I had leftover home made turkey stock and some turkey wings in my freezer that I had to use so I made a turkey soup but flavored like pho. I couldn’t find any recipes on the web for turkey pho but I thought pho flavors would go well with turkey. My recipes for Turkey Stock and Crispy Oven Fried Turkey Wings are posted here on www.TheForkingTruth.com so you can do them if you want but a word of warning that you need a raw turkey carcus to make twelve cups of stock. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. For me this makes 4 large dinner servings.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

6 cups turkey stock – preferably home made

14-16oz – pulled turkey meat

1 1/2 lbs – vegetables (cooked and or noodles) I used bok choy and gai lan that II boiled in water with a little sesame oil…I didn’t use any noodles)

1 large sweet onion – sliced paper thin

1/2 teaspoon ground star anise

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon

2 Tablespoons sugar (I used one T of turbinado and thought that would be enough but it needed another so I added 1 T of white sugar…..depending on sugar you might only need 1)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 scallions – sliced thin (for serving)

8 sprigs cilantro (for serving)

4 sprigs mint (for serving)

2 jalapeños – sliced (for serving)

2 limes – cut in wedges (for serving)

fish sauce (for serving)

hoisin (for serving)

chili sauce (for serving)

Directions

Put the stock in your sauce pot on medium heat.

Add the star anise, cardamon, sugars, ginger, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, white pepper and black pepper.

You have two choices with the onion. Either you can sauté it and add it to the soup with it starts to turn brown or since it is so thin you can let it cook in the soup and skip cooking it in a pan. You get a slightly different taste depending on what you do. I sort of like the raw onions getting cooked in the soup because they get more fragrant from the spices and the onion taste just goes into the soup. If you sauté the onions the actual onions will taste more oniony. Cooking the onion first is more traditional.

If you have a well made stock your soup is almost done. At this point you take it off the heat and add the pulled turkey. Serve immediately and serve with scallions. cilantro, mint, jalapeños, lime, fish sauce, hoisin and chili sauce.

Enjoy!

A couple of years ago I went to Disney World in Florida and wondered off to a little local restaurant called Mrs Potato. They served what they called Roti. They were like stuffed hash browns. So what I made is inspired from my trip to Mrs Potato. Well this recipe is pretty simple and basic. It’s also easy to do. (except for the flipping part) I think it’s easier to make hash browns when you spiral cut them. When I shred the potatoes I don’t get the crisp layers as much. The other secrets are to use a non stick pan (this is like my only use for a non stick pan) Lastly take your time. I stuffed my hash brown with goat cheese and fresh herbs and a few small pieces of tomato. I figured a cheese that doesn’t get too melty would work out good but you can stuff your hash brown with whatever you feel like. I bet that there are endless combinations that are amazing. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. I think this makes 6 decent size servings. Oh and for the flipping part it is easier if you have an extra large spatula or you can always use a plate.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

4 potatoes – brown skin (mine weighed a little under 2 pounds) – peeled and small spiral cut like long strands of spaghetti. These go in cold water so they won’t turn brown.

2 tablespoon unsalted butter (1/2 for each side of potato)

2 tablespoon canola oil (1/2 for each side of potato)

4 oz goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh mint chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh dill

1 Tablespoon chives chopped (maybe some extra to sprinkle for serving)

optional 2 Tablespoons sweet tiny tomatoes – chopped

optional 1 dried Calabrian chili pepper – crumbled

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Get a bigger non stick pan on medium heat. Add half the butter and half the oil. Take out half of your potato spaghetti and drain it and dry it off real well and put in your fry pan.

You need to pat it down with a spatula,

In a small bowl add the goat cheese and fresh herbs and mix it up.

This mixture and tomatoes if you are using them goes on top of half of the potato strings.

Now add the other half of the drained and squeezed dried potato spaghetti and squish it down with a spatula.

Cover with foil or a lid for 15 minutes to steam all the potato.

Uncover and let it go for about 35 minutes (or until golden brown). You can squish it down a few times.

After 35 minutes you need to flip it over add the remaining butter and oil and let it cook another 35 minutes (or until golden brown). You can squish it down a few times.

Season with salt and pepper and maybe a few more chives to taste.

ENJOY! ………..(your welcome!)

I wasn’t planning on blogging about this combination that was just leftovers that I threw together. They tasted too good not to blog about. Had a few avocados I had to use but didn’t feel like eating right away. I knew I had a small amount…..I mean just the right amount of pickled red onions. I know they go great with avocado and I can keep them a lot longer with the brine from the onions. I added a small amount of tomato and a cut up Asian pear. For some delicious heat I added a small amount of my pickled cascabella peppers. The first time I tasted cascabella peppers was from the James Beard Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza restaurant – The Barrio Grand Reserva in Phoenix (now closed for business 🙁 ) Those peppers were in a salsa and it was the most delicious salsa I ever tasted in my life. Cascabella peppers are a more delicious pepper. The Barrio Grand Reserva also surprisingly put Asian Pear in something I ate there ……(a tuna dish)………..That Asian Pear is just the perfect sweetness, flavor and texture to go with everything else. WOW! Even with nothing else this combination just POPS! It’s super incredibly delicious! It’s great in salads with chicken. It’s a great topper for fish. A few fresh herbs and the smallest amount of seasoning would also be crazy great here. If you like this no recipe – recipe combination that you will EXPLODE With crazy delight if you try my Forking Epic Guacamole recipe. It’s more complete and way better. With more culinary secrets that I learned by enjoying a tuna dish I tried from The Barrio Grand Reserva.

I have my version of pickled cascabella peppers on my site (www.TheForkingTruth.com)

I have pickled red onion recipes here (www.TheForkingTruth.com)

Make them and combine with chunks of avocado, rough cut tomatoes and chunks of Asian pear. You will enjoy something incredibly delicious.

Pardon this picture. It’s the remaining of the end of the tub….but it was too delicious not to blog about it.

Enjoy!

I just got my Red Boat Salt in the mail and I had to make something right away with it. I didn’t really know what I’d make. I had a few heads of cauliflower that I had to use so a cauliflower dish was it. I tasted the salt….I thought it had a nutty quality to it and that it would go well with parmesan. Then I added a few other things and this is what it became. I used two very small heads of cauliflower. You might need only one big one. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. To me this makes around 8 smaller servings.

Ingredients for around eight servings

2 small heads of cauliflower – broke down to florets

8 Tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon Red Boat Salt

20 mini peppers (I used half multi color baby bells and half shishitos) – cut In rings

2 large garlic cloves – ground to paste

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

big pinch Red Boat Salt

1 cup parmesan – thick shreds

1/2 cup Thai Basil (loose) – torn or chopped

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees F. and have a middle rack ready.

All the cauliflower goes in either a big bowl or a gallon bag.

4 Tablespoons of peanut oil and 1 teaspoon of Red Boat Salt get distributed over all the cauliflower. Mix or massage well and then spread out cauliflower in one layer on a baking sheet(s) and place on middle rack of the oven for fifteen minutes and then remove (not done yet…..it’s going back in….in just a bit.

In a medium bowl add the peppers, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper, big pinch Red Boat Salt, and cumin seeds. Mix well. Spread this as evenly as you can over the cauliflower. Now distribute the parmesan as evenly as you can over everything. This goes back on the middle rack of the oven for around 15 minutes.

Add fresh Thai Basil to serve.

Yum! It’s different but delicious!