Braised Dark Meat Turkey Recipes

BRAISED DARK MEAT TURKEY OVER EGG NOODLES

Steps:

• 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 evenly on all sides. Do this in batches if necessary.
• When browned, remove the turkey from the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is mixed in well. Add all remaining ingredients, except olives and rosemary, and stir until everything is mixed well. 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 3-3 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(or throw in a crockpot at this point and cook on high for 3-3 1/2 hours-or low for 6-8 hours). Remove rosemary sprigs and serve over hot egg noodles. Enjoy!
• Note: During cooking, occasionally check to see if the turkey is getting too browned or dried where not submerged under the braising liquid. If so, stir into the liquid and continue cooking.

BASIC BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey and brown the leg (and, if you're using them, wing) portions on the skin side well, 10 minutes or more; turn and cook for another 2 minutes on the skinless side. Remove to a plate and brown the breasts in the same skillet, again mostly on the skin side; remove and keep them separate.
• Heat the oven to 300, and cook the bacon or pancetta (if using) in the remaining fat in the skillet until nearly crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and herbs, in batches if necessary, until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with the bacon or pancetta to a large roasting pan, then nestle the dark meat in there, leaving room for the breasts. Add stock or water to come about one-third to halfway up the sides of the thighs.
• Roast uncovered for about 90 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure liquid levels remain sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, place the breasts in the pan, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until done. (They should register 155 on an instant-read thermometer.)
• Slice breast and thigh meat and serve on a platter with the vegetables garnished, if you like, with parsley.

BRAISED DARK MEAT TURKEY

Steps:

• Generously salt and pepper the turkey.
• Clean and cut onion, carrots and celery into 1/2 inch dice.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown turkey pieces evenly all over. Cook in batches if necessary. Place browned turkey pieces in slow cooker.
• Reduce heat under skillet and add onion, carrots and celery, cook until tender.
• Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until mixed.
• Add broth, vinegar, beer, and garlic cloves, stir until mixed.
• Pour vegetable mixture into slow cooker over turkey. Add rosemary sprigs.
• Cook on Low for 6 hours or High for 3-4 hours, until meat falls from bone easily when nudged with a fork. Remove rosemary sprigs. Debone meat and serve with sauce. Serve oil-cured olives on the side if desired.

HERB ROASTED AND BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
• Combine the butter, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme and in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half the carrots, celery and onions. Rub the entire turkey with the herb butter and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
• Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• Place the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Put the turkey on top of the vegetables, put in the oven and roast until lightly golden brown, about 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, 2 to 2 hours 15 minutes hours longer. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh should register 160 degrees F.)
• Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to baking sheet, tent loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before slicing. Remove the legs for braising. Strain the drippings into a bowl and discard the solids. Add enough stock to make 4 cups liquid.
• Bring the liquid to a simmer, transfer to a roasting pan, add the legs, cover with foil and braise until tender in a 350 F degree oven about 1 hour.
• For the gravy: Melt the butter in a medium pan over high heat. Add the roasted garlic and cook for a minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until lightly golden brown. Slowly whisk the drippings into the flour mixture, bring to a boil and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and the flour taste has been cooked out, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of the white wine if desired and cook for 1 minute longer. Fold in fresh herbs if desired and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

BRAISED DARK MEAT TURKEY OVER EGG NOODLES

Steps:

• 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.
• Note: During cooking, occasionally check to see if the turkey is getting too browned or dried where not submerged under the braising liquid. If so, stir into the liquid and continue cooking.

BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add sausage, pancetta and as many thighs as will fit comfortably, skin side down; sprinkle thighs with salt and pepper. Brown all well, removing pancetta first (it will brown first), then sausage; set aside. Turn thighs when they are well browned and cook a minute or so on skinless side. Remove them, too, and repeat with remaining thighs if necessary. Add breast to pan and brown it well, skin side down, then flip and cook for just a minute or so and remove. Set pan aside.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Soak porcinis in hot water to cover. In pan used for turkey, cook carrots, celery, onions, sage and shiitakes in leftover fat. When all vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, add drained porcini, reserving liquid. Return pancetta and sausage to pan. Cook another minute and turn off heat.
• In a large roasting pan, put thighs in corners, browned side up; there should be room for breasts all in one layer. Fill space between thighs with vegetables; leave breasts out for now. Add mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sand and grit behind. Add stock or water as needed to come about halfway up sides of thighs.
• Put in oven and roast, uncovered, for 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure liquid level remains sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, lay breasts on vegetables and cook until they are done, about a half hour longer.
• To serve, put vegetables on a platter; slice breasts and lay them on top; shred thigh meat and pile that on the rest.