March 30, 2013

Creole Turkey Neck and Cabbage Soup

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Creole Turkey Neck

and Cabbage Soup

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March 30: National Turkey Neck Soup Day

Highlander sometimes eats turkey giblet gravy and Islander gobble-gobbles up the oven-roasted tail at Thanksgiving meals. We enjoy our leftovers and try not to waste any of the turkey meat. But we rarely save other turkey parts, such as the neck, because they do not look or sound too appetizing to cook. Yet we decided to try making a Southern soul food-style dish, Creole turkey neck and cabbage soup, in observance of National Turkey Neck Soup Day. Islander did not like it at all and practically gagged at the “aroma” of the boiled neck pieces (a foul-smelling fowl?). The cabbage, along with the spicy seasonings, did tone down the odor a bit. Highlander agreed that it was not worth the effort and few ingredients of making it again since it took a few hours to prepare this dish in our kitchen. However, for those who are more adventurous with their appetites and cooking experiments are welcome to try the recipe below.

Recipe

(Adapted from Live Strong)

Ingredients

  • 1 turkey neck
  • 1 head cabbage
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • Creole seasoning to taste
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • hot sauce (optional)

Directions

Cut off the bottom core of the cabbage. Halve it and rinse well. Slice into strips and drain in a colander.

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Cut the turkey neck into three or four pieces. Place in a pot and pour enough water over the pieces. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the neck pieces and skim the debri out of the liquid. Add the sugar.

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Stir in the Creole seasoning. Return the neck pieces in the liquid. Boil on medium low heat for another hour. Remove the neck pieces again and strain the liquid. Put the neck pieces back in the pot, then add the cabbage strips and strained liquid.

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Pour in the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and let the cabbage cook for about 30 minutes or until wilted. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for another 45 minutes to reduce the liquid. Adjust the taste with Creole seasoning. Stir gently. Ladle the cabbage strips and liquid into soup bowls. Top with a turkey neck piece. Serve with a splash of hot sauce.

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Notes

  • Turkey neck is a tough meat so it needs to be cooked for a long time to become tender.
  • Smoked turkey neck, if available, would lend a more unique flavor to this recipe.
  • Although Thanksgiving is many months away, try our traditional turkey recipe (simple oven-roasted method). Or prepare our popular Oreo turkey cookies.
 

March 26, 2013

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

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Spinach Salad with

Warm Bacon Dressing

Spinach-Bacon Salad

March 26: National Spinach Day

Popeye loves spinach and Olive Oyl, but we love our spinach salad with bacon just as much! The healthy-green-vegetable leaves go well with a not-so-healthy-but-delicious dressing. The caramelized red onions and sauteed mushrooms lend a yummy flavor and the eggs add a bright color to this hearty and tasty salad. Prepare what Popeye would love, too, and make a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing for National Spinach Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Pioneer Woman)

For the spinach salad

  • 8 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
  • 6-8 slices bacon

Directions

Prepare all the ingredients for the salad. Slice the red onion thinly and separate into rings. Slice the mushrooms. Boil, cool and shell the eggs. Slice them and set aside.

Spinach-Bacon Salad

Fry the bacon until cooked and crisp. Reserve 6 tablespoons of bacon grease for sautéing the onions and mushrooms and for making the salad dressing. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.

Spinach-Bacon Salad

In the another skillet, heat two tablespoons of bacon grease and slowly fry up the onions until wilted and caramelized. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, fry up the mushrooms, adding another tablespoon of bacon grease, if necessary. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Make the warm bacon dressing.

Spinach-Bacon Salad

For the warm bacon dressing

  • 3 tablespoons reserved bacon grease
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon dijon or honey mustard
  • dash of salt

Directions

In a small pan, mix the reserved bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt. Mix well over low heat.

Spinach-Bacon Salad

Assemble the salad. In 2-3 individual salad bowls, layer the spinach on the bottom. Top with the caramelized onions, mushrooms and crumbled bacon. Pour the warm bacon dressing over the salad and toss lightly to combine. Garnish with boiled egg slices. Serve immediately.

Spinach-Bacon Salad 

Notes

 

March 17, 2013

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

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Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

March 17: Feast Day of St. Patrick

Slainte! Of all the booze we bake with, Bailey’s is our favorite. The flavor of this Irish cream liqueur is milder than the other alcoholic beverages that we stock in our cabinet. The cream adds a sweet balance to the strong whiskey. Bailey’s is also good “on the rocks,” added as a shot in coffee or hot chocolate and infused as an ingredient in recipes, such as cakes. Highlander most often requests a “Bailey’s birthday cake” from Islander and he takes it to the office to share with his co-workers.

In the “spirit” of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, we baked a Bailey’s cake. More Irish cream liqueur in the frosting enhances the flavor for a festive St. Patrick’s Day dessert.

Recipe

(Adapted from Duncan Hines)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee (we used Muvaldi brand Kona instant coffee)
  • ½ cup Irish cream liqueur (we used Bailey’s brand but Carolans and St. Brendan’s may be substituted)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we used Hawaiian Vanilla Company brand)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 box (18.25 ounces) Duncan Hines brand butter recipe golden cake mix
  • 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter (we used Kerrygold brand pure Irish unsalted), softened
  • 2 quantities Bailey’s Irish cream frosting (see the recipe from a past blog post here)
  • 1-2 ounces (1-2 squares) semi-sweet chocolate (we used Baker’s brand), melted
  • chocolate-covered coffee beans (we used Island Princess brand)

Directions

Prepare the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee in boiling water. When cool, pour in the Irish cream liqueur. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Prepare the rest of the cake ingredients.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and vanilla instant pudding mix. Add the coffee mixture. Beat in the eggs with the butter until smooth and well blended.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

Pour the batter in a greased baking pan (we used a 10-inch round cake pan). Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Transfer the cake to a platter or cake board.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

Make the frosting.  Generously spread the top of the cake and sides. Drizzle melted chocolate on top of the cake in a criss-cross pattern.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

Use extra frosting to pipe swirls on top of the cake (we used Wilton tip 1M). Pipe borders on the bottom of the cake (we used Wilton star tip 18). Finish the cake by garnishing the swirls with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Irish Cream Liqueur Cake

Notes

  • Instead of chocolate, melt green candy wafers to add an emerald color to the cake for St. Patrick’s Day. Also, substitue the chocolate-covered coffee beans for green M&Ms to match.
  • Search our blog for more St. Patrick’s Day recipes.
 

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