Whether it’s a strong taste, an exotic spice or a new aroma, exposing our kids to new tastes and a more global food culture, will help expand their palate and help combat picky eating. By introducing your little ones to new and exciting recipes, we really open up their minds and their taste buds to trying new things. I am reminded of a mantra that If food tastes good, they will eat and that all comes back to selecting quality ingredients. I love exploring the treasures at Silk Road Spice Merchants, and of course building relationships with the growers, farmers and producers behind our food, like Scott Olson from Gary Olson Farm where we’ve sourced our turkey.
First, we breakdown our bird with a method called spatchcocking. This time-saving method is a family favourite of mine, my mom always used this technique growing up to speed up cooking time. It can easily be done in three easy steps:
- Use simple kitchen shears or poultry shears to remove the backbone
- Turn the turkey breast-side up
- Firmly breast down on the breast bone until you hear a break
You roast your turkey just like this (don’t forget to tuck the wings under to prevent burning), but for our use we make a cut down one side of the breast bone and separate into two parts to prepare two different rubs.
Chef David Omar takes us on a culinary adventure as we explore different ways to prepare turkey. With spices like coriander, caraway and cumin our first rub recipe captures the tastes of Morocco, and our second rub really compliments asian cuisine with ginger, chinese five spice and garlic. It was so fun to see Chef take Cela under his wing, taking her through each flavour in his spice kit, exploring the aroma and origin of each one.
Moroccan Spice-rubbed Turkey
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. Paprika
- 1 tbsp. Coriander
- 1 tbsp. Cumin
- 2 tbsp. Sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Caraway seeds, crushed
- ½ tsp Ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Allspice
Directions:
- Place all spices into a large enough bowl and mix with a fork.
- Coat uncooked turkey with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and sprinkle with rub mixture. Using clean hands rub spice blend into turkey, and coat evenly.
- Roast turkey as per usual method. Enjoy with seasonal vegetables, and later this week leverage leftovers to make Moroccan Turkey Tagine (recipe below)
Vietnamese Spice-Rubbed Turkey
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. Chinese five spice
- 2 tbsp. Raw sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp Garlic, minced
- ½ tsp Ground ginger
- ½ tsp Allspice
Directions:
- Place all spices into a large enough bowl and mix with a fork.
- Coat uncooked turkey with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and sprinkle with rub mixture. Using clean hands rub spice blend into turkey, and coat evenly.
- Roast turkey as per usual method. Enjoy with seasonal vegetables, and later this week leverage leftovers to make Turkey Bone Broth and Vietnamese Turkey Pho Soup (recipe and blog post coming soon)
Chef and Cela use the roasted off Moroccan turkey to build a hearty stew in a Tagine. Built on a roasted vegetable and pulse base, turkey broth and our roasted Moroccan turkey, this recipe is a protein packed and flavourful new take on serving turkey at your dinner table.
Moroccan Turkey Tagine
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. canola oil
- 2 cups of your favourite pulse (beans, chick peas, or lentils)
- 2 medium peppers, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey
- 1-2 tbsp. Moroccan Spice Rub (click here for recipe)
- 2 cups homemade turkey broth (click here for recipe)
- 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
Directions:
- Add canola oil, onions, garlic, and peppers and spice rub to Tagine or heat safe dish, and sauté on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables, pulses, turkey and broth.
- Bake in 350o degree oven for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender, and sauce has thickened. Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!
Next week, we’ll be using our leftover roasted bones to build a delicious broth for a Vietnamese Turkey Pho soup. We’d like to thank Alberta Turkey Producers for making this adventure possible. Keep an eye on our feeds next week to learn more about the basics for building a delicious broth.