HEAT WILL FINISH COOKING WHILE RESTING.

Do yourself a favor and invest in a good digital probe style thermometer, it will pay for itself in no time!

Rare – 120 degrees

Medium rare – 125 degrees

Medium – 130 degrees

Medium well – 135 degrees

Well – 140 degrees

When it comes to cooking there are two ways to prepare meat.

DRY is: grilling, broiling, sauteing, roasting, stir frying and deep frying

WET is : Braising, pot roasting, stewing, steaming, poaching, slow cooking

GRILLING (broiling): Rib eye steak, t-bone, delmonico, filet mignon, NY strip, London broil.
Grilling should be done with two stages, high heat to sear, then low heat to finish cooking.

ROASTING: Top sirloin, tenderloin, standing rib (prime rib), top round and eye round.
No liquid is add in roasting, meat is placed in roasting pan uncovered to allow the meat to brown nicely.

STIR FRYING: Flank, top round and sirloin
Thinly sliced meat is cooked over high heat, short amount of time

SAUTEING: done in a fry pan, over med/high heat with little fat.

KABOBS: Tenderloin

BRAISING (POT ROASTING, SLOW COOKING): Chuck roast, rump roast, rolled round and ribs
This you sear the meat on high heat, then place in pan with liquid, no more the half way.

STEWING: similar to above, but you just about cover the meat in liquid.

POACHING: done in a large pan, liquid doesn't quite cover the meat at a simmer and covered.