Southwestern Turkey Recipes

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in the broth, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Add the turkey, beans, tomatoes and corn. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Garnish with sour cream, chips, cheese and olives if desired. Freeze option: Place individual portions of cooled soup in freezer containers and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth if necessary.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven, saute onions and jalapenos in butter until tender. Stir in turkey, soup, sour cream and spinach. In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half the turkey mixture, cheese and tortilla chips. Repeat layers., Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with green onions.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY WITH CHIPOTLE GRAVY

Steps:

• The day before roasting, prepare the rub: Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey; refrigerate until you make the gravy. Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels. Whisk 2 tablespoons salt, the brown sugar, chile powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, the cumin, coriander and onion powder in a small bowl. Spread about one-quarter of the rub inside the cavity of the turkey and spread the rest all over the skin. Set the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
• The next day, let the turkey let sit at room temperature, 30 minutes. Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Pour or wipe out any juices that have collected in the bottom of the roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with the onion, carrot, celery and thyme sprigs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the body.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; whisk in the chopped thyme and the remaining 1 teaspoon paprika. Let cool slightly, then brush all over the turkey. Transfer to the oven and roast 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the Classic Gravy, adding the heavy cream and chipotle and sauce with the stock in step 2.
• After the turkey has roasted 1 hour, baste it with the drippings. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, until the skin is dark golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 2 more hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving; reserve the drippings for the gravy. Stir the vinegar into the finished gravy.
• Prepare the stock: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the turkey neck and giblets; cook, turning, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaves; stir to coat. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup; reserve the saucepan. You should have 7 cups stock-if you're short, add more broth.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in the reserved saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the 7 cups stock; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside until the turkey is done.
• Pour the turkey pan drippings into a fat separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top. Discard the fat (or drizzle on your stuffing). Whisk the defatted drippings into the gravy; season with salt and pepper. Reheat before serving.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY CLUB

Steps:

• Working in two batches if necessary, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat from skillet.
• Season turkey generously with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, and cook over medium heat until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
• In a small bowl, mash avocado, lime juice, and chiles with a fork; season with salt and pepper.
• Spread avocado mixture on one side of each slice of toast. Layer turkey, bacon, tomato, and toast to form four triple-decker sandwiches. To serve, skewer with toothpicks; slice in half with a serrated knife.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, combine turkey, broth, canned tomatoes, green chiles, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and lime juice. Season with cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in avocado and cilantro, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Spoon into serving bowls, and top with shredded cheese.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY WITH GARLIC-ANCHO CHILI PASTE AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For paste:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Separate heads of garlic into individual cloves (do not peel). Pierce each clove once with toothpick. Scatter garlic on baking sheet; roast until tender and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Peel garlic, cutting hard tip off each clove. Pack enough garlic into 1/2-cup measuring cup to fill (about 40 cloves); reserve any remaining garlic. Blend 1/2 cup garlic in processor to form course puree.
• Meanwhile, place chilies in small saucepan. Add enough water just to cover. Simmer over medium-low heat until chilies are soft and most of water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Add chili mixture, oil, cumin, and honey to garlic in processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover paste and garlic; chill.)
• For turkey:
• Pat turkey dry. Season with salt and pepper. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. Spread 1/2 cup garlic-paste over breast under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing into main cavity. Rub 2 tablespoons paste all over outside of turkey. Reserve remaining paste for gravy. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey. Place on rack set in roasting pan. (Can be done 1 day ahead if turkey is not stuffed. Chill turkey and paste separately.)
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add neck and giblets, turkey neck pieces and onion; sauté brown, about 15 minutes. Place contents of skillet around turkey in pan. Add celery, tomato, allspice and any reserved garlic to pan; pour in 2 cups broth. Roast turkey 1 hour 30 minutes. Tent turkey and entire pan loosely with heavy-duty foil. Continue to roast turkey until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F. or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting often with pan juices and 3 cups broth, about 1 hour 40 minutes longer for unstuffed turkey (about 2 hours 25 minutes longer for stuffed turkey). Place turkey on platter. Tent with foil; let stand at least 30 minutes. Reserve mixture in pan for gravy.
• For gravy:
• Using tongs, remove turkey parts from pan; discard. Pour mixture in pan into sieve set over large bowl. Press on solids in sieve to release liquid. Spoon fat from pan juices; add enough broth to juices to measure 6 cups.
• Stir 1/2 cup reserved garlic-chili paste in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until liquefied. Add flour and stir 1 minute (mixture will be very thick). Gradually add 6 cups broth mixture, whisking until smooth. Simmer until reduced to 4 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Serve turkey with gravy.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken soup, mushroom soup, chile peppers and sour cream.
• Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan with corn tortillas. Follow with a layer of turkey. Pour soup mixture over turkey, sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat layers and top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, place turkey, jalapeno, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix very gently with a fork to combine, being careful not to overwork meat (which would make burgers dense).
• Gently form meat into 4 equal-size patties, 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Press thumb in the center of each patty to make an indentation approximately 1/2-inch deep (this helps keep burgers flat during grilling).
• Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; grasp with tongs and rub over grates. Season burgers with salt and pepper; grill until cooked throughout, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on buns (toasted on grill, if you like), with desired toppings.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Starting at the back opening of the turkey, gently separate skin from turkey breast, using fingers. Place sage leaves under the skin.
• Make a stuffing, if desired, but do not cook. Stuff turkey just before roasting, not ahead of time. Fill neck cavity lightly with stuffing. Fasten neck skin to back of turkey with skewer. Fold wings across back of turkey so tips are touching. Fill body cavity lightly with stuffing. (Do not pack stuffing because it will expand during roasting.) Tuck drumsticks under band of skin at tail, or tie together with heavy string, then tie to tail.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Heat butter, chili powder, cumin and chilies until butter is melted. Brush turkey with 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in the thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone. (Do not add water or cover turkey.)
• Roast uncovered 3 hours to 3 hours 45 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining butter mixture. After roasting about 2 hours, place a tent of aluminum foil loosely over turkey when it begins to turn golden, and cut band of skin or remove tie holding drumsticks to allow inside of thighs to cook through.
• Turkey is done when thermometer reads 165°F and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. Thermometer placed in center of stuffing will read 165°F. If a meat thermometer is not used, begin testing for doneness after about 2 hours 30 minutes. When turkey is done, place on warm platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let stand about 15 minutes for easiest carving. Garnish with whole chilies and additional sage leaves if desired.
• While turkey is standing, skim fat from drippings. Pour just the drippings into 1-quart saucepan; heat to boiling. Serve with turkey. Cover and refrigerate any remaining turkey and stuffing separately.