BLOGHUNGRY

Food For Parents: Mini Turkey Meatballs Over Spinach and Garlic

These are pretty amazing. We eat meatballs at least once a week in my house. We change them up with different ingredients and serve them with veggies to keep them interesting and on the healthy side. Turkey is my favorite ground meat to use. It's taste is lighter and it's healthier than beef or sausage mixes. We usually eat these on a bed of sauteed spinach and garlic, but you could also have them over pasta, polenta, or a with a side of veggies. You could make these in advance. Just put them in a oven safe dish and reheat them in the oven until heated though.

Mini Turkey Meatballs

1 small onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
26 ounces store-bought marinara sauce

Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, basil, Parmesan, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Using 2 forks, mix in the turkey until combined. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Lay meatballs on a large plate or baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Spinach with Garlic

3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons water
16 oz bag of frozen chopped spinach
2 teaspoona salt and pepper

In a medium-large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a 2-3 minutes. Add spinach, water, salt and pepper, cover and steam until heated through.

Homemade Turkey Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes aren't just for cafeterias anymore. This recipe from Tyler Florence is tangy and savory in a more adult way. He tops his with a butternut squash coleslaw with honey goat cheese dressing, but I got lazy and skipped that part. You can also sub ground beef, chicken, or pork.

Homemade Turkey Sloppy Joes

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
salt and pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
12 large rolls or buns

Set a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add ground turkey, season well with salt and pepper and brown well all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon - about 7 to 10 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste. Finish with a splash of red wine vinegar and season it once more before serving on rolls.

Basting Is Over

Alton Brown says basting is for suckers and I have to agree. It takes all the heat from your oven every time you open it and the juices just run off the skin of the turkey anyway. However, Martha Stewart covers her turkeys in butter and wine soaked cheese cloth which seems to be a more effective and will also shield the bird from over-browning. I’m going to try it this year.

1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
Cheesecloth

Melt butter, add wine, and mix well. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters and cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Soak cheesecloth in the butter and wine mixture. Remove the cheesecloth and spread it evenly over the breast and halfway down the sides of the turkey. Remove cheesecloth for last hour of roasting time.

Thaw your Turkey ASAP

When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator, there are several variables to take into account. You have to plan ahead to make sure you aren’t cooking a frozen turkey. Allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F.

Refrigerator Thawing Times
(Whole turkey)
12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days
Foods defrosted in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, but there may be some loss of quality.

Cold Water Thawing
Allow about 30 minutes per pound when thawing a turkey in cold water. Be sure the turkey is in leak-proof packaging. Tissues can absorb water like a sponge, resulting in a watery product. Submerge the turkey in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed.

Cold Water Thawing Times
8 to 12 pounds...........4 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds...........6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds.........8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds.......10 to 12 hours

Turkeys thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately because conditions were not temperature controlled.

Best Turkey Brine Ever

If you have never brined your turkey before, this is the year to start. For a holiday where your turkey is the star you need to make sure it is moist and full of flavor. The only way to do that is to brine. Think of it as a marinade for your bird. This is my favorite brine because it is so easy and flavorful. Get a large pot or good sized bucket for the turkey and brine. I've even heard of people lining containers with thick plastic trash bags full of brine. Just make sure you have plenty of room in your fridge for your turkey to soak.

Bay and Lemon Brined Turkey

1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey

For the brine:
2 gallons water
1 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
2 lemons, sliced in 1/2
4 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
Small handful cloves

Combine all brine ingredients in a container or pot large enough to hold the turkey. Make sure all the sugar and salt have been fully dissolved. Add the turkey and refrigerate about 6 hours or overnight. Martha Stewart brines turkeys for up to 24 hours so don't sweat it if you like to sleep in.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove turkey from brine and transfer to a roasting pan with a rack. Stuff turkey with the lemon halves, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks used in the brine. Cook turkey for about 3 1/2 hours, basting every 40 minutes or so. If any part of the turkey gets too brown towards the end of cooking, shield with pieces of tin foil or butter-soaked cheesecloth. When the turkey is done, juices should run clear from the breast and the legs should pull away from the bird easily. Remove from the heat and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Pastry Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Spinach

I created this recipe as a Superbowl recipe for a Superbowl recipe contest a few months ago. Saddly I didn't win, but I did get to eat a whole meatloaf in the process. So I made out pretty well afterall. This is really just a different spin on my Italian Spinach Stuffed Pastry Wrapped Meatloaf for people who perfer BBQ sauce and blue cheese. I made my own crust, but you could skip that step and wrap yours in a premade rolled crust from the grocery. Just make sure you let it thaw until it's plyable and you may need to flour and roll it to the right size.

Pastry Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Spinach

Meatloaf:
2 lbs ground turkey or beef
2 eggs
3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 cup bbq sauce
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups bread crumbs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a small skillet saute onion with a tablespoon of oil or butter until softened. Mix the meat, eggs, bread crumbs, bbq sauce, salt and pepper, and onion together in a large mixing bowl. Line a cookie sheet with a generous amount of foil. Pat out the meatloaf so that it completely covers the cookie sheet evenly. Layer the spinach and blue cheese in a line lengthwise in the center of the meatloaf. Use the foil to help fold the edges over the spinach and cheese, shaping tightly into a loaf. Make sure the loaf is smooth and sealed. Bend the foil over loaf and seal tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Wrap with pastry and continue to bake as directed below.

Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream

With hands or food processor, combine flour and butter to form a crumbly texture. Add egg and sour cream and combine into dough. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and roll into a rectangle roughly the size of the cookie sheet. Place the cooked meatloaf in the center of the sheet of dough.  Wrap the dough around the loaf.  Dampen the edges at the seams so they will seal well. Place the pastry-wrapped loaf in a greased shallow pan (you may have yet more fat cook out) with the seam down. Bake at 375 degrees F until the crust is golden brown, usually 25 to 30 min. Serve hot or at room temperature.  Cut slices across the loaf to show the layers. 

Swedish Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs are very popular in my household. We have them in soup, pasta, or as a stand alone entree about once a week. So when I say that this is an amazing recipe for Swedish meatballs, you should take my word for it. I don't like mushrooms, so I took them out of the recipe, but you could add 10 oz of sliced button mushrooms to the sauce if you wanted. Also, the challah bread really makes a big difference, so you need to make your own challah breadcroumbs.

For the meatballs:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely food processed
10 ounces challah bread, food processed to crumbs (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
25 grinds freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ground turkey

For pan sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup medium-dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bag egg noodles (to serve on)

For the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Set onions aside to cool and wipe skillet clean. In a large mixing bowl combine the cooled onions with remaining meatball ingredients. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.
Heat remaining oil in skillet over high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides.

For the pan sauce:
Set meatballs aside. Add the butter and onion to the pan and saute until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the sherry and chicken stock, to deglaze the pan. Sprinkle in the instant flour and cook until sauce thickens. Add the half-and-half, Worcestershire and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, whisking often until thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat, add meatballs back to the pan. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Pastry Wrapped Spinach Stuffed Meatloaf

I am in love with pastry and want to wrap all of my food in it and bake it. I made up this recipe as a small town nod to Beef Wellington (sans mushrooms and pate). This is an Italian style spinach stuffed meatloaf baked and wrapped in a quick sour cream pastry and baked again to golden brown.

Pastry Wrapped Spinach Stuffed Meatloaf

Meatloaf:
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1-2 handfuls shredded mozzarella
aluminum foil
10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed/drained
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the turkey, eggs, and spaghetti sauce together in a large mixing bowl. Line a cookie sheet with a generous amount of foil. Pat out the meatloaf so that it completely covers the cookie sheet evenly. Layer the spinach and cheese in a line lengthwise in the center of the meatloaf. Use the foil to help fold the edges over the spinach and cheese, shaping tightly into a loaf. Make sure the loaf is smooth and sealed. Bend the foil over loaf and seal tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Wrap with pastry and continue to bake as directed below.

Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream

With hands or food processor, combine flour and butter to form a crumbly texture. Add egg and sour cream and combine into dough. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and roll into a rectangle roughly the size of the cookie sheet. Place the cooked meatloaf in the center of the sheet of dough.  Wrap the dough around the loaf.  Dampen the edges at the seams so they will seal well. Place the pastry-wrapped loaf in a greased shallow pan (you may have yet more fat cook out) with the seam down. Bake at 375 degrees F until the crust is golden brown, usually 25 to 30 min. Serve hot or at room temperature.  Cut slices across the loaf to show the layers. 

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

We had a lot of leftover turkey at my house after Thanksgiving this year. It continued to feed us for 2-3 meals past Thanksgiving. The last of it went int this really easy pot pie with some leftover greenbeans. Just thow a bunch of stuff in a big ziplock bag, shake it up, and bake it in a premade pie crust. It's a little ghetto to start cooking with condensed soups, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It was actually pretty tasty.

Turkey Pot Pie

1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups cubed cooked turkeys
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup frozen green beans, cooked and drained
1 double-crust pie (9 inches)
1 tablespoon milk

In a skillet, sauté carrots, onion, celery, thyme and pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender.

In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine turkey and flour; shake to coat. Add turkey, soup and green beans to the vegetable mixture; mix well.

Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust. Add turkey mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with milk. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Savory Turkey Gravy

This gravy is slightly more advanced than my easy turkey gravy, but it promises a richer flavor. Why not take your gravy to the next level this year?

Savory Turkey Gravy

1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sprig rosemary, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 sprig thyme leaves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Pour any pan drippings into a cup or small bowl. Put 3 tablespoons of the drippings in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and combine the rest with the stock later. To the pan, add the shallot, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot is tender, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a paste with the butter and flour in a small bowl, set aside. Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and whisk in the flour mixture. Boil until sauce thickens to make a gravy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Remove and discard the garlic and bay leaf. Serve.