Turkey meat, as you know, is lean, so the only way to guarantee its juiciness, if you roast it in the oven, is to use marinade or fat. In addition, baking a whole carcass may look too long and time-consuming process. However, cooking time and effort can be reduced by preparing individual pieces of meat. So you can come up with a lot of delicious turkey dishes. Some interesting ideas are presented below.
Breast in aromatic herbs
This is the easiest recipe for turkey, which does not require much effort. Its feature is the simultaneous use of fresh rosemary, thyme and garlic. These seasonings really complement the great taste of turkey. So you will need:
- 1 turkey breast, with bones and skin, about 2.5-3 kg;
- 16 glasses of ice water;
- 1 1/4 cup kosher salt;
- half a glass of light brown sugar;
- 3 garlic cloves, minced in minced meat;
- 1 liter Art. chopped rosemary leaves;
- 1 liter Art. fresh thyme, chopped;
- 1 liter Art. olive oil;
- 1 liter St. black pepper, crushed;
- 2 tsp sea salt.
How to make spicy breast?
This turkey breast recipe is simple. Put the meat in a large plastic bag. Put it all in a large pot or bowl (in case the bag leaks). Add salt and brown sugar to the turkey, and then pack tightly. Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 160 ° C in advance. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry. Pour the whole brine. Put the breast in a deep baking tray or roasting pan. Rub it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, as well as herbs and garlic. Be sure to rub everything under the skin. Place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast without touching the bone. Bake at 160 ° C for 1-2 hours until the meat temperature is 73-75 ° C.
Cranberry Turkey
What dishes can be prepared from turkey? Below is a very interesting option, how to bake a breast. Acting in this way, you will get tender and juicy meat, perfect for a festive table. For him you will need:
- 360 grams of rustic white bread, diced (about 7 glasses);
- 10 l Art. creamy unsalted butter;
- 1 large leek (about 360 grams), only white and light green parts, coarsely chopped;
- a glass of chopped celery (stems and leaves);
- a quarter cup of chopped fresh parsley (with flat leaves);
- a quarter cup of crushed mixture of fresh sage, rosemary and thyme, as well as twigs of these herbs (to put under the skin of a turkey);
- a third of a glass of dried cranberries;
- 2 cups chicken stock;
- 1 large egg;
- 3 kg whole turkey breast.
Cooking turkey with breadcrumbs and cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350 ° C in advance. Put the bread on a baking sheet and bake until dry, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 6 tbsp in a large pan. l oil over low heat. Add leeks and celery, season with salt and pepper. Fry, stirring occasionally, until soft, about five minutes. Remove from heat. Add chopped herbs and dried cranberries. In a small bowl, beat the broth and egg, pour this mixture into the pan. Put crackers there. Place the entire contents of the pan in a 3-liter baking dish, forming a turkey well in the center.
Using your fingers, carefully tear off the skin from the surface of the breast. Fold the remaining 4 tbsp. l oils under the skin and over its entire surface. Place branches of herbs under the skin. Season the turkey, and put on top of the other ingredients in the mold. Fry until the instant reading thermometer registers 70 ° C when pasted into the thickest part of the breast. It takes about 2 hours. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board, let it stand for 15 minutes, covering it with foil. Slice the meat and serve with the contents of the mold.
Baked wings with sauce
Recipes of turkey meat in the oven usually involve the use of breast. But you can also cook other parts of the carcass, including wings. The meat in them is not as dry as in the breast, so you can not add fat to them. For one of these recipes you will need:
- 2-2.5 kg of turkey wings;
- 2 medium onions, peeled, chopped into 8 pieces each;
- 2-3 l. Art. olive oil;
- one and a half liters including salt;
- 3/4 l. including ground black pepper;
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled;
- 2 liters of unsalted chicken stock;
- 2-3 branches of fresh sage;
- 2-3 branches of fresh thyme;
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary;
- 3 stalks of celery, cut into 4 pieces each;
- 2/3 cup flour.
How to cook it: recipe with photo
A turkey dish is easy. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Lubricate the pan with a little oil. Put turkey wings and onions in it. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with half a liter. including salt and a quarter of l. h. pepper. Bake for one hour until the turkey and onion are browned. Flip wings, add garlic cloves and bake for another 15 minutes.
Put everything in a deep plate and pour a glass of chicken stock into an empty baking sheet. Stir it well so that all the juices from baking meat and onions are added to it. Pour into a saucepan and mix with celery, herbs and remaining chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove solid particles from the liquid mass. Pour the sauce through the strainer to remove any remaining pieces.
How to make a sauce?
Remove fat from the sauce using a special separator or by cooling it in the refrigerator (so the fat will freeze on the surface and it can be removed). Measure out 5 and a half cups of the resulting liquid. Pour a small amount into a bowl and stir 2/3 cup flour so that there are no lumps.
Heat the rest of the sauce in a large saucepan until steamed. Stir it constantly and gradually add the suspension prepared in the previous step until you reach the desired consistency. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Try and add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Heat in the microwave or on a stove, add water or chicken stock to it to dilute if necessary. Serve with baked wings or with any other turkey or chicken dish.
Meatloaf
Few people will guess how to cook turkey roll and fill it with mushrooms. However, it turns out to be very tasty. This is a great recipe for turkey meat , which can be used for a festive menu. Many finely chopped mushrooms add flavor and juiciness, which is often lacking in this bird's fillet. Champignons are perfect for this dish, but you can use some types of brown mushrooms: cremins, portobello or shiitake. The main rule is that they should be finely chopped. You can do it manually or use a food processor. For this dish of turkey in the oven you will need:
- 240 grams of mushrooms, peeled and very finely chopped;
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped finely;
- 2 garlic cloves, minced in minced meat;
- 1 liter Art. butter;
- 1 liter including kosher salt;
- 1/2 l. including ground black pepper;
- 1 liter Art. Worcestershire sauce;
- 7 l Art. ketchup, individually;
- a glass of breadcrumbs;
- a third of a glass of milk;
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten;
- 700 grams of minced turkey.
How is this dish made?
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees in advance. Lightly oil a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft. It takes about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry until tender, about one minute. Put the mushrooms, 1/2 liter. including salt and 1/4 liter h. pepper. Fry until the mushrooms release all the liquid and it evaporates, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and then add the Worcestershire sauce and 3 tablespoons of ketchup. Set aside so that the mass can cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl. Add this mixture with the egg to the minced meat. Using a fork or hands, gently mix everything with half a liter. including salt and a quarter of l. h. pepper. The mixture will be very wet.
Spread a piece of minced meat along the bottom of the pan in the shape of a rectangle. In the middle, put a mixture of mushrooms and onions. Use the remaining stuffing to close the filling on all sides. Spread the remaining 4 tablespoons of ketchup on top.
Bake the roll until the instant reading thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 76 degrees. It takes about 50 minutes. Let the cooked turkey dish stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Some helpful tips
You can cook this turkey dish at home without gluten. To do this, use crushed gluten-free crackers or brown rice flakes instead of breadcrumbs. In this case, you should also make sure that the ketchup you are using is gluten free.
The above recipe involves the use of kosher salt. It is denser and its addition is easier to control. However, you can use any salt you have available. Just remember that kosher salt has more flakes in it, compared to table or small sea salt. If you use a smaller variety, you need to reduce its total amount indicated in the recipe by 25-50%.
Glazed Turkey
You can cook only the breast or any other parts of the carcass, but it is also possible to bake the whole carcass according to this recipe. A turkey dish in the oven will turn out good anyway. In total you will need:
- half a glass of melted butter;
- a quarter cup of lemon juice;
- a quarter cup of lime juice;
- a quarter cup of honey;
- 2 l including fresh rosemary;
- 2 l h. fresh thyme;
- 1 turkey (6-7 kg);
- one and a half liters including salt;
- 1 liter h. pepper;
- one and a half glasses of unsalted chicken broth.
For the sauce:
- 1-2 cups unsalted chicken broth;
- a third cup of universal flour;
- sea salt and pepper to your taste.
Cooking turkey in the glaze
Preheat oven to 160 ° C. In a small bowl, beat the first six ingredients until they mix. Set aside half of the mixture to make the glaze; refrigerate until necessary.
Place the turkey on the wire rack in a skillet with the breast facing up. Pick up the wings for the carcass, tie their tips. Using your fingers, carefully lift the skin from the breast, pour half of the oil mixture (prepared in the previous step) under it. Fasten the skin on the underside of the chest with toothpicks. Sprinkle turkey with sea salt and pepper.
Pour a half cup of broth into the bottom of the pan. Bake the bird uncoated for thirty minutes, then cover it with foil and cook for another hour and a half.
Remove the turkey from the oven. Lubricate it on all sides with a reserved oil mixture. Continue to bake then, slightly covered with foil, for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh shows 70-75 ° C. Take the turkey onto a dish and cover with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before chopping. In the meantime, prepare the meat sauce.
To do this, pour all the juices and any solid brown pieces from the bottom of the pan into a large measuring cup. Remove fat and strain. Dilute it with broth to make three glasses of liquid.
Pour a small amount into a separate pan, mix with flour until smooth, then pour gradually into the main broth. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously, and simmer until the liquid thickens. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve this sauce with a delicious turkey dish prepared according to the above recipe.
Stuffed Bell Peppers with Turkey
This turkey dish is surprisingly tasty. Serve it best with salad or rice. It will require the following:
- 5 medium green, red or yellow peppers;
- 2 l including olive oil;
- 600 grams of minced turkey;
- 1 large onion, chopped;
- 1 clove of garlic, minced;
- 2 l including ground caraway seeds;
- 1 liter including Italian seasoning;
- half a liter including salt;
- half a liter h. pepper;
- 2 medium finely chopped tomatoes;
- 1-3 / 4 cups of grated cheese (cheddar or other);
- one and a half glasses of soft bread crumbs;
- a quarter of l including paprika
Cooking pepper with turkey
Preheat the oven to 160 ° C in advance. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Fold them in a rectangular shape, oiled.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Fry the minced turkey with onions, garlic and seasonings over medium heat until the meat turns pink, 6-8 minutes. Add tomatoes, cheese and breadcrumbs. Fill the mixture with peppers and sprinkle with paprika. Bake without covering until the pepper is soft, 20–25 minutes.
To make soft breadcrumbs for this turkey recipe, tear the bread into pieces and place in a food processor or blender. Cover and chop until crumbs form. One slice of bread gives 1/2 to 3/4 cups of breadcrumbs.
You can make this dish gluten-free and / or lactose-free. To do this, use gluten-free corn or rice bread. Gluten-free cheese can be taken. And at the same time, you should make sure that bread for crackers does not have dairy components in its composition. So you can cook a dish for people on special diets.