TURKEY PICADILLO

It might seem a bit early to be thinking about turkey leftovers, but they'll be here before you know it!

TURKEY PICADILLO

A favorite in many Spanish-speaking countries, picadillo is typically made with ground beef and/or ground pork. For an interesting change from the standard “turkey reruns”, try this version.

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14½ ounces diced tomatoes (one can)
4 ounces diced green chilies (one small can)
¼ cup green olives, chopped
½ cup raisins
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups pre-cooked turkey, coarsely chopped or shredded

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients excluding red wine vinegar and turkey. Mix thoroughly and heat for 2 minutes.

Add red wine vinegar and turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, until turkey is warm – about 10 minutes.

In Cuba, picadillo is served with rice and black beans. Serve this recipe “Cuban style” or, our personal favorite, roll up the turkey picadillo in a warmed whole wheat flour tortilla.

FRESH PEACH ENCHILADAS

Here's a simple yet out of the ordinary desert which is guaranteed to be a favorite at your Table.

Fresh Peach Enchiladas

Yield: 8 servings

1/8 cup cornstarch
water
4 medium peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (divided into 1 cup and 1/4 cup portions)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (8 inch size)
vanilla ice cream

Filling: Thoroughly mix cornstarch and water. (Use just enough water to dissolve the cornstarch.) In a heavy, medium-size sauce pan, combine peaches and 1 cup of the granulated sugar and cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue heating until the filling thickens.

Glaze: Melt butter and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Add one cup of water and heat, stirring constantly, until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Assemble: Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon a generous portion of the peach filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll up each tortilla and place seam-side down in casserole dish. Pour glaze over enchiladas. Bake uncovered at 325° for 15 minutes.

Serving: Place each enchilada on a plate and top with vanilla ice cream.

CHICKEN & YAM STEW

CHICKEN & YAM STEW

A quick & easy main dish for casual fall entertaining!

A stew with chicken, yams and apple cider may sound strange, but this one will have everyone going back for seconds.

Yield: About 7 cups

¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into 1 inch chunks
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups apple juice or cider
3 cups yams*, peeled & cut into ½ inch cubes (about one large yam)
29 ounces diced canned tomatoes, drained (one large can)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
16 ounces frozen forkhook limas (one package)

Combine chicken and flour in a large plastic bag. Shake until chicken is well coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken. Cook and stir until lightly browned – about 3 minutes. Remove chicken.

Add remaining oil, garlic and onion to saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender – about 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Stir in apple juice or cider, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, cumin, and limas. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and yams are tender.

* Here we are talking about the darker-skinned variety of sweet potato which we Americans erroneously call “yams”. (If anyone cares, the experts tell us that true yams are not related to sweet potatoes.) The darker variety we are calling for here is the one which has the dark orange skin and bright orange flesh and which is commonly called a yam in most American grocery stores. Its flesh is both moister and sweeter than the paler variety of sweet potato.

RAINBOW SALAD

We have had a lot of requests to return to our old practice of offering recipes a couple of times a month. We think you'll like this one - it's simple, yet surprisingly elegant:

Your turn to bring a salad? Here is one that is quick, easy and colorful!

RAINBOW SALAD

NOTE: Make this a main dish salad by adding some left-over grilled chicken (you can make it with whatever cooked chicken you have on hand - we just happen to prefer the grilled). Figure on about ½ pound of bone-in chicken or ¼ to ⅓ pound boneless chicken per serving. 3 cups cooked chicken should be about right for this 4 serving recipe.

Yield: 4 main-dish servings

juice of one lemon
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds (optional)
5 ounces mixed spring greens (1 package)
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup Stilton or blue cheese, crumbled (4 ounces)
1/2 cup honey-roasted cashews*
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

One hour before serving: combine lemon juice, olive oil and anise seeds (optional) in a small bowl, whisk until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate for about an hour to allow flavors to combine.

If preparing this as a main dish salad, and if you haven’t already done so, skin the chicken and remove any bones. Coarsely chop or shred the meat.

To assemble the salad: Start by spreading the spring greens on a medium- sized platter. Top the greens with chicken, strawberries, blueberries, Stilton or blue cheese and cashews. Sprinkle with the lemon juice dressing. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

*We prefer using honey-roasted cashews in this salad, but you should feel free to substitute honey- roasted peanuts if that’s what you have on hand.

Lasagna - Slow Cooker Style

A great do-ahead recipe! Keep the cook out of the kitchen!!

Lasagna - Slow Cooker Style

Made with ground beef and turkey sausage, this one is perfect when your dinner guests need to avoid pork.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 lb. ground beef, browned
½ lb. ground turkey sausage, browned
32 –oz. jar spaghetti sauce
Plus 4.5 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
8-10 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese to taste

Combine the ground beef, ground turkey sausage, spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce.

Combine ricotta cheese, egg and parsley flakes.

Layer half of the meat sauce mixture, the dry noodles, the ricotta cheese mixture and the mozzarella cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat layers, ending with meat sauce mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Serve with green salad and French or Italian bread.

SANTA FE CHICKEN CASSEROLE

SANTA FE CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Festive & delicious! Guaranteed to please!!

Common Tables Tip: Plan on putting this one together before your guests arrive . . . then just pop it in the oven about 30 minutes before you plan on moving folks into the dining room. (NOTE: If assembled earlier in the day, be sure to refrigerate until time to bake. Add 5 minutes to cooking time if ingredients are chilled.)

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 10 ½ oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 10 ½ oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
¾ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies
1 Tbsp. dry taco seasoning mix
2 ½ cups cooked chicken, diced
12 corn tortillas
Cooking oil
Sour cream
Chunky salsa
Shredded crisp lettuce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the soups, milk, sour cream, onion, green chilies, taco seasoning and chicken in a large saucepan. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Fry tortillas in hot oil, about 1 minute to soften. Drain on paper towels.

In a 3-4 quart buttered casserole, place a layer of tortillas, a layer of soup mixture and a layer of grated cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Pass extra sour cream and salsa and top with shredded lettuce.

New Mexican Style Bread Pudding

This recipe is more complex than we usually like to present, but you’ll find it more than worth the extra effort. Here it is, Common Tables style Capirotada (Mexican style bread pudding):

New Mexican Style Bread Pudding
(CAPIROTADA)

Common Tables Caution: This recipe uses Madeira wine. It may not be suitable for those Tables with members who have alcohol prohibitions.

In place of the bread pudding standbys of milk and eggs, our version uses a homemade caramel sauce, lots of cheese, and sweet Madeira wine to create an elegant blend of flavors which raise this New Mexican Style Bread Pudding far above its more conventional relatives. Traditionally served during Lent, you will find variations commonly presented under the old Mexican name for this dish: Capirotada.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

8 ounces French style bread (about 1/2 of a normal sized loaf)
1 cup sugar
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon (use Ceylon Cinnamon if possible)
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup Madeira
¾ cup pinon nuts, lightly toasted
¾ cup raisins
4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8” x 8” (2 quart) casserole dish.

Tear the bread into ragged one inch chunks, place on an ungreased baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned – about 10 minutes.

Cook the sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat – without stirring – until it begins to melt around the edges of the pan. Turn the heat down to low and start stirring with a metal spoon. As the sugar continues to melt, it will first turn a golden-yellow color. Stir continuously until all of the sugar has melted and is the color of dark honey. (This step isn’t as tricky as it sounds, but you’ll need to pay attention to avoid burning the sugar.)

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the water (a teaspoonful at a time to start). The sugar will boil, foam and generally create a lot of excitement, but just keep stirring and adding the water very slowly. When all of the water has been added, you will have a thin caramel syrup. NOTE: If you find you have some lumps of hard caramel remaining in the syrup mixture, simply return the pan to medium heat and boil until all lumps have dissolved.

While the caramel syrup is still hot, stir in the cinnamon and butter.

Spread the toasted bread in an even layer in the buttered casserole dish. Gently spoon the Madeira over each piece of bread. Sprinkle with the nuts and raisins; top with an even coating of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Then, taking care that the sauce reaches all of the bread, pour on the caramel sauce.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. NOTE: Traditionally the pan is covered with foil during the entire baking time – which results in a bread pudding with a soft, custard-like texture. We prefer to leave the pan covered until the cheese has melted into the general texture of the pudding – about 20 minutes – and to then uncover for the last 10 minutes or so of baking time to allow the pudding to lightly brown.

While the pudding can be served either warm or cold, we like it best warm and garnished with vanilla whipped cream (or vanilla flavored Cool Whip) and lightly dusted with cinnamon. It seems to us that the cinnamon/whipped cream combination mellows the intense sweetness of the Capirotada.