Wish Upon A Chef

When my home office floor starts looking like this, you know it's holiday menu planning time. I always have the traditional favorites from years past and then I scour my recipe files for one or two new items to add every year. I never try to make too many new things for Thanksgiving because there's already so much going on in the kitchen anyway.

I prepared a small pre-Thanksgiving dinner this weekend for Charlotte friends and will travel home to Tennessee on Wednesday to see my family for "real" Thanksgiving. I had planned to prepare everything on Saturday, but my plans were thrown into a tailspin at 7am that morning when I found myself standing on the side of the interstate with two flat tires. It was an all day affair trying to deal with that and rest assured at the very top of my list of "Things To Be Thankful For" this year is good friends who are there in times of need.

With all the tire chaos, I never made it to the grocery store for the few needed things, so I went with Plan B and condensed the menu to use what I already had on hand. Since it was a small gathering, I went with a turkey breast instead of a whole bird and basted it with olive oil flavored with the zest of a lemon and orange. The skin crisped up really nice and the citrus flavor was subtle and complemented the apple and cranberries used in the dressing.

I've shared the bird recipe today and will continue to share the rest of my menu with you throughout the week. Happy Thanksgiving!



Citrus Roasted Turkey Breast
Serves 8

1 bone-in turkey breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 orange
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place turkey breast, skin side up, in a roasting pan. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and brush over turkey with a basting brush. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Let stand 15 minutes for easiest carving.

As the temperatures continue to fall below freezing, all I can think about is warm and hearty meals. Casseroles, soups and stews, and anything laden with cream and fat to help put an extra layer of insulation on the old arthritic bones. I've gone into hibernation and as a result my kitchen is a non-stop flurry of heat producing activity.

Turkey Sausage and Bean Soup was a weekly request by one of my clients back in my days as a personal chef. It was common practice for me that, after I had cooked for a particular client for any length of time, my tastes in food became very similar to theirs and this very quickly became one of my favorites as well. I'm amazed at how much flavor the Italian turkey sausage provides ~ you'll notice there are no herbs or spices called for in the recipe. And as with any soup, it can be modified to accomodate whatever you do or do not have in your pantry at the time and it freezes exceptionally well. I've been known to saute a bit of cabbage along with the other veggies and I'll even go wild sometimes and vary the type of beans, crazy girl that I am. Like mushrooms? Throw some of those in as well. Whatever floats your boat, but rest assured it is excellent when prepared as written and served with a thick slice (or three) of butter-laden, freshly baked French bread. Yum Yum!

Sending you warm wishes and rising temperatures soon....




















Turkey Sausage & Bean Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks celery -- chopped
2 large carrots -- chopped
1 medium red bell pepper -- diced
1 medium onion -- diced
3 cloves garlic
16 ounces Italian-style turkey sausage -- casings removed
42 ounces chicken broth
16 ounces diced tomatoes
16 ounces navy beans -- rinsed and drained
15 ounces kidney beans -- rinsed and drained
salt and pepper -- to taste
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup white wine

In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add bell pepper, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and saute until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Crumble sausage into skillet. Break up chunks of sausage with spoon, and cook until vegetables are tender and lightly browned and sausage is cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, white beans, and white wine to saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes to blend flavors. Adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Serve soup sprinkled with Parmesan.

Copyright:
"Wish Upon A Chef Catering & Gourmet Market, 2006"
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We've had drought conditions here in Nowhere Land for so long that I really hate to begrudge the rain but enough is enough!! On top of being hit by these last two hurricanes, we had 7 days of solid rain just prior to that. So much rain that I thought I was starting to mold.

Eeewwww...is that a mushroom growing in my....well, never mind.

I've said before that I always equate rain with cold temperatures, no matter how warm it actually is outside. Several of our rainy days were coupled with stifling, 100% pure humidity - the kind where the windows in the house are completely fogged up because of the difference in temperatures inside and outside. But after Hurricane Ike, the temperatures have cooled off quite nicely and the humidity has all but disappeared. Perfect weather for soup!

If you're tired of your same old soup routine, then give this White Turkey Chili a try. It's different, delicious, and pretty economical to prepare. It freezes well too, so I like to keep some in my freezer for nights when there's no time to prepare dinner. I love the addition of cinnamon in this soup - the flavor combination is subtle but distinct.

I coupled this soup with a colorful, crunchy coleslaw. I'm not a huge fan of mayo based coleslaws and I like this one because it is vinegar based and also uses apples and pears. It's also perfect to take to a summer picnic since there is no mayonnaise. Make this early in the day because the longer it sits, the better it tastes. It's also good the next day but the fruit starts to turn a bit and may not be as fresh looking.

* Exported from MasterCook *

White Chili with Ground Turkey

Recipe By : Allrecipes.com
Serving Size : 8
Categories : Soups Turkey

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 each onion -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- minced
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
8 ounces green chilies
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground white pepper
3 (15 ounce) cans cannelini beans
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I used the shredded combination cheddar/Monterrey Jack)

Directions:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic and ground turkey and saute for 10 minutes, or until turkey is well browned. Add the chili peppers, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne pepper to taste and white pepper to taste and saute for 5 more minutes.
2. Add two cans of the beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

Apple and Pear Slaw

Serving Size : 6
Categories : Salads/Salad Dressings

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups granny Smith apple -- thinly sliced
2 cups pear -- thinly sliced
12 ounces cabbage & carrot coleslaw mix

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine apple, pear, and coleslaw in a large bowl; stir in dressing. Chill up to 2 hours.

Source:
"Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2000, pg. 288"
Yield:
"1 cup"
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