Turkey Curry Buffet

“I realize that when I met you at the turkey curry buffet, I was unforgivably rude… and wearing a reindeer jumper.” Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones’ Diary


The moment we watched Bridget Jones subjected to an annual New Year’s Day turkey curry buffet, we were hooked on the idea. Those Brits do love their saucy curries. Chicken Tikka Masala is their national dish, after all.

EVIDENCE! The case for turkey curry via the New York Times, Nov. 25, 1887 ancient colonial curry.

"Mmmm. Turkey curry... my favourite."

TURKEY AND SPINACH CURRY
New York Times
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup tomatoes, chopped (canned are fine; include their juice)
1 cup coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound fresh spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed and roughly chopped
2 cups leftover turkey, white or dark meat or a combination, roughly chopped
Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish.
1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add onion, garlic and ginger and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about another minute.
2. Add tomatoes and their juices and coconut milk and sprinkle with salt and pepper; bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until tomatoes break down.
3. Add spinach and turkey to pan and continue to cook until spinach wilts and turkey is warmed through, another 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning, garnish with cilantro and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.
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DELIA SMITH’S ENGLISH COLONIAL CURRY WITH TURKEY
600g cooked turkey, chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon turkey dripping
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 heaped tablespoon Sharwood’s Hot Curry Powder (for Madras)
725ml hot stock (or less)
1 medium dessert or Bramley apple, cored and chopped
25g sultanas
1 heaped tablespoon mango chutney
small container of coconut milk
juice of half a lemon, at least.
seasoning

Heat the dripping and fry the onion and celery over a medium heat, tossing them around till softened and well browned at the edges, then add the garlic and toss that around for a minute.
Now stir in the flour, turmeric, ginger and curry powder to soak up all the juices, and after that gradually stir in the stock. When the sauce begins to bubble add the apple, sultanas, mango chutney and grated coconut, plus some seasoning.
Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes.
After that, add the turkey pieces and a squeeze of lemon juice, stir well, put a lid on and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes to reheat the turkey.
Serve with basmati rice, poppadoms, mango chutney and lime pickle.

Turkey talk

Oh, Internets. You know how obsessive we are when it comes to pairing food with dreamy destinations. If we can’t afford to jet away to some exotic locale right this minute, surely we can transport ourselves to a happy place with a little bit of delish. Can we help it if the sight of honeydew melon balls paired with pink grapefruit, freshly torn mint, honey and lime makes us think of Lilly Pulitzer sundresses and Palm Beach?

We’d like to pair that preppy fruit salad with a luscious turkey burger.

🍔 KB’s Turkey burgers 🍔

• 1 white onion
• 2 bunches green onions
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 3 pkg Costco ground turkey
• 1/2 C Parmesan
• Salt
• Pepper
• Poultry seasoning
• Crushed red pepper
• Splash brandy
• Optional: top with cheese slice & melt

Dice & sauté white onion in butter with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes & poultry seasoning. Deglaze with splash of brandy & remove from heat to cool slightly

In separate bowl add 1/2 bunch chopped parsley, two bunches sliced green onions & 1/2 C Parmesan.
Mix to combine.

In second, larger bowl add ground turkey. Season top of each package with freshly/coarsely ground black pepper as it is added to the bowl. Optional: season one package with sea salt and pepper, other two no salt.

Add the parsley+sautéed onion mix to the ground turkey and mix until just combined.

Form patties and cook until internal temperature reaches 165°F

Oprah found a new favorite food when she tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago.

MAR-A-LAGO TURKEY BURGER
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt (this seems excessive, so we used less than half this amount. They were fine.)
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 lemon , juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.
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Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney (see below) and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.

Mar-A-Lago Pear Chutney

1 Anjour pear , peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Major Grey’s Chutney
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss the diced pears with the cinnamon and salt. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Cool and mix with the chutney and currants or raisins.