Broth Pageant #1

This weekend I made another batch of broth, something I do every 2-3 weeks.  I was out of leftover chicken/turkey carcasses and only had a ham bone from a relic of a spiral sliced ham we had around Christmas. So, I was faced with buying some bones.  My local market regularly has these.  Imagine my surprise to find that they are no longer cheap or free!  After paying $1.90/lb for 4 lbs of bones (most of which appeared to be upper femurs and pelvises from young cows) I trundled home along with the rest of my groceries.

To get the best flavor, you need to roast the bones.  I wacked mine with some olive oil and salt and stuck them in the oven at 350 for about an hour.  They did smell delicious and rendered off a nice bit of fat (that I gave to the chickens). 

Then, they and my old ham bone went into the stock pot with the usual suspects:  onion, garlic (fresh and some leftover roasted garlic), celery, carrots, fennel, star anise, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, tarragon, rosemary, bay leaves, a quarter of a lemon, sea salt and pepper corns.  After 4 hours simmering, it was ready to be strained and filtered. Then I gave it another hour to reduce.  It was a pretty brown, but I wanted it darker and sweeter, so I added a tablespoon of Kitchen Bouquet (shhh. . . don’t tell anyone!) and a tablespoon of sugar.  Owing to the all the marrow, the broth was/is really rich.

It yielded 20 cups of shimmery and gelatinous, mahogany broth.  But I forgot to take a picture!

But, have no fear; I have pictures of many other broth adventures.  You know, some people take pictures of sunsets or cats, but I take pictures of broth . . . well, at least some of the time. 

So, here is my first installment of the Broth Pageant!

p.s.  I gave the leftover meat/cartilage bits, carrots, celery and garlic to the dogs.  No wonder they hang around the kitchen! (Sorry, no cooked bones or onions for dogs!—a different post.)



All the goodies at the start of something great!





Looks like lots of carrots in this beef broth.



Love the herbs, star anise, cinnamon and garlic!  Very picturesque.



Yeah, that's a payday!





Turkey Part Deux

Turkey Oola!

(Mexican turkey and dumplings--a  Thanksgiving leftover staple.  This is the slow cooker version of chilaquiles. )

For years, we hosted Thanksgiving at our home for relatives.  We would have from 5 to 30 guests for dinner.  The next day, we traditionally went to a movie (for years--Harry Potter). While at the movie, this dish would cook in the slow cooker. We’d come home to a steaming bowl of Turkey Oola!

The origins of Turkey Oola! are from my mother.  I’m not sure where she got it.  She either made it up or she and her girlfriends passed the recipe around.  Nevertheless, it is much anticipated.

This dish is the capstone to the T-Day experience.  The big bonus is that you really do not need a recipe—it is more a method.  In fact, you don’t even need a slow cooker.  You just need a variety of ingredients, some heat, and a covered casserole.

Basic ingredients:

4 flour tortillas 
3 T butter
2-4 C chicken broth 
2 C diced turkey (or chicken) 
1-2 C shredded cheddar cheese or pepper jack or other favorite melty cheese 
1/2 C diced green pepper
1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies (10 oz can)
1/2 C diced green onions 
1/4 C diced red onions

Topping options:

diced cilantro

diced bacon

diced jalapeno

limes/lemons (to squeeze over the top)

avocados (sprinkled with chile powder if you like it hotter!)

shredded lettuce or cabbage (Napa or Savoy preferred)

Composition:

This is a layered dish. Divide up your ingredients into the number of layers you want (3-4 layers is optimum).

In a slow cooker:  spread a thin layer of butter on the bottom of the cassarole. Put one layer of torn flour tortillas, then turkey, cheese, Rotel and veggies.  Repeat this 2 or 3 times, ending with a topping of tortillas covered with cheese.  You can make as much or as little of this as you want.  If you want to make sure you get the dumplings, you need 2-3 layers of tortillas.  Once done, pour chicken broth over the casserole until you see the liquid beginning to appear at the sides, but not to cover.  

Cover and cook on medium for 3-5 hours. You will know it is done when it is bubbly and moist looking.  Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, as it is hot, hot, hot usually. 

Talk amongst yourselves about the latest Harry Potter movie while it cools off some.

Serve in bowls with some shredded lettuce or cabbage to top. Diced jalapeno, crispy bacon and some avocado would be a nice addition also with some lemon or lime squeezed over the top.

Hint--while this is good on the first day, it actually gets better the next day!

Enjoy!