Recipe: Fresh Turkey Spinach Burgers

I love turkey burgers, a lot more than I love regular hamburgers. I'm not much of a red meat eater I guess. But periodically when I buy turkey burgers pre-made they're too dry or under seasoned. It really does depend on the brand. And then I have an even bigger problem in Italy: turkey burgers aren't all that common here. They exist, but you don't see them often in super markets or in restaurants (you see regular hamburgers far more often, although, as you can imagine, they're also not an Italian specialty).
So a couple of weeks ago when I got a craving, I decided to make some turkey burgers for myself and they were perfect. They were juicy and packed with flavor. The also had the additional bonus of being made with fresh vegetables because I added some freshly chopped spinach and red onion to my ground turkey.

My turkey burger collage that I made for my 365 grateful album

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup to 1 cup of fresh spinach (I used about a cup because I love spinach)
1/2 small red onion
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs + extra handy if you see you're mixture is too wet
paprika to taste

Right before mixing

Chop your spinach into small squares or strips (it doesn't matter how evenly you chop the spinach) and
then dice your onions as well.  The thicker you cut your onion, the more crunch you will have in your burger. I didn't cut my onions super finely because I wanted a little more bite.
In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, spinach, onions and paprika with your hands.  Blend well because ideally, each bite will have a little onion and spinach in it.

The perfect sized patties sizzling away. Note: I put a little too much
oil in the pan... but they didn't stick...

When well blended, form into patties. I made mine on the larger (also thicker) side because they shrink slightly as they cook (although not as drastically as beef burgers do). I chose to saute the burgers with a little bit of olive oil in a pan. I am lazy and chose to use the method

that would afford me the least clean up. However, you can also use a grill pan indoors or if it's summer (which we are sooo close to right now) and you have access on an outdoor grill.

The perfect turkey burger!

If you're using a grill pan I recommend using a bit of pam spray so the burgers don't stick too badly, otherwise, cleanup can get quite heavy.  In the winter
(which thankfully has gone away) you can bake them in the oven at 350°F until they brown (I think this would take about 20 minutes to a half hour or so, but I haven't tested it yet, soooo keep an eye on them).

A beautiful plate of deliciousness

When one side has browned, flip and at this point you can also add a slice of cheese if you like and make it a cheese turkey burger.  Cook through and serve warm.
I didn't have buns so I served my burger with toasted bread, a large salad, a little mayo and a spicy sauce on the side.  I felt like eating my turkey burger deconstructed!
My recipe made 4 burgers for me. So I had leftovers for the next couple of meals.

Recipe: Grilled Turkey with an Orange and Fennel Salad

This particular meal is a tribute to my last roommate Roberta, who just moved back to Campobasso. She always cooked a lot of grilled chicken and turkey.  She had a very healthy style of eating. Usually I am too lazy to get out the grill pan or have other recipes in mind. But for this meal I decided to stop being lazy and I pulled out the grill pan to grill up some turkey. 

Only the white is edible

I decided to also make an orange and fennel salad because we had talked about it one night when she was cutting up some fennel. I don’t have much experience with fennel. I’ve had it a couple of times at Bruschetta’s since they have a beautiful pear and fennel salad. But the majority of the salad isn’t actually fennel. I’ve also had it baked in the oven with cheese and butter (thanks to some of my Florentine roommates back in the days of Florence).

 I, however, had never actually cooked with fennel before so it was really interesting for me as I watched her make a fennel and apple salad. It was simple. Thinly sliced green apple and fennel, salt, pepper and olive oil. She explained to me that her salad is traditionally made in Sicily with oranges but that the green apple worked as well because they have little more bite to them than an ordinary red or yellow apple.

I was fascinated and promptly bought a fennel… and then being me, did nothing with it for over a week. Luckily, fennel holds well in the refrigerator.

A traditional Sicilian Salad

Now for anyone who doesn’t know what fennel is, it is a vegetable, larger than celery but similar in appearance except they are white and much larger at the bulbous root tip. You only eat the white, either raw or cooked.  It is crisp and delicious and tastes a bit like licorice. It tastes more strongly of licorice when cooked. If you don’t like vegetables, but like licorice, I highly recommend it. I normally don’t like licorice candy and that’s why I’ve shied away from fennel for so long. It turns out I like licorice if it’s not candy!

This salad with fennel and oranges is really light and utterly delicious. It’s a little sweet but savory at the same time.  The simplicity and acidity of the salad goes really well with the simple grilled turkey. Or you could easily substitute the turkey breast with chicken breast.

The turkey should cook quite quickly so I would recommend prepping the salad first so you can eat the turkey while still warm.

Grilled Turkey

Sliced turkey breast partially or fully defrosted

Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes if you like spicy

Olive oil or pam spray

I always coat the grill pan with a little olive oil or nonstick spray so there’s less likelihood of the turkey sticking to the pan (which inevitably leads to easier clean up!).  Use a medium flame and let the grill pan get really hot. In the meantime, sprinkle both sides of the turkey with salt, pepper and red peper flakes. When the pan is hot put your turkey on long ways, so that the length of the turkey gets grill marks. I failed at this the first time, but it still tasted good (just looks a little cooler with beautiful grill marks).

Leave the turkey alone for a few minutes and flip when you have clear grill marks on the one side. This works a lot better if the pan is hot, hot when you add the chicken and not just warm.  If your turkey slices are particularly thick, you can flip again for a crosshatch pattern.

Orange and Fennel Salad (one large serving)

1 whole fennel

1 or 2 whole oranges (I used blood orange for the color)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Remove any dark spots from you fennel and wash the leaves thoroughly. Remove the branches and very bottom of the plant. Then cut the white into thin slices (if you want them really, really thin, like in restaurants, you can use a grater to slice them, but I prefer them thicker for some crunch to contrast the orange). Put the slices into a bowl and then cut your orange in half.  Slice out the wedges and add to the salad. Dress with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix and serve.

You can also squeeze some extra orange into the salad for an extra

kick of orange flavor. 

Serve.

I served mine next to the turkey but you can also serve it directly on the turkey since it adds some moisture and flavor to the basic grilled turkey. 

Recipe: Rigatoni alle melenzane, Eggplant Rigatoni

I really wanted to make eggplant parmesan the other day. Eggplant, mozzarella, sauce and parmesan cheese all baked together to the perfect consistency. You really can't go wrong.
I had the fresh eggplant from the market, pamesan cheese and a tomato base but I was missing mozzarella, egg and bread crumbs to make the perfect "parmigiana".  I wanted to go to the store right after work, but sadly by the time I got back to my area, it was already after 8 and sadly the supermarkets in my area (and in a lot of residential areas in Italy) close at 8pm on the dot. So with no supermarkets open I decided to improvise. I decided to make a dish similar to the sicilian "rigatoni alle melanzane" or eggplant rigatoni. I tried it once, a long time ago in Sicily and I really enjoyed it so I decided to finally try my hand... without looking up a recipe. I decided to work from memory and intuition and everything worked out really well actually.

Now, doesn't that look good?

Ingredients:
1 long thin eggplant
1/2 lb pasta (or enough for whoever you're serving... there were 2 of us)
1 jar of tomato puree (I believe the jar is about 500 grams)
1/2 onion
salt and pepper
1 dried red pepper
oregano and rosemary to taste

Thinly slice your onions and put to the side. Thinly slice your eggplant into rounds. Sprinkle each with a little salt and let sit for a few minutes. The salt should bring some of the water out of the eggplant making it easier to cook.
Put some oil into a pan and heat over a low heat. Sweat the onions and then add your eggplant. The eggplant will absorb a lot of oil so you may have to add some more. Let the eggplant cook slowly until just tender. Add your tomato puree and mix well. Put about a half a cup of water into the jar and swish to get remaining sauce of the sides of the jar. Pour into the sauce pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add in about a half a teaspoon of both oregano and rosemaryand 1 dried red pepper sliced into very thin slivers. If you like a lot of heat don't remove the seeds.  Let simmer for about a half an hour, until the sauce has reduced down a bit and the eggplant is cooked through.  I would recommend covering your pan to avoid some of the mess from splatter.
When you've put your sauce to the side to reduce, boil water and prepare your pasta according to the packaging.
When everything is ready you can serve the pasta with a heaping portion of sauce and some parmesan cheese. You can also serve it all mixed together depending on your preference.  It tasted delicous.

Recipe: Pork Marsala

Let me start by saying that I don’t know how to make marsala… or better, I didn’t know I could make marsala. 

When I started cooking the other night I simply thought I was going to make a crispy pork served with sautéed mushrooms.  Endira was going to make her salad and I was going to make a simple (mayoless) potato salad. 

Somehow or other I made a Pork marsala, or at the very least something that tasted very similar.  Endira loved it and said that it was “restaurant quality”. I don’t know if I would go that far, but the sauce was creamy without being heavy with a nice, crisp, refreshing bite from the wine.

And it was also surprisingly simple to make.

Pork Marsala

Ingredients:

4 thinly cut slices of fresh pork (you can use a thicker cut, just sauté on each side for a few minutes longer)*

½ cup flour

Red pepper flakes

Basil

Salt and black pepper

Olive oil

500- 1000 grams of sliced mushrooms

1-2 cups  white wine (marsala if you want authenticity)

Coat your pork with a light drizzling of olive oil. This will help the breading stay on the pork but won’t be as heavy as an egg wash. Then pour your flour into a small bowl and mix in salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes to taste. I tend to be a little heavy handed with this because I like a lot of flavor but you can use less and still wind up with delicious pork.  My general rule of thumb is

Just a hint of golden brown

that you should be able to see bits of spices evenly dispersed in your flour when it’s mixed. 

Dredge the pork in the flour mixture. Make sure each piece is completely and evenly covered. 

Coat your pan** with a layer of oil and heat over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, place your pork carefully in the pan. If the oil is hot enough there will be some sizzle. Depending on how thick your pork is, you should cook for a minute or 2 on each side. I was cooking thin pieces so they didn’t need much time at all. The edges should be golden by the time cooking is done (a thicker piece will be golden brown all over). The flour should really help hold in the moisture. 

When cooked through, place on a paper towel to cool and collect any excel oil.

At this point, you’ll notice that the oil is cloudy from excess flour. It’s supposed to be, so add in your mushrooms. Sauté for a minute or so. If you see that the oil is almost gone, add in another drizzle of olive oil.  In another minute, pour in the wine, a half cup at a time. I only used about a cup of wine and 500 grams of mushrooms because I was using a small pan. It was the perfect

Just starting to cook down the sauce

amount for 2 people.  If you’re cooking for more people use another cup of wine and at least 500 more grams of mushrooms. 

Stir continuously and add in about a ½ tsp of the remaining flour mixture if the sauce is looking thin.

When the mushrooms have rooked down some and the sauce has thickened (it should easily coat the back of a spoon) remove from the heat.

Serve on top of your pork with a generous heaping of mushrooms. We also served ours with a light potato side and a scrumptious salad with chick peas, tomatoes and cheese. 

This was so delicious. The pork practically melted in your mouth with the creaminess of the sauce. I was very pleased with how this little experiment turned out. 

It was a great meal to end a particularly long day of work.

*Note: This could easily be made with chicken or veal instead.

**Note: I would recommend making this in a deeper pan or a pot. It will stop the oil from splattering onto the stovetop. I used a small regular pan and made a bit of a mess. Also if you’re using a larger pan you can make all of your pork at once instead of in rounds like I had to.  

Recipe: Spinach Pie

Growing up, spinach pie was absolutely one of my favorite things to eat. Yes, I admit it. I was a weird child. But what can I say? I just wanted to be like Popeye.
This recipe is a variation of the spinach pie my grandmother made. It's semi homemade (basically because I'm too lazy to make my own crust everytime I want to eat it).  I love how simple it is to make! Just be careful not to eat all of it at once!  Goodness know I have to be careful not to.

My Spinach Pie

1 premade pie crust
1000 grams frozen spinach
250 grams of ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Red Pepper flakes

Preheat the over to 350°.
In a large saucepan defrost the spinach over a very low heat with a little bit of salt.  Heat covered until most of the excess liquid has cooked off.  If necessary use a strainer to remove any other water.  Put aside to cool.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until well-blended.  When the spinach has cooled, add to the ricotta and stir well.
Place the pie crust into a pie pan and use a fork to make a few holes so the crust does not bubble.  Fill with the spinach mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust has lightly browned.
This can be served warm or cold.


There are several other variations I make of spinach pie.  Sometimes I'll add a layer of thinly sliced pancetta to the crust before pouring in the spinach mixture.  On other occassions I have added a layer of mashed potatoes and spinach.  When making a simple pie sometimes I will add in a spoonful of honey and a dash of nutmeg for a slightly different feel.
Grandma's spinach pie used no ricotta, but instead utilized more eggs.

The possibilities are endless, so play around until you find your favorite version!

-Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Simple french onion soup

 3 raw onions, sliced thin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 boillion cube (preferably reduced sodium) boiled in the appropriate amount of water

Red pepper flakes to taste

oregano

salt and pepper to taste

For each bowl of soup: 

1 slice of thick wheat bread

thin slices of mozzarella (or your choice of cheese)



Saute the onions in a little bit of oil in a covered large saucepan over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the onions become soft and clear. Slowly stir in the boullion broth, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then let simmer for 15 minutes.

Place bread on a baking sheet; sprinkle bread with cheese. Broil 4-to-5 inches from heat for about 1 minute or until cheese is melted and golden.(I only make enough bread for the number of bowls of soup, so the bread and cheese are fresh and perfectly melted.)

Ladle soup into bowls and top with bread. 

My unique serving method: Place the whole piece of bread into a bowl and then ladle the onions and soup on top.

~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Penne with cream, peas and pancetta

Wow, I haven't posted anything up here in ages!  I assure you, I've been cooking and making delicious things as per usual, I just haven't taken too many pictures... And I haven't been nearly as creative, I think I'm getting a little boring and repetitive, even if it does taste delicious.
That being said, I'll post up one of my favorite meals, that I make way too often for my own good!

Penne in a cream sauce with peas and pancetta
serves about 4 (although I often cook it for one lol)


penne (around 400-500 gramsish)
frozen peas (1/2 bag normal bag being around 1000grams)
pancetta dolce (container 250 grams... if you're in the states, use a package of regular bacon, and dice it into small pieces)
1 container of panna (states, heavy cream, you need about a cup and a half)
rosemary
pepper
hot pepper flakes

Start boiling water, add pasta to water as usual.
In the meantime place your pancetta in a hot pan, when it's about half way cooked add in frozen peas and about a tablespoon of rosemary, and pepper and hot pepper flakes to taste.
When the pasta is almost al dente and when the peas are no longer frozen, add the cream to the peas and pancetta.  Do not allow the cream to boil (i.e. lower the heat).
When the pasta is done drain, and add to cream mixture.  Mix well and serve :)

I've done other variations on this as well.  I've added onions which adds a nice little sweetness.  Instead of peas I've added potatoes diced into tiny cubes (which is a little heavier, but still delicious).

Get creative!
~Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Honey Turkey fingers...

like chicken fingers, but a little sweeter and actually leaner :) I'm going for cooking cheaper and leaner, so turkey breast is a great replacement to chicken...

So basic recipe 1 turkey breast cut into slices or if available you can just buy prepackaged cutlets... However, unfortunately, presliced was not available, so I had to do it myself which I don't mind except I only just realized how not well-stocked my kitchen is. There's no butcher knife, just the serrated kind. I don't know if you've ever tried to cleanly slice raw turkey breast, but let me tell you, it doesn't actually work out overly too well, just well enough to do what I was doing, but with added cursing lol.

Alright I've gotten off track, here's the recipe list:

1 turkey breast sliced, or cubed, however big you like your turkey fingers :D

1 egg

1-2 tablespoons honey

app. 1 cup bread crumbs (I kind of eyeballed it like usual lol...)

pepperoncino (otherwise known as red pepper flakes) as desired

a pinch pepper

a pinch salt

oregano as desired

basil as desired

Olive oil for pan

So quite simply, crack your egg, add your honey and salt and stir. In another bowl or plate add bread crumbs and all other spices, mix throughougly (I may have spelled that wrong... but spell check I don't think is functioning lol). Take your turkey, dip in egg mixture and then completely cover in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in pan, add turkey, cook on each side until browned, and until center is white. When done place onto paper towel (to drain any excess oil) and serve while still warm, although they're pretty fantastic cold too ;)

Simple and yummy and for your reading pleasure, or I suppose looking pleasure, I'm adding pictures, just to make you a little bit hungrier...

all set up and ready to go assembly line style :)

there's my fresh honey that I bought in the market place, soo yummy, just sweet enough...

my peperoncino, and breadcrumb mix

starting the frying process :)

now doesn't that look yummy

and these finished ones look even tastier :D

and for final serving purposes, eat with a bed of lettuce, some tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, with some fresh Italian bread on the side

^.^ sooo happy with my food making tonight!!

And that's the update, happily making food in Italy!

~Raspberry Truffle

p.s. and it made a really great lunch the next day as a sandwich, with lettuce, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar :)