PRE-THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH RED LENTILS

November 7, 2014 · Edible DC

An autumn meal that’s hearty, healthy, packed with vitamins, protein, and fiber

by Giacomo Abrusci, special to Edible DC: @giacDC on Twitter

We’re heading into turkey season, so I picked up Ayrshire Farms frozen turkey wings from theArcadia Mobile Market the other day and made something so simple — and delicious. First, I partially defrosted my turkey wings in a warm water bath then threw them in a stock pot with some chopped carrots, celery, ginger, onions, a habanero pepper, some dried oregano from my garden, and salt. I filled the pot with water then left it to simmer over medium heat for two or three hours while I was doing chores, drinking wine, and checking my Facebook. When the meat was falling off the bone, I strained out the broth, skimmed off any fat, removed the bones and skin and returned the liquid and meat to the stock pot. Reducing the heat to low, I then added a cup and a half of red lentils — add some more water* if the stock is getting low — and let that simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender. A little garnish and that’s it — fabulous for a blustery fall day!

* Editor’s note: we love this recipe and had some conversation about it over the Edible DC water cooler — our publisher Susan would add some white wine with the lentils, to add a bright punch of acidity, while our editor Kristen would add some red wine, for a warm earthy note. Either way, it’s all delicious!

jalapeno and lime chicken soup

This is a killer soup and super healthy too.  Perfect reminder that spring is just around the corner!  In a deep pan with olive oil and salt, lightly brown a chopped onion, two sliced jalapenos, and some fresh ginger.  Add 4-5 skinless chicken legs and brown over medium heat.  Degalze with half a bottle of light beer then cover with water and let simmer for the next ~45 minutes or until the meat easily falls off the bone.  Just before plating squeeze in the juice of 2-3 limes and serve with a hard boiled egg, half an avocado, and spring onions. 

 

Japanese chicken soup

Get a big deep pan, drizzle some oil, throw in one whole chopped sweet onion, a chopped thumb-sized piece of ginger, and two small green chilies.  Let that cook covered on low heat (so it would all get mushy, not brown).  At the same time open a pack of 5 or 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs.  I rinse them under water (you should always do that with any chicken) then trim off any fat  you see.  By this time the onions should be translucent  so place the chicken in the pan and raised the heat to medium-high. While  cooking wash two whole containers of quartered white mushrooms, drop them in the same pan, and let that cook covered for another 5, 10 till they get tender and shrink up. Now, by this time the chicken should be cooked so remove it all and with two forks shred the meat and returned it to the same pan. Last add a pint glass of filtered water, about a tablespoon of soy sauce, and about two table spoons of red miso paste. Basically let that all come to a boil, ladle into a bowl and serve with a handful of chopped green onions (some warm French bread on the side might just be orgasmic).

coconut curry cauliflower

Fantastic for a dreary winter day.  Sautee some green chili, an onion, chopped carrots, and chopped celery. Add a bit of salt or a tablespoon of fish sauce (your choice).  When that's all tender add a whole cauliflower, separated in pieces, two tablespoons of Jamaican curry powder, and a cup or so of water.  Stir then reduce the heat to medium, cover and let simmer.  Once the cauliflower is tender, add a can of coconut milk. If you want this more as a side, let that cook down to your preferred consistency OR if you'd like a chunky soup add another cup or two of water and bring to a boil (just recheck for salt).  Dress with thyme if you have it and enjoy!

turkey meatball soup with basil and fresh tomatoes

A couple weeks ago when we were all snowed in, DC shut down, and no one went to work for a week I came up with this yummy lunch. Just start out by preparing any stock and bring to a boil- I had half beef stock and half broccoli in my freezer (perfect combination but use whatever you prefer- mushroom, chicken, et cetera) at the same time I mixed ground turkey with an egg, some breadcrumbs, dried parsley, salt and pepper. I mixed it all together with my hands then rolled them into tini balls. Drop them in (1/2 inch or less) of hot frying oil till they get golden brown. If you don't want to fry, baking is fine too. Once the stock is hot enough, ladle some out in a big bowl with a handful of mini meatballs, some fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. A nice garnish with this is to add some roasted green onions: drizzle a handful of fresh onions with olive oil, broil them till they're crispy, and add as the finishing touch. This is a great Winter (or Summer for that matter) soup that is pretty low fat, has some great fresh flavors and will warm your soul.

faux pho

So I love Vietnames Pho with Pho14 being one of my favorite restaurants in DC. Lately I've been experimenting with different Phos at home and I not too long ago made a vegan Pho that was FANTASTIC. I started with vegetable stock that I often times make on hand and keep frozen- make your own or buy it made. Bring that to a simmering boil with some cloves, cardomum seeds, cinnemon, a chili pepper or two, soy sauce and lime juice. At the same time prepare a small batch or rice noodles. In a shallow pan cook some chopped portobello mushrooms in olive oil, then combine everything, add fresh basil, fresh chopped spring onions, bean sprouts and fresh lime wedges. Keep more soy sauce or sriracha sauch handy but this is sure to please anyone- ESPECIALLY on these cold winter days!

make your own stocks and broth

To be honest, store-bought chicken, beef or seafood broth grosses me out. I just assume that the more random, unwanted and generally abandoned parts of an animal end up in the stock pot. I could be wrong, especially depending on the brand, but either way I was taught to cook with whole ingredients. If you wanted your risotto to taste like beef, then use beef to get there. Most days I (nor you) have the time to make your own stock but if you get a chance its the simplest thing- I'll usually make a large batch in a slow cooker over night (or in a regular stock pot on a weekend.
Here, I got my crock pot, threw in two halved chicken breasts (on the bone) (3 or 4 drumsticks are fine- get whats on sale), an onion, couple carrots, celery, a jalapeno, for a little kick, salt and filled the rest with water. Let it cook over night and you're done. If you want you can just keep the broth (add a little rice or pasta and it makes a great meal) and discard the rest but I LOVE the veggies just like this- and if you like, the chicken meat will fall apart in your hands which will make a great chicken salad or mix it with some breadcrumbs, hot pepper and a beaten egg for some spicy chicken meatballs.

gazpacho

Few things are as refreshing as a cold gazpacho on a hot summer day. This time I got a blender and threw in a couple tomatoes, raw garlic, celery, peeled cucumbers, cilantro, salt and pepper. it basically took 5 minutes start to finish and was able to prepare it in advance and leave it in the fridge to chill. Super healthy and left overs are even better for lunch the next day.

sweet pepper soup

This is so simple, healthy and delicious you're going to want to make it all the time. Red, orange and yellow bell peppers have such full flavor little is needed to add to their natural great taste. Basically, with just a little olive oil (or if you'd like the soup a little richer add a bit of butter) and a sprinkle of salt, sautée or cook down the peppers with an onion until they soften. Remove them from the heat, let them cool for a few minutes, throw them in a blender, reheat back in the same pot, and serve with cilantro, some cracked pepper and if you like, with a spoon of plain yogurt or sour cream. This can be a completely vegan meal (if not vegetarian) and is SO easy to make. You can make it well in advance and just reheat or even freeze it in tupperware to pull out on a night where you want something light and quick.

vegan (or not) spinach soup- either way its pretty healthy

so, we're leaving for san francisco and the refrigerator is filled with stuff that needs to be used up. among which is a box of prewashed baby spinach leaves and 4 roma tomatoes. it was way too much spinach to make into a big salad so 1,2,3 i threw it all in a blender with the tomatoes, olive oil salt and pepper. at the same time i sautéed half a red onion, some garlic with a hot pepper and threw it in as with the spinach. it barely takes more than five minutes. then i poured everything back into the pot i cooked the onions in, brought it to a light boil for a few minutes, cut the heat and served. plain like this its totally vegan and delicious, but i prefer a couple croûtons and some goat cheese crumbles or a dollop of sour cream. great for a fast dinner, use frozen spinach if thats easier, and freeze the leftovers for lunch later that week or to add to a stew later on down the road.