Showing posts with label turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label turkey. Show all posts
With this past weekend being the Canadian Thanksgiving, I did want to have some turkey to enjoy. It is impossible to buy a turkey here in the UK at this time of year without it costing an arm and a leg. Actually it costs an arm and a leg at Christmas also, but at Christmas they let you keep a portion of your arm and let if that makes sense. Turkey is expensive.
I decided instead to cook Turkey Burgers. I like turkey burgers. I would rather have a turkey burger than a regular burger, but that is just me. I know most people prefer beef burgers.
I have cooked quite a few turkey burgers on here. They are my favourites after all, but every now and again I like to try a new recipe. I found and adapted this recipe from one I found on Simply Recipes.
I cut the recipe in half basically. I did not need 8 burgers. I did not really need four either, but I figured I could freeze two of them for another time. Its nice to have burgers in the freezer ready to cook. You do need to thaw them first, but once you have done that it is a quick and easy proposition!
I used basically the same herb mixture. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Those herbs are beautiful partners and all go very well with turkey. There is also some sauteed red onion and garlic in the mix.
I also chose to use half breast and half thigh meat. In the past I have used only breast meat, but the thigh meat ends up being a lot moister.
Another trick that I use to keep the burgers moist is to insert a small pat of butter into the centre of each patty. A juicy lucy technique, which many use on their beef burgers. It works just as well on turkey burgers.
One thing when shaping burgers is you need to bear in mind that the meat will shrink as it cooks. This usually means that it will shrink in from the edges.
The most common result of this is a burger that is super thick when it is done. I don't like super thick burgers. A certain amount of thickness is to be expected, but I like to be able to get my mouth around what I am eating.
One way to prevent this is to make sure that the middle of your patties is much thinner than the edges when you are shaping them. You can even make a little divit in the middle about the size of a North American quarter or a one pound coin.
This usually works really well. Just be careful that you leave enough turkey covering the butter so that it doesn't all melt out and disappear. You want that butter inside flavouring and moistening the meat.
You can use whatever buns you like. I am a fan of the brioche bun myself. Toasted. I just pop them under the grill until they are golden. I don't like using untoasted buns as they fall apart.
Toasting them helps to hold them together at least until you are halfway through eating. It is a tad bit less messy!
I don't remember burger buns falling apart when I was a child, do you? Even at McDonald's these days the buns don't last out the burger. Its strange that.
Once your buns are toasted and your burgers are cooked all you have to do is to decide what it is you want to garnish your burger with.
I like to have a slice of cheese melted on the top of mine, glutton that I am. Today I used a Swiss type of cheese. Swiss melts wonderfully and I find burger slices over here have a funny, almost powdery taste that I don't like at all.
I like lettuce and tomato with my burger. I prefer the darker green lettuce, so I use a few leaves of romaine. I, personally, think the flavour of iceberg gets lost in a burger, although I know that is what most people use.
Today I had a yellow beef-steak tomato which I sliced up to put into the burger. I am not sure it tasted as good as a red tomato would taste, but it is all that I had.
Usually I will add mayonnaise of some sort or ranch dressing on the bottom half of the bun as well. If I am using just mayo I might also add some cranberry sauce. Today I had none. *sniff *sniff*
Finally I like to add a bit of onion. The sharpness of raw onion goes well with all burgers. I like fried onions too, but I think on a burger I like raw onion more. I use red onions so that the flavour is not quite as sharp as it could be.
Altogether these were really delicious burgers. Moist and filled with lots of lovely favours! I highly recommend. Not quite as tasty as a Roast Turkey Dinner, but a person does what they need to do and has to be content with that.
Herbed Turkey Burger
Yield: 4
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 15 Mintotal time: 30 Min
Deliciously moist and filled with flavour. If you like turkey burgers, you will love these.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion, peeled and minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 pound ground turkey breast meat
- 1/2 pound ground turkey thigh meat
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 TBS minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/2 TBS minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 TBS butter, divided into 4 flat pieces
- 4 slices of swiss cheese
You will also need: (all are optional)
- toasted burger buns
- sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce
- mayonnaise
- ranch dressing
- Dijon mustard
- relish and or pickles
- ketchup
- cranberry sauce
- crisp bacon
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions and saute until softened. Add the garlic and cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Crumble both ground turkey meats into a bowl. Mix together. Add the onion mixture and all of the fresh herbs and seasoning. Gently mix everything together until all are evenly distributed.
- Divide into four equally sized balls. Place 1/2 TBS butter in the centre of each ball and flatten into a patty around the butter. Try to get as flat a patty as possible. As the meat cooks it will shrink up and you don't want them to end up being too thick.
- Heat lightly greased grill or skillet. Cook the burgers for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked through. The internal temperature will read 74*C/165*F. Lay a slice of cheese on top of each and allow it to melt.
- Serve hot on toasted buns with your favourite burger toppings/condiments.
So what are your favourite kinds of burgers? Do you prefer Beef or Turkey? Maybe you can't stand either one? What are your favourite toppings on any burger??? I really want to know!
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There is no doubt about it, if push comes to shove I will choose a turkey burger over a beef burger any day of the week, and this Spicy Ranch Turkey Burger Recipe is one of my favourite ways to make them.
Its filled with lovely flavours and always goes down a real treat!
From the cool and creamy ranch slaw that gets tucked into it to the spiciness of the burger it is a real taste sensation!
You might be thinking that is a mighty odd looking burger bun and you would be right. Its not a burger bun, its a finger/hot dog bun.
That's what you get when hubby makes a trip to the shops.
Beggars can't be choosers and it tastes exactly like a round burger except it is torpedo shaped. Why quibble about a shape when something tastes this good, right?
One reason I really like turkey burgers is because I love the flavour of turkey and the consistency. There is something about ground beef that puts me off more often than not.
And yet . . . in a chili or a sauce, or a meatball, I prefer beef. There's naught so queer as folk they say here in the UK. We like what we like . . .
I like to melt a slice of Jack cheese over my burgers. If you want it really spicy use Mexi-Jack cheese, which packs a wallop.
Me, I like it just normal, ordinary, not spicy. There's enough spice in the burgers for me, with jalapeno pepper, red onions, green tabasco . . . I want to bite my burger. I don't want it to be biting me!!
That creamy ranch slaw helps to cool down the spice a bit and goes so well with the flavour of the turkey. It doesn't make the bun soggy either, so long as you don't leave it sitting for too long . . .
And any extras go very well on the side.
I served these with skin on oven chips . . . and altogether this was a fairly lowish fat supper for us.
If you are low-carbing it, just eat the burgers with the cheese on top and the slaw. No need for the bun or chips. Unless you have a way of doing low carb chips! (And I haven't figured out how to that yet!)
Spicy Ranch Turkey Burgers
Yield: 4
prep time: 40 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 55 M
This low fat burger is filled with lovely flavours. A spicy fresh lean turkey patty tucked into a toasted roll with ranch coleslaw. Delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
- 2 TBS soft whole wheat bread crumbs
- 2 TBS minced red onion
- 1 TBS chopped fresh coriander
- 1 fresh jalapeno chili, trimmed, deseeded and minced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 TBS green Tabasco sauce
- 1 large free range egg white, lightly beaten
- salt and black pepper to taste
- some spray oil to grill
For the slaw:
- 1 1/2 cups hand shredded red and green cabbage
- 1 small carrot, peeled and grated
- 2 TBS minced red onion
- 1/2 cup your favourite ranch dressing
- seasoning as desired
You will also need:
- 4 toasted burger buns
- 4 slices Monterey Jack Cheese
Instructions:
- Combine all of the burger ingredients until well blended. Shape into 4 equal sized pattys. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about half an hour to set up.
- While the burgers are chilling make the coleslaw. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, tossing together to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Heat a grill pan, electric grill or skillet. Spritz with some oil. Add the turkey burgers and grill them on both sides until cooked through. (180*F or 80*C should be the internal temperature.) Slap a slice of cheese on top of each and let it melt while you toast the buns.
- Top each toasted bun with some of the slaw , slap on a turkey burger and serve immediately.
Just looking at these photos is making me hungry for these all over again. What's your favourite burger fix? I really want to know!
We like ground turkey in this house. In fact we I probably prefer it over ground beef. For me it is a texture thing and I just prefer the smell and the flavour of turkey over that of beef.
Don't get me wrong. I like beef . . . in a steak, or a roast or a stew . . . cut into chunks, etc. I just am not overly fond of it ground. When I was growing up whenever my mother served us ground beef I always ended up with a piece of gristle or bone in mine, and as soon as it touched my teeth, my gag reflex kicked in.
And, it even happened to me in restaurants! Believe it or not! I got a fingernail sized piece of bone in a hamburger in Harvey's once. Nobody else did. Just me. Its no wonder I can take or leave ground beef!! We just don't get along well together! I never have that problem with ground turkey.
These Turkey Parmesan Meatballs I am sharing today are incredibly delicious. You don't want to use the leanest grade of ground turkey. Get something with a bit of thigh meat ground into it, for extra flavour and moistness. Pure turkey breast meat might be too dry.
The meatball mixture is quite flavourful. I have added onion and garlic powders, rather than actual minced onion and garlic. I like to use the powders in meatballs because they end up less crumbly. I like the consistency better.
There is also some parsley, oregano, seasoning, milk soaked bread, a beaten egg, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.
I roll this mixture into balls about the size of a whole walnut and then I bake them in the oven, just until they are golden brown.
You can roast them on a baking sheet if you want. I just do this right in the dish I intend to serve them from. I spray it first with a bit of non-stick low-fat cooking spray.
I use a good quality Marinara sauce. You probably have your favourites. If I am really lucky I have some of my homemade Marinara Sauce in the freezer. I make it in the crock pot in the autumn when fresh plum tomatoes are in abundance! Its fabulous. I had to use a bottled one today because we are all out of my freezer one. Darn . . .
Just use your favourite brand. I used Lloyd Grossman today. It has some chunks in it and its lovely and thick. I also like the flavour. You just spoon that around the meatballs in the dish and then spoon some over top of each one and sprinkle with a four cheese blend and some grated parmesan and return it to the oven.
Once the sauce is bubbling, the turkey juices run clear and the cheese is nice and melty they are done! Ready to serve to your hungry family! I served them with rice and green beans, but pasta would be great with them as well.
Yield: makes about 20 meatballs
Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
Tender flavour-filled turkey meatballs slathered in marinara sauce and melting cheese.
ingredients:
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 medium free range egg
- 1 slice of stale rustic white bread
- 2 TBS milk
- 1 TBS minced fresh parsley
- 1 TBS freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
You will also need
- 1 jar of your favourite marinara sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 120g grated four cheese blend (1 cup)
- 45g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
instructions:
How to cook Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F gas mark 6. Lightly butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold all of the meatballs in one layer.
- Tear bread and put it into a bowl with the milk. Let set for a few minutes, then squeeze out all of the milk. Put it into a bowl along with the remaining meatball ingredients. Mix well to combine and then shape ino 20 walnut sized meatballs. Place into the prepared baking dish.
- Roast in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and spoon the marinara sauce around and over top of the meatballs. Sprinkle with the four cheese blend and the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted.
- Serve hot with either pasta or rice.
I am thinking they would also be great in Meatball Subs. Oh, can you imagine . . . crusty bread, tender meatballs, marinara and plenty of cheese. YUM YUM!
One thing that my family always wanted me to do after we cooked a holiday beast (turkey) was to make enchiladas with the leftovers. I have to say that it was one of their favourite leftover meals. My original recipe I clipped out of a Sunset magazine back in the 1980's and I have to say it was pretty basic and simple.
Cooking Tex Mex over here has always been a bit of a challenge. When my friend Eliza came over from Arizona one time, she brought all kinds of tex mex stuff with her. We made Tamales, Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Chocolate Tart, and Tacos. She had green enchilada sauce for the cheese enchiladas, something which I never thought I would see over here in the UK, until now!
TADA! I discovered this on Ocado last week. (Ocado is an online supermarket). I bought myself a few jars and some of the green chili salsa as well! I am set to go!
Of course I had to make some enchiladas with our leftover turkey from last week!
I started by creating a delicious turkey filling. You could use leftover chicken or pork if you wanted to. I shredded it and then added a few ingredients to it.
I sauteed some onion and chopped green jalapeno chilies in a bit of butter and then I added the shredded turkey and some of this Mexican seasoning. Its quite good. I like it a lot. I also added a few other things.
Garlic powder (but you could use real garlic), paprika, mild chili powder, salt, pepper and some ground cumin. Did you know that heating ground cumin in a hot skillet for a few seconds really enhances its flavour? Its true, and it does!
I wanted to add a bit of creaminess and so I added some cream cheese as well and let it all melt and meld together . That was my filling done. I don't mind saying it was quite delicious.
All I had to do was fill the tortillas then. I like wheat flour tortillas. Sometimes I make my own, but more often than not I will buy them for something like this tasty casserole.
Six inch tortillas are perfect for this. I poured some of the green enchilada sauce into the baking dish and then I started filling the tortillas and laying them on top of the sauce.
I divided the mixture between 8 tortillas, laying a strip down the centre of each and then sprinkled a heaped TBS of grated Jack cheese on top before rolling them up tightly and laying them next to each other on top of that tasty green enchilada sauce.
Once I had them all filled, rolled and tucked into bed, I covered them with a thick blanket of the rest of the green enchilada sauce.
And then the rest of the grated Jack cheese . . .
They were then ready to bake and get all scrumptious! I was practically rubbing my hands together in glee and anticipation. YES I DO SO LOVE LOVE ENCHILADAS!
We enjoyed them hot out of the oven garnished with some sour cream and sliced spring onions, and we were both in Enchilada heaven!
Best part I had 6 leftover that I wrapped up tightly and froze for future enjoyment!
Yield: 8
Green Chili Turkey Enchiladas
Rich, creamy, spicy and delicious. A great way to use up some of your leftover holiday turkey! Fabulously tasty!
ingredients:
For the Filling:
- 250g cooked turkey meat, shredded (2 cups)
- 1 tsp Mexican seasoning blend
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and minced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, trimmed, deseeded and minced
- 230g cream cheese, cut into bits (8 ounces)
You will also need:
- 8 (6-inch) soft flour tortillas
- 2 (380g) jar of green enchilada sauce (4cups)
- 230g grated Jack cheese (8 ounces) divided
instructions:
How to cook Green Chili Turkey Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a rectangular baking dish large enough to hold all of your enchiladas. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and jalapeno peppers. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onion has turned translucent. Add the shredded turkey, garlic powder, Mexican seasoning blend, paprika, chili powder, ground cumin and salt and black pepper to taste. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Add the cream cheese and stir to melt. Remove from the heat.
- Pour about 1/2 of one jar of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon 1/8th of the turkey mixture down the centre of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 TBS of the cheese. Roll up tightly and place into the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat until all have been filled. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top evenly. (You may not need it all.) Sprinkle with the remainder of the Jack cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is hot and bubbling and the cheese has melted, some 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.
Turkey Enchiladas are just so tasty. I remember one year I had made some and had them in the freezer. My son Anthony had his friend Carly stay overnight and they were sleeping in the basement. They raided the freezer and ate the enchiladas . . . Frozen! If you can believe it! And as would happen to a very unlucky person my husband wanted to have those enchiladas for supper the next night. OF course they were no more! I found the empty tin container underneath the sofa bed when I was stripping it and putting it back together. My husband was extremely disappointed at his loss and Carly forever became known as Carlita in our house. At least they enjoyed them, and, really . . . isn't that what good cooking is all about! You really need to try these enchiladas, especially if you are a fan of Tex Mex flavours!
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