Ingredient Title Chef Category

OUNCE-PER-EDIBLE-OUNCE YOU CAN'T BEAT TURKEY

Once upon a time in the "olden days" turkey was a once a year treat, if you were lucky enough to get one into your oven at all. Today, the turkey growers have perfected the art of raising the once wild bird and even giving it nice big breasts (without silicone injections). So big are the birds that a leg can be a nice meal for two and a breast will weight 5 1/2 to 6 pounds. Wings are a good buy, too. Simmer them with celery, onion carrots and parsley. The meat will make a great salad and the broth makes excellent soup. Any recipe that calls for chicken can be used with turkey. Mexican cooks use a lot of turkey in innovative ways. If you like Mexican food or the cuisine of the southwest you will like these recipes.

TURKEY BREAST WITH ROASTED YAMS

Serve this with steamed vegetables and/or a salad for a healthy inexpensive dinner.

1 turkey breast
1/4 cup minced cilantro or parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup beer
2 yams, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
l teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Use fingers to gently lift skin of turkey breast. Cut three 1/4-inch deep slashes across each half-breast. Combine minced cilantro, garlic and salt, then rub mixture into slashes and over surface of meat. Replace skin over meat. Rub 1 teaspoon of oil over bottom of a heavy roasting pan. Rub rest of oil over turkey in roasting pan and pour beer over it. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and roast for 50 to 60 minutes longer, until thickest part of breast reaches 168°F.

Yams: While turkey is roasting, toss yams with olive oil and salt. Place in an oiled pan and roast in oven until tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of yams to use in Layered Enchilada recipe. Serve yams with slices of turkey. Makes 2 servings with leftovers.

TURKEY TORTILLA SOUP

You can use chicken broth or bouillon cubes if you don't have turkey stock.

2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1 chile, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed, crushed
1/4 cup minced cilantro or parsley
4 cups chicken broth or turkey stock
3 tablespoons chile powder, or to taste
1/2 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups diced roasted turkey
Garnishes:
1 cup corn chips, crumbled
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, or other sharp cheese
1/2 cup minced cilantro or parsley
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out seeds. Put tomatoes into a large baking dish, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in oven and roast 35 minutes. Let tomatoes cool 15 minutes. Scoop out flesh, leaving skins behind. Put tomatoes in food processor and roughly puree. Makes about 2 cups. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and chile and saute for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and cumin and saute a minute or two longer. Stir in cilantro, roasted tomato puree and the broth. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors. Meanwhile, stir the chile powder into hot water and steep for a few minutes before adding to simmering soup. Cook over low heat 15 minutes more. Stir turkey into soup, remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls adding the garnishes. Makes 6 servings.

LAYERED ENCHILADAS

These are layered with leftover turkey and yams, sauteed onion and chiles, grated cheese and quick and easy red chile sauce. The dish can be assembled a day ahead but you may need to use more of the chile sauce as the tortillas will soak up sauce.

Red Chili Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can (28 oz.) red chile puree
2 tablespoons masa harina (tortilla flour*)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons chile powder
Enchiladas:
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
9 corn tortillas
2 chiles, seeded and diced
1 cup diced cooked yams
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups diced roasted turkey
1 1/2 to 2 cups grated medium sharp cheddar cheese

Sauce: Heat oil and add garlic and oregano; saute 1 minute. Add garlic and oregano and satue another minute. Stir in red chile puree and bring to a simmer. Blend tortilla flour into 1/2 cup of the water to make a smooth paste, then stir in remaining water. Whisk into the chile puree and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the brown sugar and chile powder. Simmer for 5 minutes longer just to blend flavors. Set aside to cool.

Enchiladas: Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in skillet. Add 1 tortilla and fry quickly on both sides, just to seal. Remove from pan. Continue frying the tortillas, adding more oil by teaspoon as needed. When finished add another couple teaspoons of oil to pan. When hot, add the chiles, saute for 5 minutes. Add yams, onion and turkey breast; stir to combine.

To Assemble: Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 13x9-inch baking dish. Lavishly dip each tortilla into the chile sauce. Layer 3 tortillas across the bottom. Add a layer of turkey filling. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layering and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top layer. Bake 18 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

*Note: If you don't have masa harina, use either plain flour or cornmeal.

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