For the first time in about thirty years we did not host Thanksgiving dinner. We did celebrate my favorite holiday with friends and family in a collaborative effort that was enjoyed by all. Our contribution included a fall salad, curried butternut squash soup, and smoked turkey breasts.
When we hosted Thanksgiving, the traditional roasted turkey was always on the table along with at least one other turkey variation. We did the puff pastry turkey à la Martha, delicious deep fried turkey, quick but dangerous on a wooden deck on a windy day. We have even smoked ducks, geese, Cornish game hens, but the favorite was and is still the smoked turkey.
We had plenty for the eleven of us who gathered for Thanksgiving dinner and plenty to take home for leftovers. Over the next several days that meant smoked turkey wraps with coleslaw and cranberry chutney and smoked turkey quesadillas, both great ways to use it. With more smoked turkey to “repurpose”, I thought a smoked turkey chili would be a great way to use what we had left.
When I normally make chili, I brown the onion and pepper first, then add uncooked ground turkey meat and brown it. Since I had already cooked turkey I wanted to add it later in the recipe, so the meat would be warmed up, not dried out and over cooked. This recipe is so simple and the smoky flavor of the turkey is great in a chili. You can make this as spicy or as mild as you choose. I used a medium chili powder, cumin and some chipotle powder which added it’s own smokiness.
Smoked Turkey Chili
Serves four to six
Ingredients
1/3c each orange, red and yellow bell peppers, finely chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 t chopped garlic
2T vegetable oil
4c cooked kidney beans or other beans of your choice
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4-5c medium diced smoked turkey
1c chicken stock
1T chili powder (medium to hot according to your preference)
1t ground cumin
1 chipotle chili powder
1t salt or to taste
Chopped green onions, with tops (for garnish)
Directions
Sauté the bell peppers, chopped yellow onion and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until they are just tender.
Combine the cooked peppers, onion and garlic with the remaining ingredients (exept the green onions). Bring the turkey chili just to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for one-half hour, stirring occasionally.
During this busy holiday season it’s good to have a few recipes you can pull out that are quick, easy and most important, delicious too. Miso glazed salmon is one recipe that certainly fills that bill.
This is a Japanese technique that was used to preserve freshly caught fish for it’s journey to land. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa made the preparation famous with his black cod recipe and it has become a popular restaurant dish. Just four ingredients, miso, mirin, sake and sugar make up the marinade. If you are not already familiar with any of these, here is a little background information on these important staples of Japanese cooking.
Miso is fermented soybean paste. It is made by steaming and crushing soybeans, then adding salt and koji, a culture cultivated from rice, barley or soybeans that triggers fermentation. The flavor of miso has been described as salty, earthy and rich in umami. Miso ranges in color from white to pale yellow to a deep chocolate brown. The lighter the color, the sweeter (less salty) it will be. A light miso paste is most likely made from rice and is best suited for fish and light sauces.
Sake, pronounced SAH-keh, not sa-kee, is quite often described as Japanese rice wine. It is actually more akin to beer than wine since it is made from a grain, rice, and not a fruit as wine usually is. Unlike wine, sake is produced by a brewing process similar to that of beer. The alcohol content of sake usually is from 15-20 percent, compared to wine’s 9-15 percent content.
Mirin, is a type of rice wine but with a higher sugar content and lower alcohol. It is golden in color and it’s syrupy sweetness contrasts nicely with the saltiness of soy or tamari sauce.
Miso is easy to find in organic markets and large supermarkets. I definitely would recommend the white or shiro miso for this recipe. My favorite brand is Miso Master Organic Mellow White. You can use it for soups, sauces and dressings too. It will keep in the refrigerator for nine months. Mirin is an increasingly easier find, the Kikkoman brand seems to be prevalent in the Asian section of most supermarkets. If you don’t like the idea of purchasing a bottle of sake just for a few tablespoons used in the recipe, dry sherry or vermouth can fill in. Honey or another sweetener could possibly substitute for granulated sugar but I have not tried it this way. You could also cut the recipe in half if making for two.
Whisk the four ingredients together in a medium bowl. I use a fork to smooth in the miso before I attempt to whisk it. Use a bowl or container that will hold the fish snugly. I pour enough of the marinade to coat the bottom of the container and place the fish in skin side down. Then I pour the rest of the marinade on top. Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate until a half hour before you are ready to cook the fish. Preheat the oven to 450° F and measure the fillets using the Canadian Fisheries method to determine cooking time. Remove the fillets from the marinade, wiping off the excess and place leaving about an inch between each piece on a well oiled baking sheet or pan. I like to sprinkle the top with a sesame seed mixture, but it is fine without it too. Cook fish for the determined amount of time, between 10-12 minutes.The finished internal temperature of the fillet should be 125°F. Since you are cooking in a very hot oven, I turn the oven to broil at the end to brown the top of the fish a little bit. Transfer fish to warmed plates or a serving dish and serve with lemon wedges.
Four ingredients make up the marinade.
Miso Marinated Salmon
Serves 4
Ingredients
½c white miso paste
¼c granulated sugar
3T sake
3T mirin
4 6-8 ounce salmon fillets (skin-on)
Sesame seeds or sesame spice mixture
Lemon wedges
Directions
Whisk miso, sugar, sake and mirin together in a medium bowl until sugar and miso are dissolved, the mixture will be thick.
Pour some of the mixture into a container that will fit the fillets snugly. Place the fish on top and pour the rest of the mixture over the fish. Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
A half hour before cooking bring the fish out to bring it to room temperature. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 450°F.
Wiping excess marinade off the fillets, place on an oiled baking sheet or pan, leaving about an inch between each fillet. Sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the sesame seeds or sesame spice mixture.
Timing is always a function of the thickness of your fish. Measure fish at the thickest part of the fillet with a ruler, one inch of thickness equals about 10 minutes of cooking time.
Transfer cooked fish to a serving platter and serve with lemon wedges.
For the first time in about thirty years we did not host Thanksgiving dinner. We did celebrate my favorite holiday with friends and family in a collaborative effort that was enjoyed by all. Our contribution included a fall salad, curried butternut squash soup, and smoked turkey breasts.
