Timeshare Turkey Bolognese - Cooking Without

The good news about staying in one of these timeshare hotel suites is they usually have full kitchens. The bad news is they don't have any supplies or pantry with which to work, so planning a nice meal can be a bit challenging.

This Timeshare Turkey Bolognese video recipe is a good option since it doesn't require many ingredients, or a whole lot of slicing and dicing. Every one of these types of kitchens has the same exact knife set - flimsy, jagged-edged, plastic-handled, Ginsu-wannabes.

These knifes are not only dangerous to use, but make even the most basic cuts virtually impossible. You'll actually see me resort to a pair of scissors to cut the parsley. This recipe was nice because even the most poorly chopped onions and garlic will still work in this sauce.

Keep in mind as you prepare to comment, this is not my usually Bolognese sauce - so questions about why I didn’t add something, etc., will all get the same answer - I'm cooking on the road. I may (for a nominal fee) be making that much sought-after video recipe available soon, but for now this very crude version will have to do.

All in all, it was a great tasting meal, and my two customers seemed very happy with it. I hope those of you with access to fully stocked kitchens and pantries will take this very basic recipe and run wild with it. Enjoy!

Tech note: This was filmed without my usual studio equipment, so the audio is pretty rough.



Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
dried Italian herbs to taste
1/2 cup milk
1 28-oz jar marinara sauce
2 cups water, more as needed
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
grated Parmesan cheese

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Spicy White Bean and Chicken Chili - A White Chili to Battle the Winter Blues

This white chili video recipe was inspired by a cup of spicy chicken and white bean soup I had during my recent trip back east.

I love chilis (yes, that's how you spell it) of all shades and spices. While beef is most familiar to my chili kettle, pork, turkey, and even lamb do make the occasional appearance. But, what about chicken?

I rarely think of using chicken, so I was glad that cup of soup came along to remind me how great a chili, chicken can make - if you stay away from the horrible ground stuff. For me, chicken makes for a very poor ground meat. It's too lean, too dry, too chalky, and too "I wish this was ground chuck."
The key here is chicken thighs - moist, shapely, boneless-skinless chicken thighs. The difference they make in taste and texture is significant.

By the way, don't substitute chicken breasts. In my opinion, the small amount of fat savings are not worth the step-down in flavor. Enjoy!


 
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
cayenne pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, diced
1 can (10-ounce) diced tomato with green chilies
4 cups chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) great northern, or navy beans, drained
chopped fresh cilantro to garnish, optional


Other Super Cool Chili Recipes:
Spicy Three-Bean Chili
Chicken Chili Verde
Turkey Chili

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

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A Food Wish Thanksgiving

Here is a short little slideshow of our Thanksgiving dinner just in case you were wondering if I actually use my own recipes. I thought everything came out pretty well, although the walnut chocolate fudge pie at the end of the video could have used about half the amount of chocolate ganache. There are worse mistakes.

By the way, I never got a photo of the cranberry sauce, but it was the same style used in the cabernet cranberry sauce video.

The flatbread appetizer you'll see was made with "Mango Peno" cheese from the Beechwood Cheese Factory. They're in Wisconsin and produce a great variety of very creatively flavored, and all-natural cheeses. I got to sample some a while back, and I was very impressed. Since we like to support smaller, family-owned producers, I encourage you to check out their offerings on the Beechwood Cheese website.

Here is the menu you'll see in the clip. Enjoy!

Olives, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Whole Wheat Flatbread with Mango, Jalapeno Cheese, and Fresh Apple
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Sauce (not shown)
Maple Meyer Lemon Candied Yams
Blue Cheese Green Bean Gratin
Crème Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
Pickled Roasted Red Onions and Garlic
Pear and Almond Bread Stuffing
Apple Coleslaw
Herb Butter Turkey
Turkey Neck Gravy
Pumpkin Pie (not shown)
Walnut Chocolate Fudge Pie



* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

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How to Cook a Turkey: Part 2 - All About the Gravy

Gravy is the lifeblood of any real thanksgiving feast. It will moisten the driest turkey, and saturate the most solid stuffing. Lumpy mashed potatoes are no match for its slow-moving seduction. I like gravy, I like it a lot.

This is Part 2 in the How to Cook a Turkey miniseries. We join the turkey in progress, with about an hour left to cook. As you'll see, the foil is removed, the turkey browns beautifully, and then it’s time to get our gravy on. I hope this video recipe leads you to a nice boat of gravy at your holiday table, and even though your turkey will be moist and tender, you'll have this liquid love on hand just in case.

A few words for you advanced turkey chefs. These video recipes are intended for the novice chefs among us, which is why I tried to use a minimum of steps. There was no brining, frying, injecting, smoking, bagging, or upside-downing. That's not to say I don't appreciate all those techniques, and the endless quest for turkey perfection. So, enjoy your turkey no matter what you did to it.



Gravy Ingredients:
3 cups cooking liquid from turkey pan (fat removed)
4 cups turkey stock from the neck
1/2 cup cooked onions from pan
*2-3 tbsp turkey fat
*1 tbsp butter
*1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp chopped sage
*double for thick gravy

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How to Cook a Turkey: Part 1 - A No-Fail Method for People that Would Rather Watch Football than Wash Dishes

The biggest myth in all of American cookery is the belief that a juicy, perfectly cooked turkey is difficult for the novice cook to achieve. This video recipe for how to cook a turkey will show a very easy method for producing a moist, delicious, and beautiful turkey every time.

One of the secrets is a flavored butter under the skin. You can see that recipe here. You can tweak this any way you want, as the possibilities are endless. This video recipe for prepping and roasting the turkey is just part 1, and will conclude with how to make the gravy in part 2.

Be sure you buy a meat thermometer before thanksgiving. It is the most important tool in the kitchen that day. Other than that, you probably have everything needed, and yes, this method will work with the ubiquitous foil roasting pans.

So, proceed with confidence, joy, and the knowledge that since you're the one cooking the turkey, you won't have to wash any dishes! Even if this is your first time, don't play scared, this will work. There is nothing to fear, but the fear of dry turkey itself. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
Turkey
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp poultry seasoning (fresh, not from 1997)
2 onions
3 ribs celery
2 carrots
3 rosemary sprigs
1/2 bunch sage
1 bay leaf
1 stick butter, or a flavored butter recipe

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Turkey Chili – Mooooooove over Chuck!

The recently posted Garbage Plate video generated the most comments and emails of any clip I’ve done so far. That wasn’t surprising due to the shocking nature of that dish. What I did find amusing though was the several requests I got that asked for my Chili recipe so that viewers could make the Garbage Plate at home. So, I decided to show this very easy, and quite delicious, Turkey Chili.

As you’ve heard me say in many clips and posts, the main reason people don’t cook at home is the prep work required. While most people enjoy cooking, they just don’t enjoy all the slicing, dicing, chopping and mincing. So, I try to compose these recipes so that they require the least amount of work possible. This one is a good example; except for chopping an onion and a few cloves of garlic, you are pretty much just stirring a few times, and listening to this tasty chili simmer away.

Feel free to make this same recipe using beef (ground chuck being the best choice). But, I’ve been using ground turkey in my chili for a while now, and enjoy it almost as much as the higher fat beef version. I’ve heard Chefs on TV say, “This turkey chili tastes just like one made with beef!” No it doesn’t. Why? Because a turkey isn’t a cow. I know, a shocking revelation! Ground turkey just doesn’t have the same fat content and texture of a nice ground chuck, so we have to do a few tricks to counter this. We’re going to cook it for a long time so that the turkey is as soft and succulent as possible. I also served mine with some beautifully ripe slices of avocado that gives the final bowl another layer of silky richness. By the way, don’t let the cocoa powder in our chili spice mixture throw you off! It’s only a small amount and it really works. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 cans pinto beans (12oz cans)
1 cup tomato puree
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
Secret Chili Spice Mix:
1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1 tbl cumin
1 1/2 tsp chipotle
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbl paprika
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
*my chili was garnished with sour cream, diced jalapeno, cilantro and avocado

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