Ingredient: Poultry Seasoning

Turkey and Artichoke Pot Pie

If you’ve checked out my post about the turkey that keeps on giving, you know that I’ve been using my gift turkey in all sorts of ways. Here is one more recipe that is perfect for cold wintry evenings. It uses two of my favorite Trader Joe’s items; A creamy Parmesan cheese called Toscano with toscano cheeseBlack Pepper and a bag of California goodness, Frozen Artichoke TJ artichoke heartsHearts. Both of these items are available pretty much all of the time at Trader Joe’s. The cheese is wonderful in cooking and delightful on a cracker or as part of a decadent grilled cheese. The artichokes have a fresher taste than the ones in the can and are great in hundreds of recipes.

They had a formidable co-star in some super moist turkey breast. Onion and roasted red peppers rounded out the cast. DIGITAL CAMERA

The sauce was “Alfredo like” with a hefty punch of garlic, but lighter in body because turkey stock made up most of the liquid with only a bit of fat-free half & half to add some creaminess.

I used a Montreal Reduced Sodium Chicken Seasoning along with Smoked Paprika for my seasoning, but you could use any seasoning you like and it would be wonderful with fresh herbs as well.

The pot pie that resulted was wonderful. I allowed it to rest the required 10 minutes. This was slightly longer than my husband could wait…hence the picture of the completed dish is missing a corner…it was that good.DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Turkey and Artichoke Pot Pie
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Turkey and Artichoke Pot Pie
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
Sauce
  1. Heat a medium saucepan over over medium heat. Add the butter. When the butter is melted, add 1/2 cup of the onion and the garlic. Cook stirring frequently until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant. Don't let the garlic burn!
  2. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. allow the mixture to cook stirring frequently until it is pale golden.
  3. Slowly add the stock stirring constantly to keep the sauce smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the half & half and continue to cook stirring constantly for another 4 - 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
Filling
  1. Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining onion and cook for 5 minutes or so until the onion begins to brown.
  2. Add the artichokes and mushrooms. Continue to cook for 7 -10 minutes. Everything should be soft and golden.
  3. Stir in the sliced red peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add the turkey (or chicken) and cook another 3 - 4 minutes. Add the poultry seasoning of your choice and the smoked paprika stir to combine.
  4. Pour in the sauce and stir to combine. Let this simmer quietly for 5 minutes or so.
Assemble and Bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a gratin or deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. Pour the filling into the pan. Top with the uncooked pie crust. Flute the edges as you like. Make several small cuts in the crust to allow steam to escape.
  2. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Lightly coat the crust with olive oil spray and bake for 25 -30 minutes. The crust should be golden and the filling should be bubbly.
  3. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Chicken and Wild Rice Risotto

DIGITAL CAMERAI love Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I’ve even shared my recipe for it, a beautiful thing, filled with cream and butter. As you may have noticed, my recipes are taking on a lighter healthier attitude, so I DIGITAL CAMERAdecided to see if I could wave the light and healthy magic wand and come up with something new. The result was a one pot meal that had the flavors of my decadent soup with the added benefit of less fat and a five grain rice blend for extra fiber. Oh, and it is eaten with a fork instead of a spoon.

Risotto is a wonderful dish. It is creamy, a little chewy, and very comforting. Light and healthy it is not…usually. I made a few simple changes and a new light dish was born. I started with a rice blend that I found at World Market. Made by “In Harvest,” brown and wild rice combined with red rice, sprouted brown rice and grano (pearled durum wheat) creating an interesting blend. When making risotto traditionally, the rice cooks in a good bit of butter. I opted to spray the rice blend lightly with butter non-stick cooking spray. It imparted a little flavor but mostly kept the rice from sticking to the pan (this is optional).  All told, I used one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to saute the vegetables and the rice. For a recipe that serves four, that’s not too bad.

Wine is used to de-glaze the pan as well as providing another layer of flavor. Whatever risotto I make, my wine of choice is dry vermouth, it’s not just for martinis anymore. DIGITAL CAMERA

Dry Vermouth has an herbacious and off dry flavor that enhances whatever it is added to. I’m currently infatuated with Trader Joe’s brand. It is imported from Italy, comes in a full liter bottle and is very reasonably priced. It’s also good on the rocks with a twist of lemon.

I had some Semi-Homemade Chicken Broth in the freezer that provided the bath that cooked the rice. The broth started as a box of chicken stock enhanced with onion, garlic, and herbs that I used to poach chicken for another dish. I strained the broth and froze it for just this kind of occasion.DIGITAL CAMERA

The chicken came from the freezer as well. Saved from a Beer Butt Chicken, it was the perfect protein addition with no effort on my part. Mama D Tip: Any time you are preparing a whole chicken using any technique, always make at least one extra. It doesn’t take any extra time and your future recipes will thank you.

Risotto is a labor of love and takes time to do it right. This version took about an hour because of the rice blend that I used…even using traditional Arborio takes a while, so factor that into your meal planning. Risotto usually has butter, cheese, and sometimes cream added to up the luscious factor. I opted for a small amount of light onion and chive cream cheese spread to give that creamy mouth feel.

All in all I deemed this recipe a success. It gave me the best of all worlds, creamy, healthy and satisfyingDIGITAL CAMERA

 

Chicken and Wild Rice Risotto
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Chicken and Wild Rice Risotto
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. In a large deep fry pan heat the olive oil. add the onion and cook for three minutes until the onion begins to be translucent. Add the carrot and garlic to the pan and cook for 3 minutes more.
  2. Lightly spray the rice mixture with butter flavor spray and toss to coat. Add the rice and seasonings to the pan and cook stirring often for 3 - 5 minutes. Don't let the rice brown!
  3. Carefully add the vermouth to the pan and allow to completely cook into the rice.
  4. Heat the broth to a simmer in a separate pan or use the microwave. Add the broth to the rice mixture a ladle at a time. Allow the rice to soak up the broth before adding more. continue until all the broth is incorporated. The risotto should have a little bite, almost Al Dente.
  5. Depending on the rice blend you use, you may need more or less than the quart of broth. A little water or stock can be added if needed.
  6. Add the cream cheese to the pan and stir to incorporate and allow the cheese to melt. Serve in shallow bowls.
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