Turkey Pot Pie

This turkey pot pie warms the soul. It's easy to make and perfect for turkey or chicken leftovers.

My mother in law was sweet enough to made us turkey broth a couple of days ago and she gave me the pot with the turkey in it. I drained the liquid, reserved five cups and froze the rest immediately. I then chopped the turkey breasts into cubes and cleaned the rest of the meat off the bones with the intent of making a salad with it tomorrow. Here is my recipe, it was modified from Ina Garten's chicken pot pie.

 

Ingredients

2 whole turkey breasts, cooked or 4 to 6 cups of cooked cubed turkey meat. I used turkey that was boiled to make broth but you can also use leftover roasted turkey or chicken

Sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

5 cups turkey stock, preferably homemade

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups leeks (white part only), chopped (about 3 leeks)

1 onion, chopped

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes

2 cups package frozen peas

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Store bought pie crust mix (make as directed and keep in fridge until ready to use)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the turkey stock and keep warm on back-burner. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the leeks and onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent (it will seem like there is a lot of butter at first). Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot turkey stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed turkey, carrots, peas, and parsley. Mix well.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls or 1 large family style dish. Divide the pie dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. 

Apple Hazelnut Crisp

Fall comfort food at it’s best! This delicious Apple Hazelnut Crisp is a great finale to any meal. 

Apple Hazelnut Crisp

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, cut in cubes

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup hazelnuts, 

6 apples, peeled and cored

Directions

Grease 6 small oven safe bowls or ramekins. Combine all ingredients except apples in a food processor and pulse until crumbly (if you don’t have a food processor just use your hands). Slice apples and place in greased bowls. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples and bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Tagliatelle con Funghi (wild mushroom tagliatelle)

This wild mushroom tagliatelle recipe can easily be customized to your taste and needs, you can make your own fresh tagliatelle or use dry pasta if your time is limited. 

Tagliatelle con Funghi

Serves 4

Ingredients

400 g fresh tagliatelle

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, sliced

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and halved

1/2 cup dried porcini mushroom or 1 cup fresh porcini, cleaned and sliced

6 basil leaves, chiffonade to garnish

Sea salt

1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

Direction:

Place the dried porcini in a bowl and pour 2 cups boiling water over them. Set aside for 30 minutes. Scoop the porcini from the water with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid.  Pour the mushroom liquid through a coffee filter or paper towel, discarding the gritty solids. Set the mushrooms and the liquid aside separately.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, the shallots and sauté until translucent about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shiitake and porcini mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they have released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and add 1/2 cup mushroom liquid.  At this point add the fresh tagliatelle to the boiling water cook your pasta until just under al dente (about 2 -3 minutes) and drain. Toss the tagliatelle in the pan with sauce. Add mushroom liquid if needed and bring to a boil for 30 seconds.  Plate in serving bowls and top with grated parmigiano, basil chifonnade and a drizzle of olive oil. 

SEE VIDEO HERE:

Bresaola Carpaccio

This simple appetizer consist of a few ingredients that marry together perfectly both in taste and sight.

Bresaola Carpaccio

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 pound  (250gr) thinly sliced bresaola

4 handfuls of baby arugula

6 thin slices pecorino pepato

4 lemon wedges

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Arrange slices of bresaola, overlapping slightly, to cover 4 small plates. Top bresaola with baby arugula, add sliced cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with lemon wedge.