Barbara Kafkas Turkey Salad Recipes

THE BEST LEFTOVER TURKEY SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chopped turkey, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, celery, scallions and dill, stirring until well combined.
• Taste and season the turkey salad with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

BLT TURKEY SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

WHOLESOME BRISKET WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Place one rack in the center of the oven and another in the bottom. Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Place brisket, fat side down, in a 14 x12 x 2-inch roasting pan. It's best not to use a shallow pan for this, or later the juices might run over and out. Put the garlic in the pan. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Using your hands, rub oil onto garlic.
• Put the onion wedges and carrots into a smaller, 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan. Drizzle with remaining oil. Using your hands, rub oil over all the pieces until they are well coated. Arrange onion wedges on their sides, so that they touch carrots as little as possible.
• Roast vegetables on center rack of oven for 30 minutes. Turn with a spatula. Roast 15 minutes more. Roast the brisket simultaneously on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Turn over so fat side is up. Roast 30 minutes more.
• Remove both pans from oven. Lower heat to 275 degrees F, leaving the door ajar a minute or two to reduce temperature more quickly. Leave the brisket and garlic in the large pan and add 1/4 cup of the water. The water should bubble up from the heat of the pan; if it does not, put pan on the stove over medium-high heat. With a wooden spoon, scrape around the brisket to scoop up and remove the brown bits from the bottom of pan.
• Put the onions and carrots into the brisket pan. Put the smaller pan on top of the stove. Add the remaining water and bring contents to a boil while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Pour liquid into brisket pan. Add roasted plum tomatoes and reserved roasting liquid or, if using canned tomatoes, stick a small knife into the opened can of tomatoes. Run it back and forth through the tomatoes and puree until only small pieces remain. Pour contents over vegetables and around brisket. Put the bay leaf into the liquid. Cover tightly with foil.
• Roast on center rack of oven for 3 1/2 hours. Remove foil, increase temperature to 500 degrees F, and roast 15 minutes more or until brisket is nicely browned.
• Remove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. With the back of a spoon, smush the softened garlic out of each section and into the liquid. Throw the empty papers away. Transfer brisket to a platter and cover brisket with a tent of foil. Use slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to a large serving bowl or plate. Discard the bay leaf. Pour remaining liquid into a measuring cup. Let sit long enough for the fat to rise to the surface, about 15 minutes. Skim fat off surface.
• To serve, cut brisket against the grain into long thin strips. Arrange 2 to 3 slices on each plate. Spoon on some of the vegetables, and moisten everything with a generous amount of the liquid.

BARBARA KAFKA'S LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place butter, sugar, lemon juice and zests in an 8-cup glass measure or a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700-watt oven for 4 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Whisk together eggs in a small bowl. Whisk about 1/4 cup of the butter mixture into the eggs to warm them. Scrape egg mixture back into measure, whisking constantly. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes.
• Leaving dish in oven, whisk until smooth. Cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes more. Remove from oven and puree in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

BEST ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Remove giblets and wing tips from duck, trim neck, and remove excess fat, reserving all but fat (note--you can render the fat into duck schmaltz, if desired). Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (or until next step is done).
• Pour stock or water into a tall, narrow stockpot (deep enough to hold duck with plenty of room leftover). Note: if using a wider pot, more water or stock may be needed. Add wing tips, giblets, and neck. Cover and bring to boil over high heat.
• While stock is coming to a boil, prick duck skin all over with tines of fork, especially in fatty areas. Prick at an angle to avoid stabbing the meat. Carefully lower into boiling stock, breast end first, allowing cavity to fill as you lower it. Place a heat-proof plate or lid of smaller diameter than pot over duck to keep it submerged.
• Once the stock has returned to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Check every 10-15 minutes to ensure duck is still submerged (will tend to float even though weighted); keep stock at a gentle simmer to reduce likelihood of it rising above liquid.
• After duck has simmered for 45 minutes, spoon off about 1 tablespoon of fat from surface of liquid and spread around bottom of 12x18x1 1/2-inch roasting pan. Remove plate or lid and carefully remove duck from stock and allow to drain any liquid back into pan (reserve cooking liquid if planning to make broth later; cool and chill so you can scrape off the fat before making stock). Place duck in roasting pan. Spread neck flap out in pan.
• Pat duck dry with paper towelling and gently pat salt and pepper into skin (be careful, as it will be somewhat fragile at this point). Note: you can prepare duck up to this point in advance; cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day and bring back to room temperature before proceeding.
• Allow duck to cool for 30 minutes (if not made in advance) to allow skin to dry.
• Place oven rack on the second-lowest position. Preheat oven to 500* F.
• Place duck in oven feet first. Roast for 10 minutes, then remove duck from oven (keep door closed to keep it hot). Spoon off fat accumulated in bottom of pan. Wiggle duck around to loosen and return to oven for another 20 minutes. Be aware that any splatters or spills of fat will cause some smoke!
• Remove duck from oven and from pan; cover to keep warm while setting for 10-15 minutes. Again remove fat with a spoon. Deglaze pan with some stock or water, if desired for a sauce. Carve and serve immediately.
• If desired, reserve skin and bones for making duck stock.

TURKEY PATE

Steps:

• If using whole turkey breasts, place in food processor and process until coarsely ground. Reserve ground turkey. Place scallions and parsley in processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add ground turkey and remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.
• Scrape mixture into an oiled loaf pan, 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power in a high-power oven (see Micro Tip) for 12 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven. Uncover. Cover with a towel for 10 minutes. Uncover and let stand until cool. Wrap pan tightly with foil or plastic wrap and weight the pate. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Uncover and unmold onto a plate. Cut into 1/8-inch slices.

TURKEY BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning them occasionally, until browned all over - about 10 minutes. Remove the sausages to a plate.
• Add the ground turkey to the pot and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove to a separate plate.
• Add another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and add the onion and garlic. Cook until they soften and just begin to brown - about another 10 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and their juice along with about a 1/2 cup of water (used to swish out the cans).
• Add the ground turkey, stir the sauce well and then nestle in the turkey sausages. Bring the sauce to a boil, season to taste with salt and pepper(doesn't really need much-if at all-salt at this point). Turn the heat to low.
• Cover almost completely iwth a lid (letting the steam escape from one side) and gently simmer for about 4 hours - adding splashes of water every hour or so if the sauce is drying out at all.
• Uncover the sauce and stir in the tomato paste. Barely cover the pot this time and simmer for another hour.
• When it's almost time to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the rigatoni and cook according to the pacakage directions.
• Serve the sauce over the cooked rigatoni with a good grating of Parmesan cheese on top.

TURKEY KOFTA KABOBS

Steps:

• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Combine ground turkey, onion, garlic, cilantro, egg, chile pepper, coriander, paprika, chili powder, and salt together in a large bowl; mix thoroughly.
• Divide turkey mixture into twelve 1/4-cup portions, roll into log-shaped ovals, and place on a baking sheet.
• Grill ovals over indirect heat on middle rack, turning occasionally, until no longer pink in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

BARBARA KAFKA'S TURKEY SALAD

Steps:

• Place rack on 2nd level from bottom of oven and preheat to 500*
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in 14x12x2-inch roasting pan. Roast for 5o minutes, or until juices run clear.
• Allow turkey to cool. Place cukes and tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add salt and toss. Add rest of ingredients and toss gently.
• Let sit 10-15 minutes at room temp to allow flavors to develop.
• Serve on a bed of lettuce greens