Maple Brined Turkey

I'm totally on a Thanksgiving kick, in case you couldn't tell. I copied this one off of my SIL, Kera. I've tried it out and it was AWESOME. Very tender and yummy!

serves 12

Ingredients:
1-1/2 gallons water (24 cups)
1-1/2 c pure maple syrup or maple-lavored syrup
1 c coarse salt
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 8-10 lb turkey (not self-basting)
Cooking oil

Directions:
1. For brine, in a 10-quart pot combine water, syrup, salt, and brown sugar; stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Set aside.

2. Rinse turkey inside and out; remove any excess fat from cavity. Carefully add turkey to brine. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. (We didn't have enough space in our fridge, so we just threw ours in our cooler.)

3. Remove turkey from brine; discard brine. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Tuck drumstick ends under the band of skin across the tail. (If the band of skin is not present, tie the drumsticks securely to the tail.) Twist wing tips under the back. Brush with oil. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of one of the inside thigh muscles.

4. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast turkey in a 325 degree F oven for 2-3/4 to 3 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees F. After 2-1/4 hours, remove foil and cut band of skin or string between the drumsticks so thighs will cook evenly. When done, drumsticks should move very easily in their sockets. Cover turkey; let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before carving.

Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatballs

From A Year of Slow cooking
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 t kosher salt
1 t ground black pepper
1 t onion powder
1 green apple, peeled and shredded
1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 c dried unsweetened cranberries

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground turkey with the ingredients.

Make golf-ball sized meatballs, and drop them into your crockpot. For this amount of meatballs you could use any size over 3 quart, probably. If you have a large family, or would like to cook enough to freeze, double or triple the recipe. You can definitely stagger-stack the meatballs on top of each other... just use a larger crockpot.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 5-9---the cooking time will depend on how many meatballs are in the crock, and the size of your machine. The more full it is, the longer it will take to cook.


Nutritional jazz: 262 cal; 12 g carbs; 7 g fat; 38 g protein

Turkey Cutlets with Rhubarb Chutney

serves 4

From Eating Well.com

Ingredients:
2 t plus 1 T canola oil, divided
1/3 c chopped red onion
2 c sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (thawed and drained, if frozen)
1/3 c golden raisins
1/3 c light brown sugar
1 T cider vinegar
2 t minced fresh ginger or 1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t freshly ground pepper, divided
4 turkey cutlets (about 1 pound), 1/4 inch thick
1/4 t salt

Directions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add rhubarb, raisins, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is soft and breaking down, 5 to 10 minutes more (it will take less time if using thawed frozen rhubarb). Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. Sprinkle turkey on both sides with salt and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned on both sides and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve the turkey with the chutney.