Valentine's Pasta (Bow Ties in a Rich Provolone Cream Sauce with Shallots, Ground Turkey and Portabello)

Make this for someone you have warm fuzzy feelings for, someone you owe money to, or someone that birthed you.

All kidding aside this is quite possibly the best pasta I've ever made. There is something unmistakably nostalgic about it -  like a turkey tetrazzini and beef strogonaf mashup - yet to compare it with these humble dishes would be an insult. My husband who turns his nose up at mushrooms in pasta (and even tetrazzini of any kind) declared it his hands down favorite pasta.

While parmesan would probably work here, I highly recommend seeking out a block of Provolone Piccante cheese for this (I can find it at HEB and if I recall it's less expensive than parmesan anyway.) There is a unique sharpness to this cheese that when mellowed by the sweet shallots and creamy mascarpone turns into molten liquid crack. I realize all cream sauces are decadent but this one is both decadent and sophisticated, both showy and comforting and it somehow infuses the pasta with flavor rather than just coating it.

Green onions are an essential finish for me but I bet fresh thyme (though less of it) would be worth a try.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Pasta 

(Bow Ties in a Rich Provolone Cream Sauce with Shallots, Ground Turkey and Portabello)

Serves 5-6.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, 1 tablespoon or enough to lightly coat the bottom of a dutch oven
1/2 cup shallots, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
More olive oil, as needed
2 large portabello caps, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Garlic powder, several shakes
1 pound ground white turkey meat
Red pepper flakes generous pinch
Generous 1/2 cup white wine
8 oz mascarpone

1 1/4 cups shredded provolone picante plus more for garnish (found in the gourmet cheese section of the market in a block like parmesan or manchego)
Lots of fresh ground nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped green onion, more for garnish
3/4 of a 1 pound box farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Directions:

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add a pinch of salt then the bow ties. Cook for 7-8 minutes or just until al dente. If the pasta is ready before the sauce, remove with a colander and hold it in a large bowl, reserving the pasta water in case you need some to thin out the sauce.

Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil - just enough to sauté the shallots in (about a tablespoon or so.) Let heat through for 30 seconds then add the shallots. Season with a good pinch salt and pepper and sauté until softened stirring often - about 4 minutes. Scoot the softened shallots to one side of the pan and add some more olive oil to the bare spot. Let it heat through for a few seconds then add the portabello to that side. Season with a tiny bit more salt and pepper as well as the garlic powder, then stir around the oil to coat. Let cook for one minute then stir the shallots and mushrooms together and keep cooking. If you're in a hurry, you can put the lid on for one minute to cook the mushrooms faster. Otherwise just keep stirring every so often, adding more oil to the pan if it gets too dry and the mushrooms start sticking to the bottom.

When the mushrooms have wilted a little, scoot both them and the shallots over to one side of the pan (add a little more oil if the bare spot is too dry) and add the turkey meat. Give it a couple minutes to begin cooking then stir everything together. 

Season with another teensy pinch of salt and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes and keep stirring and cooking until the meat is no longer pink - about 8 minutes. Now add a generous half cup of white wine and raise the heat to high to bring to a boil.

Let bubble away, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about half, but not so much that it's evaporated. You want a good 1/4 inch of liquid left in the pan - this will help make the sauce.

Reduce the heat back to medium/low and stir in the 8 oz package of mascarpone cheese until incorporated then the 1 1/4 cups provolone cheese and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg. 

When all mixed together, raise the heat to high again and bring to a bubble, letting the provolone melt and create a sauce. Just let bubble for a minute or two until thickened slightly. Reduce the heat back to low and stir in the 1/3 cup green onions. If the sauce is too thick at this point (more like a cheese spread than a sauce) add a little of the pasta water to it - a tablespoon at a time - when you add the pasta. On the contrary if it seems too loose and thin, add in some more grated provolone and let it melt in to thicken it up.

Stir the bow ties into the sauce and taste for salt and pepper. 

Serve in big bowls with additional grated provolone over the top and chopped green onions.

Turkey, Pancetta and Parmesan Meatloaf Subs

Turkey, Pancetta and Parmesan Meatloaf Subs
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 3 oz package diced pancetta
2 eggs, beaten
1 large shallot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1/3 cup chopped, drained artichokes from a jar of marinated artichoke hearts (be sure to discard any 'tough' bits)
2 heaping teaspoons roughly chopped capers (kind packed in brine/liquid, drained)
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (preferably parsley and basil)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
lemon zest from a small lemon
black pepper
good pinch red pepper flakes
good grating fresh nutmeg
1 (1.25 lb) package ground turkey, preferably 93% lean

6-8 best quality hoagie, sub or sandwich rolls, or French bread
Butter
Salt and Pepper
Several slices (8-10) Provolone cheese
Mayo, mustard, or other condiments, as desired

Directions:
Place the pancetta on a medium cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake the pancetta at 400 for 13-15 minutes until golden and just lightly crisp. Set aside to cool and lower the heat to 375.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, gently beat the two eggs. Stir in the breadcrumbs, parmesan, chopped artichokes, capers, fresh herbs, oregano, salt, lemon zest, black and red pepper flakes and nutmeg until well combined. Add in the cooled pancetta (use a slotted spoon so you get some of the fat but not all of it . No need to pat dry first with paper towels as some of that fat is good flavor) and ground turkey and combine until just mixed together. Do not overwork!

Transfer the meatloaf mixture into a sprayed loaf pan.

Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

While the meatloaf cools, slice your sandwich rolls and spread lightly with butter on each half. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in the oven cut side up and toast for 6 minutes. Add the Provolone cheese to the 'top halves' (go for double slices if thin, folding in half if necessary) and bake another 2-3 minutes until melted.

Slice the meatloaf into 1/2 inch thick slices and serve in the rolls with any condiments preferred.

Juicy Lucies (cheese-stuffed burgers) with Texas Tapenade

Have you ever had a Juicy Lucy? I hadn't even heard of them until I moved to Minneapolis several years ago. I have to say, they may be the sole reason worth suffering through a midwest winter. A Juicy Lucy is just a burger with a pocket of gooey molten cheese hidden inside. Our favorites were the lucies at Adrian's Bar and Grill - a wonderful old dive bar in south Minneapolis. Dang they were GOOOOD...

Adrian's I believe were made with cheddar but cheddar didn't seem quite right with turkey burgers for some reason so I decided to try a trio of white cheeses here and wasn't disappointed. The accompaniment - Texas Tapenade - is more a sun dried tomato pesto than a true tapenade, the Texan element being jalapeno stuffed olives. If you don't have those on hand, feel free to substitute regular jumbo green olives or even kalamata or black olives along with a good pinch of red pepper flakes for that southern heat wave element. Yeee haw!

PS - don't be upset if your burgers separate into two patties by the end of cooking exposing the cheesy goodness inside. That's just Lucy flirting with you....

Juicy Lucies with Texas Tapenade
Serves 4.
* The tapenade is great on crostini or with crackers as an appetizer or snack or on any number of sandwiches.

Burgers:
1 package (1.3 pounds) ground lean turkey
1/4 cup minced shallots (2 regular)
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
4 English muffins, toasted or griddled

In a large bowl, combine the minced shallots, garlic, lemon zest, parmesan, salt, and pepper with a fork until evenly mixed. Add the turkey meat and gently combine with your hands trying to incorporate everything evenly but not overwork the meat. Set aside while you make the juicy filling.

Juicy Filling:
3 oz goat cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
good grating fresh nutmeg
fresh cracked pepper
dash salt
splash half and half or heavy cream, just enough to bind all the cheeses together without making it too wet/mushy

Mix the cheese, nutmeg pepper and salt together with fork. Add JUST enough half and half or heavy cream to help them make friends and bind being careful not to make it to 'wet' as you'll need to form the mixture into little patties. Once combined, use your hands to make little flattened discs. I confess to getting 5 out of them and only 4 burgers of the meat mixture, so you might want to reserve the 5th patty for another use (cracker spread/etc.)

To form the juicy lucies, gather enough ground meat in your palm (about the amount it would take to make a jumbo sized meatball or a thin hamburger patty.) Gently press and turn with your hands to make a patty, ensuring you'll have enough of an 'edge' around your cheese disc so that you can seal it. Set the patty on a greased surface then set the cheese disc in the center. Create another thin patty out of the meat mixture and place it over the cheese disc. You'll need to carefully pick it up and turn the juicy lucy in your hands as you gently press and crimp the edges together, ensuring you've got a good seal. Set aside and complete the rest of the patties. (After forming, you can either refrigerate for up to 8 hours, covered, or cook right away.)

To cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season the burgers on the top sides with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry until golden on both sides - about 4 minutes per side, ensuring you don't have too high a flame so that the cheese melts through but doesn't liquify too early in the cooking process and leak out (also be careful when flipping - remembering your delicate little package inside.) Transfer to the 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to cook all the way through. Remove and let 'rest' for five minutes, lightly tented with foil, before serving.

Serve with Texas Tapenade (below) on toasted English muffins.

Texas Tapenade Ingredients:
3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (reserve oil)
1 clove garlic
2 jumbo jalapeno-stuffed green olives (or regular jumbo olives plus a pinch of red pepper flakes)
zest of a small lemon (or half a large one)
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
2-3 sprigs boxwood (pistou) basil or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1-2 teaspoons oil from the sun dried tomatoes
fresh cracked black pepper

Texas Tapenade Directions:
If you have the time or energy, give the sun dried tomatoes and garlic clove a rough chop. If not, just chuck them all into the blender and pulse a few times. Add the green olives and pulse again until there are no large chunks of olive left (unless you like your tapenade on the chunky side.) Add the lemon zest, pine nuts, basil, oil from the sun dried tomatoes and some fresh cracked pepper and pulse again until well blended. Decide wether you want to add more oil or not (there is a never ending battle at our house between my husband and me - I like my pesto on the drier side - he the liquidy side...) make any adjustments necessary and either refrigerate for up to 3 days before using or serve right away.

Chipotle Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes with Ground Turkey

My return to the Lone Star State has caused a temporary swell of pride for Texas food and flavors. I'm sure it will pass or at least fade soon, but in the meantime here's my Texified take on twice baked potatoes.

Next time I make these I'll hold the actual chipotle and just use the adobo sauce instead for that smokey kick. Turns out my taste buds need to go into basic training to become fully Texan again. As with any twice baked potato recipe, these take time. The saving grace is they make a full meal when paired with a salad. They would also make great appetizers if made with small potatoes.

Giddy Up!

Chipotle Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes with Turkey
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons chipotle adobo sauce plus one chipotle (optional!) minced
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon coriander
few gratings fresh nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons low fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons chopped green onion plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar for filling, plus another 1/3 cup or so for the tops
2 tablespoons melted butter, for putting over the top before baking

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Rub cleaned potatoes with olive oil. Stab with a fork a couple times each, place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until skin has begun to crinkle and the flesh pierces easily with a fork. Cool 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the shallots in olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Once the shallots have softened, add in the minced garlic and cook another minute. Add in the ground turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook about 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Add in the chipotle (if using), the adobo sauce, ketchup, coriander, nutmeg, salt, white pepper, and paprika. Stir well. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes in half length wise and carefully scoop out the flesh leaving a solid 1/4 inch 'wall' around the edges to keep them from falling apart. Add the flesh to a large bowl and fluff/break apart with a fork. Once nice and fluffed, mix in the sour cream and cottage cheese. Add the turkey mixture and incorporate well being careful not to over mix or the potato will become gummy. Stir in the green onions and cheddar cheese.

Place the potato 'skins' on a large greased cookie sheet and fill with the stuffing. They can hold a lot so don't hold back here and pile them nice and high. Pour the melted butter over the tops then top with more cheddar if desired.

Bake again lowering the heat to 375 for 20 minutes or until the tops just begin to brown. Garnish with green onions.

Spicy Turkey Tacos with Jalapeno, Sauteed Peppers, and Cilantro

Hi Loves. I will write more in-depth posts soon - I promise. In the meantime, Happy Spring to you and yours!

Spicy Turkey Tacos with Jalapeno, Sauteed Peppers, and Cilantro

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon canola or olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
salt
pepper
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
1 garlic clove, minced

additional dash or two of oil
1.3 lbs ground turkey (93% lean - not 99%))
pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 jalapeno, minced and some seeds left (or 2 if you really like it hot)

Garnish with plenty of:
light sour cream
shredded cheddar
sliced avocado
fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions:
Wrap a big old mess of flour tortillas well in aluminum foil and place in a low oven to warm through (225 degrees or so) while you cook the taco filling.

For the filling, add a teaspoon of oil to a large nonstick pan and bring the heat to medium. Let the oil warm through for 30 seconds or so, then add the minced onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook for two minutes, stirring once or twice. Add in the bell pepper and garlic and saute for about 5-7 minutes, until the pepper begins to soften a little. Scoot the veggies over to one side of the pan and add a dash of oil or two to the clean space for the turkey. Add the meat to the clear space, braking up with your wooden spoon. Season with an additional pinch of salt, and once it's begun to brown, you can stir it around the pan, mixing it in with the veggies to help the meat along. As it cooks, season everything with the ground coriander, cumin, and paprika.

After the meat is almost all browned, add in the minced jalapeno - as much as you like. I like the jalapeno to have just enough time in the pan to be slightly mellowed by the heat, but not so much so that it loses its crunch. Once the meat is cooked through, taste the mixture for salt and pepper, making any adjustments needed.

Serve in warm flour tortillas with plenty of shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado and cilantro for garnish.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

The beauty of cooking is that you can put all of your own neuroses - all of your bizarre little notions of what's right and wrong with the world into your food. You are the king or queen of your domain, if only for the short time you spend in the kitchen. Of course, one can take this power too far - i.e. Sandra Lee's Corn Nut Kwaanza cake or Giada's infamous basil, brie, and chocolate panini...

This week, I applied my neuroses to meatloaf. For example, I don't understand putting bacon inside of it. It actually upsets me. The idea of a loaf of meat is mysterious enough without adding bacon to the equation. That said (drum roll for crazy), bacon on top of meatloaf is just dandy by me. You get all that bacon flavor infusing the meat as it bakes while the bacon itself becomes crispy and golden. Flavor + texture. Hooray for being a meat eater.

Another one of my beliefs is that ground turkey works as well (or better) than beef for this recipe. It's lighter, and not just in the calorie sense of the word, but in texture and weight, allowing the mustard and bacon and cheese to cut through. And while I've seen a lot of recipes that use mayonnaise, I can't even comment on that one. You already have an egg as a binder - would you like a side of heart attack with that?

A final note from me behind my podium... Always, always mix all of your non meat ingredients together for your meatloaf before adding them to the meat. And once you add the meat, use your hands. It's the only way to not overwork it, and even then, don't mush and mix until it's one solid, perfectly blended concoction or it will be tougher than a witches' heel. Particularly with this recipe - it's actually nice to bite into a little chunk of cheese or a ribbon of mustard here and there - just like eating a bacon cheeseburger.

What are some of your meatloaf hot buttons?

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Serves 5-6.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey
3/4 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar (such as Cracker Barrel)
1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup minced shallots
good grating black pepper
2 tablespoons yellow (American) mustard
2 tablespoons ketchup
pinch kosher or sea salt
1 egg, whisked
4 slices bacon (preferably Applegate Farms 'Sunday' bacon)

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 (350 if your oven runs hot.) Grease a medium rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cheddar, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, shallots, pepper, mustard, ketchup, salt, and egg thoroughly. Add the ground turkey, using your hands to blend it in until combined but not necessarily homogenized as one. Using your hands, sculpt the meat into a round shape, then sculpt until it's a rectangular lobe. Perfect shape isn't super import but uniformity does matter so that it bakes evenly so try and get it as uniform as possible. (If your mixture is too slippery you can either refrigerate it for 10 minutes so that it loses some of its mushiness or sprinkle in a pinch more of the breadcrumbs.)

Place on the prepared baking sheet, then place the strips of bacon over the top, long ways, patting them gently so that they 'stick' onto the meat.

Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. When it's done, the pooled grease around the edges will have blackened (don't worry - your meatloaf is not burnt - actually slightly burnt cheesy edges are DELICIOUS.) The bacon should also looked crisped and golden, and slightly curled as if you'd fried it in a pan.

Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Halloween Recipe Pairing - Spicy Adobo Turkey Burgers with The Curse of the Crying Woman

Curse of the Crying Woman, or La Llorona, is a classic Mexican horror film from 1963. If you like your horror with a bit of camp and oodles of atmosphere - you can't do much better than this. Not that I'm knocking it - believe me. For the genre many consider this film right up there with the likes of Bava. But for non film geeks - all you need to know is that the plot involves witchcraft, an old decaying mansion, and a beautiful heroine whose aunt wants to kill her. In short - all the ingredients of a great Gothic horror film!

These burgers are actually served in tortillas, and can be made even spicier if you like. Just add a little more minced chipotle in adobo, But remember - I warned you...

Spicy Adobo Turkey Burgers
Serves 5.

Ingredients:
1 (1.3 lb) package ground turkey, preferably 93% lean versus 97% or 99%
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons minced chipotle chilis, from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
4 tablespoons minced cilantro plus extra for topping
3 tablespoons minced green onions or chives

5 flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and warmed in a low oven
Shredded cheddar cheese for topping
2 ripe avocados, skin removed and cut into slivers for topping

Instructions:
Place the ground meat in a large bowl, breaking it up a little with your fingers so you can season it more evenly. Sprinkle over the salt and cumin then give a quick mix with your fingers to incorporate (don't go overboard - you don't want to overwork the meat.) Sprinkle over the minced chipotle, cilantro and green onions distributing evenly over the meat, then fold the ingredients in with your fingers just until evenly distributed.

Form into 5 patties and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the burgers, distributing evenly in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes before flipping. Cook another 4-5 minutes, then lower the heat to low to let cook all the way through for about another 3 minutes.

Serve the burgers in the warm tortillas, sprinkling with cheese and topping with the cool avocado slices and fresh cilantro, if desired.

Fancy Joes

Ah, Sloppy Joes...

When I was growing up, my mom made dinner every night despite the fact that she worked full time and had four kids. Even more miraculous was the fact that dinner was always fresh and healthy fare - lots of vegetables and chicken and light pastas glistening with olive oil. I was a lucky girl.

That said, that didn't stop me from LOVING going to friends houses for dinner. Their family meals were a thing of wonderment to me - delivered pizza, bags of greasy (but delicious) burgers and fries, and 'homemade' meals with the aid of Hamburger Helper, Rice A Roni, and of course, canned Sloppy Joe mix. Kid heaven. The funny thing was, those kids loved coming to my house for dinner, where my mom's home cooking filled them up in a way that takeout never could.

Anyway, of all of those retro box mix/canned suppers, Sloppy Joes were my favorite. I still occasionally crave them. However I could never bring myself to buy that damned can of sugary brown goop. It just felt soul less to dump it into a pan of ground beef and call it a day. Even if it did taste as good as I'd remembered, I wouldn't feel good about eating it.

So I decided to create a fresher, homemade version that would satisfy my nostalgia without making me do a walk of shame afterwards. I have no idea what's actually in Sloppy Joe mix and I purposely didn't look it up before attempting my own recipe. Instead I used flavors my childhood memory told me were in them as well as ones my adult palate wanted. I replaced most of the meat with ground turkey with a little ground sirloin to ensure richness. I threw in finely minced piquillo peppers to add some depth, along with bay leaf, ancho chili powder and allspice. Finally, I used Madeira, molasses and just a touch of brown sugar to round it all out. The result isn't the sauce laden Sloppy Joes you remember as a kid, it's better.

I call them Fancy Joes because I'm a dork.

Apparently, the power of 'Joes' is still going strong today. When Kris and I went to Florence Meat Market this morning to buy the ground sirloin, we found ourselves in line behind a father and his young son. The dad happened to overhear me say I was making them and immediately grabbed his son. "Tyler," he said, nodding to us. "They're having Sloppy Joes tonight! You probably want to eat at their house for dinner." The little boy, who had been slumped over the counter like a crumpled napkin, bored out of his mind, shot upright and peeled his eyelids back at us like we were Mickey and Minnie Mouse live and in person.

He clearly did want to go to our house for dinner. He would've gone with us right then and there, even though it was only eleven in the morning. His eager little face stayed on us as we waited for the beef, paid, and headed back out of the store, giving him a wave goodbye before shutting the door behind us.

Fancy Joes
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
6 Egg Challah Rolls

1 tablespoon butter
3 small shallots, finely minced
salt and pepper
2 piquillo peppers, finely minced (from a can)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 lb ground turkey (preferably with 7% fat)
1/2 pound ground sirloin or ground round
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup Madeira wine
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 tablespoon ketchup

Directions:
Heat the butter in a large rimmed nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, seasoning with salt and pepper, and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the piquillo peppers, stir in and saute 2 more minutes. Move the shallots and peppers to one side, making a 'hot spot' for the allspice and chili powder. Add the spices giving them each space to 'toast' for 1 minute, undisturbed, before incorporating into the vegetables. Stir in the tomato paste.

Add the turkey and ground beef, along with a touch more salt and pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until mostly browned. Add the Madeira and bay leaf, and raise the heat if necessary to bring to a light simmer, until the Madeira has reduced by half (do not bring to a full on boil - you will dry out the meat too much.) Lower the heat again slightly, and stir in the brown sugar and molasses. At this point the meat should be fully cooked and you just want to let the sugars meld into the mixture for 2-3 more minutes until fully dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in the ketchup.

Serve on Challah buns, toasted or untoasted.

Herbed Turkey Burgers with Swiss on Toasted English Muffins

Superbowl Sunday was really weird this year. I didn't have a single cocktail, didn't make or eat any party food, and spent most of it sitting in front of my computer working, wistfully glancing over at the TV now and then. It was like I'd switched lives with someone boring and responsible. I didn't like that person.

The only good thing that came of it was these turkey burgers. I've had to resort to making my own since my favorite neighborhood take out place (yes WESTVILLE, you) started putting entire garlic cloves in their patties. It doesn't make for a sexy night of couch surfing, I'll tell you. In fact the last time I ate theirs I wished I could have had my tongue surgically removed.

But I did add a little Superbowl touch to mine, as I'd bought some French Onion dip for the boyfriend, and added a little to the patty mixture. You could easily substitute sour cream or even Greek yogurt if your fridge doesn't usually house such college student/bachelor pad ingredients...

Herbed Turkey Burgers with Swiss on Toasted English Muffins
Makes 5 small to medium patties.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon french onion dip or sour cream
2 tablespoons panko or other breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon finely minced chives
1 teaspoon finely minced flat leaf parsley
1 clove of garlic, finely minced (if you really want to taste the garlic - use 2)
zest of 1 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh cracked pepper and salt, for seasoning outside of patties
1 teaspoon olive oil, for frying burgers

5 Swiss cheese slices (or 10 if you're like my husband)
5 halved, toasted English muffins

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Take the turkey meat out of the fridge and let sit out for 30 minutes (to allow for easier combining.) Add the meat to a large bowl and sprinkle over the rest of the ingredients - the coriander to the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix (I prefer to use my hands - but feel free to use a large spoon) until well combined, but be careful not to over work - otherwise you'll fry up some darling little slabs of concrete:) Form into five (or four large) turkey patties, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Heat a large, nonstick pan over medium/high heat, adding the olive oil and allowing to heat for 1 minute. Add burgers, cooking 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a greased, rimmed baking sheet and top with the Swiss slices. Put in the oven for 10 minutes, to finish cooking and allow the cheese to melt. Place on toasted English muffins, and top with herbed mayo, if desired.

Herbed Mayo (optional - for spreading on burgers:)
1/4 cup light mayo
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
zest of 1 lemon

Turkey Bolognese to greet the winter

It's a weird time in New York. Officially, it's just turned fall, and in fact, the leaves haven't even begun to change color yet. They seem to be hanging onto their emerald green as stubbornly as the New Yorkers still popping around the village in flip flops and shorts despite the temperatures hovering around 50 degrees this weekend.

Well not me. Ask this Texan what time of year it is and I'll tell you it's winter. Because despite the natives (both human and botanical in nature) insisting otherwise, it FEELS like winter. Case in point - it takes a lot to make me drag out my winter clothes from our attic and swap them out for my summer clothes, but it was so chilly yesterday I had it done within an hour.

So it's no wonder I was craving something hearty, homey, and warming for dinner. What I really wanted to make was short ribs, but I thought it was a little too early to go to something that filling (i.e. fattening.) After all, there's a lot of winter left. Instead, I opted for a lighter bolognese made with ground turkey. Two things separate this dish from your everyday bolognese. One - I sautedd a thinly sliced fennel bulb along with the onions to give it a hint of sweetness (don't worry if you hate fennel - Kris does and had NO idea it was in there - it loses its distinctive licorice taste after hours of simmering.) Two - I add a pinch of provencal sea salt along with each addition of new ingredients. Provencal sea salt is just regular sea salt with provencal style herbs added to it. If you can't find it in stores, you can blend up your own using whatever dried herbs you like, but the key one for me is dried lavender. This and the fennel keep the dish from getting too bogged down by its rusticness.

I hope winter (or fall) finds you well!


Alisa's Turkey Bolognese with Bow Ties

Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon provencal sea salt mixed with 1/2 teaspoon plain sea or kosher salt (you will add this gradually throughout cooking and may not use all of it)

1 carrot, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup red wine
1 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
2 tspns tomato paste
1 tablespoon each chopped fresh basil, parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup whole milk
parmesan, to taste

2 cups bow tie pasta

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add about 3 tablespoons olive oil, or enough to coat the bottom, and let warm through a minute before adding the onions and fennel. Season with a pinch of your provencal sea salt mixture and saute, stirring occasionally until completely softened, about 7 minutes. Add the carrot and garlic along with another small pinch of your seasoning mixture, and saute another 5-7 minutes.

Add the ground turkey, along with another pinch of seasoning. Gently toss and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally (but not constantly or you will toughen your meat) for about 10 minutes. Add the wine, peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh herbs, bay leaf and chicken stock along with another pinch of your seasoning and stir to incorporate. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours or until thickened.

After two hours, fill another large pot with water and bring to a boil for the pasta. Season the water with salt, add the pasta, and cook until JUST al dente, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, take your bolognese off the heat and add the milk, stirring to incorporate, then putting back on the burner on low. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, strain the bow ties and add them to the bolognese (you might not want to add all of the bow-ties - I happen to like a high pasta to bolognese ratio.) Taste for salt, adding any more if necessary, then serve with grated parmesan.