Aztec Poultry is an important protein supplier for the human body. Dietary turkey meat is cooked fairly quickly, it is easy to cook various, healthy dishes without increasing your own weight, to the delight of loved ones.
Useful properties of turkey meat
Low-calorie turkey meat, which has a smooth fibrous structure and contains a minimum of fat, takes its rightful place in many modern health or therapeutic diets.
Phosphorus, by the number of 100 g - almost like in fish. The increased protein content, characteristic of turkey meat, is useful for children and middle-aged people, but has its limitations for older people.
Turkey meat is universal, it can be cooked in any usual way - cook, fry, smoke, bake, cook stuffing for meatballs or meatballs. Turkey harmoniously combines with vegetables and natural spicy herbs - thyme, basil, rosemary.
The calorie content of turkey significantly depends on the method of cooking meat. The range is as follows: 195 kcal. - boiled fillet; 285 kcal. - meat, fried in butter.
Features of the selection and preparation of turkey
In the supermarket (or on the market), it is better to choose a chilled, battered bird. Frozen meat loses some of its taste and juiciness. To choose a fresh, young turkey, simply follow the simple rules:
- note the color of the meat: the carcass of a really fresh turkey has a pink shade of gray; the legs and hips of the bird should be substantially darker than the breast (since it is red meat);
- in a young turkey, the bone of the brisket ends in a cartilage, not a stiff bone; press down on the upper edge of the carcass;
- if there are doubts in the quality of turkey on the market, lightly light the carcass skin with a lighter - if the meat is treated with antibiotics, a strong smell of rubber will appear.
When buying a fresh-frozen turkey, pay attention to the following points:
- the older the bird, the darker its fat;
- there should be no ice buildup on the carcass;
- there should be no bruises or blemishes on the carcass (this is evidence of repeated defrosting).
Turkey meat is dietary, it has a rather lean, neutral taste. Therefore, for use in the festive menu, it is worth marinating with fragrant herbs and spices. Due to the high sodium content in this meat, the dishes are tasty even with minimal use of table salt.
How to bake the whole turkey in the oven
As soon as it comes to the whole baked turkey, associations with Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and a festive feast immediately come to mind.
Let's start with the products:
- young turkey carcass (about 5 kg);
- 4 apples (preferably Antonovka varieties);
- 120 g of olive oil;
- 70 g of honey;
- garlic head;
- 40 g of salt;
- 2 packages of spices "Italian herbs";
- 5 g ground nutmeg;
- 30 g of mustard;
- 5 g black ground pepper.
Cooking a festive dish will take about 8 hours, but part of this time the hostess will be free (pickling - 2 hours, roasting - 4.5 hours). Calorie meals - 235 kcal, the number of servings depends on the size of the turkey.
In order for a large bird to be soaked properly, it should be pickled in advance, no less than 2 hours (with an approximate weight of the carcass of 5 kg), the more - the better.
First, wash and dry the bird with a paper towel. Then prepare the marinade from all the listed spices, salt, peeled, chopped garlic, honey and olive oil. Liberally grease the turkey with marinade (outside and especially inside), leave to marinate.
Wash apples, cut into 4 slices, clean from seeds and partitions. Fold them around the carcass, right in the marinade. After the specified time, we stuff the bird tightly with apples, connect and fasten the edges of the skin with wooden toothpicks.
First, heat the oven well. We lay a deep sheet with foil, spread the apple-stuffed carcass on it, pour 2.5 cups of water, completely cover the turkey with foil. Put the roast in the oven for 3 hours.
Next, the turkey should be opened and continue to bake for another hour - one and a half. In this case, it is necessary to water the bird with drowned fat as often as possible. This will ensure a smooth, golden crust.
Turkey Fillet Dishes: Simple and Delicious Recipes
Turkey fillet is cooked quickly, it goes well with a variety of foods, while containing a minimum of calories. The use of turkey fillets in the holiday menu, allows you to at least slightly reduce the overall caloric content of the feast.
Festive turkey fillet salad with feta balls
The original new salad will certainly decorate the holiday table. It looks great on a large platter, and when served individually. Prepare the necessary ingredients (for 8 servings):
- 350 g turkey fillet;
- 200 g of feta cheese;
- 100 grams of wheat crackers with garlic;
- 150 g of thick mayonnaise;
- 2 mandarins;
- 1 Iceberg lettuce forks;
- 250 g paprika;
- 1 leek;
- 70 g fresh dill;
- 5 g of black ground pepper;
- 15 grams of garlic;
- 30 grams of roasted sesame;
- 40 grams of soy sauce;
- 80 g of olive oil.
Preparing a salad 40 minutes, calorie dishes - 210 kcal.
Cheese balls can be prepared in advance. It remains only to chop the vegetables, fry the meat, gather and fill the salad.
Getting started. Dill should be washed, dried with a towel, finely chopped. Peel, then chop garlic. Mix feta with greens and garlic, add black pepper. Wet hands to form neat balls with a diameter of 1 cm. Ready balls for serving need to cool.
Chop the fillet across the fibers in small cubes. For the marinade, mix 20 g of soy sauce, 40 g of olive oil, 10 g of sesame. We send turkey sticks to marinade for 20 minutes.
At this time, prepare the vegetables. Lettuce leaves wash and dry, wash and clean peppers and leeks. Bulgarian pepper cut into strips, the white part of the onion - thin rings. Salad is better to break hands. At the same time we will clear 1 mandarin, we will sort into segments, we will remove all films.
Refueling. Add to mayonnaise 20 g of soy sauce, minced clove of garlic, black pepper. Squeeze the juice of one mandarin. Gently mix.
Heat the frying pan, fry the turkey slices in the remaining olive oil (over medium heat). The main thing - do not overdry.
Put vegetables, salad, turkey on the dish. We decorate with croutons, slices of mandarin and feta balls, sprinkle with sesame, pour with dressing.
Turkey fillet with pineapple and cheese in the oven
Chops are always in honor. This recipe proposes to enjoy the extraordinary tenderness and original taste of turkey chops, without unnecessary components. You will need a small set of products: (for 6 servings):
- 1 kg of turkey fillet;
- 1 can of canned pineapple (preferably rings);
- 5 g dry ground ginger;
- 10 g curry;
- 70 g cream 33% fat;
- 300 grams of plain cheese;
- 25 grams of salt.
Cooking time - 45 minutes, calorie - 85 kcal.
Immediately turn on the oven. Cut the turkey fillet across the fibers in thin slices (1.5 cm). Well beat off, grease with a mixture of ginger and curry, pour the cream and leave for 5 minutes to rest.
We cover the sheet with foil, measure the second layer of foil to close the chops from above. We rub cheese on a large grater, we open pineapples. Salt chops on both sides, lay them on the sheet. Each chop pour cream. Spread pineapple rings on top, sprinkle with grated cheese.
Close the sheet with a layer of foil, put the turkey fillet with pineapples in a hot oven. Foil should be removed after 20 minutes to blush cheese. Roast will be quite ready in 30 minutes from the beginning of roasting.
How to cook delicious turkey thigh with potatoes
A significant advantage of the proposed recipe is that the side dish and festive meat dish are prepared at the same time, without much involvement of the cook, on one sheet in the oven. The task of the cook is the preparatory stage, and then only look after the process, pouring the roast with fragrant juice. You will need such products (for 6 servings):
- turkey thigh chilled (about 1.5 kg);
- 200 g onions;
- 30 grams of garlic;
- 70 g chili;
- 10 g rosemary;
- 10 g thyme;
- 30 grams of salt;
- 175 g butter;
- 150 grams of vegetable oil;
- 300 g potatoes (medium size).
Preparing the thigh with potatoes for 2.5 hours (including 1 hour for marinating, plus 1 hour for roasting). Calorie dishes - 265 kcal.
Thigh wash well and soak through with a paper towel. Without disturbing the outer skin, we make several punctures in the thigh with a sharp thin knife, for deep penetration of the marinade.
In this recipe, before baking, not only meat but also potatoes will be marinated. We cook different marinades, since two goals are pursued: make the turkey juicy and spicy; provide the potato with an appealing ruddy crust.
First, prepare the marinade for meat. Mix thyme, rosemary (without hard twigs) and a portion of hot red pepper (50 g) with butter (soft). Add chopped garlic, salt, finely chopped onions, and a portion of vegetable oil (80 g), mix well.
Lavishly grease the turkey thigh with marinade. Just great if the spicy sauce is poured into the prepared punctures. Done, leave the meat to marinate for 1 hour.
Clean the potatoes, cut into 4 slices. You can just wash and dry small new potatoes, continue to cook in the peel, without cutting. In the remaining vegetable oil (70 g), add hot chili pepper (20 g), stir.
Grease the potatoes with this sauce and leave to marinate. Salt the potatoes better later, already on the sheet, just before baking.
Turn on the oven before it is really hot. Place the thigh on a large sheet, send it to the oven. Meat will be ready in an hour.
Forty minutes is enough for a potato, we will add it in 20 minutes, after salting it beforehand. During baking, the turkey should be watered as often as possible on top of the melted fat (3-4 times).
Turkey mince recipes
Stuffing can be prepared by yourself, or buy ready. The most successful option is to buy chilled meat in the supermarket, where customers can buy purchased meat free of charge with an industrial meat grinder. The buyer saves his time, while always confident in the freshness of the purchased stuffing.
Dietary cutlets in the oven
An interesting recipe for turkey meatballs with vegetables is prepared without the use of bread and butter. These bright cutlets are baked in the oven, so they do not contain carcinogenic substances. To make 10 meatballs you will need (for 5 servings):
- 600 g turkey minced meat;
- 1 egg;
- 50 ml of fresh yogurt 2.5% fat;
- 1 yellow bell pepper;
- 70 g fresh dill;
- 50 g green basil;
- 250 g of potatoes;
- 150 g carrots;
- 120 g onions;
- 25 g of salt;
- a pinch of black pepper.
From the ready stuffing they can be cooked in 50 minutes, calorie - 190 kcal.
Immediately turn on the oven so that it warms up well. Vegetables clean, wash. Wash greens, towel dry, finely chop. Carrots and potatoes can be grated on the smallest grater, and onion is better to grind in a meat grinder. Bulgarian pepper cut into small squares. Beat the egg lightly with salt and black pepper.
Add to the minced beaten egg, chopped vegetables and chopped greens. Knead the mince thoroughly with your hands, practically the way the dough is usually kneaded. Stuffing should lag behind.
Cover the sheet with parchment. Form cutlets and place on a sheet. Put the pan in the oven for 40 minutes. Cutlets are ready when an absolutely clear juice flows from them when piercing.
Roll with prunes and apples
From the finished turkey meat comes out a juicy roll with filling, which is good both hot and as a cold snack. You will need:
- 700 g turkey minced meat;
- 1 egg;
- 70 grams of semolina;
- 5 g of black ground pepper;
- 40 g butter;
- 15 g of salt;
- 1 sour apple;
- 150 g pitted prunes.
Preparation will take 1 hour, calorie roll - 230 kcal.
Immediately turn on the oven. In the stuffing, break the egg, add black pepper and salt. Pour semolina, mix well. Apple peel cleaned, seeds and partitions. Cut into thin strips. Prune cut into thin slices.
Spread the stuffing in an even layer of 1.5 cm onto the foil moistened with water. We form a rectangle with a size of 30 × 40 cm. We spread the filling along the long side, using the foil to carefully roll the roll.
Carefully lay out the roll on the sheet covered with foil, top lubricate it with butter. Wrap in foil and set to bake in a hot oven. The total roasting time is 40 minutes, after 30 minutes you can remove the top foil so that the roll turns red.
What to cook from turkey liver
Turkey liver is to prepare a tender pate, which is very popular with children. It will take a minimum of products:
- 400 g turkey liver;
- 200 g butter (soft);
- 150 g carrots;
- 150 g onions;
- 20 g of salt;
- 2 g ground black pepper;
- 5 peas allspice.
Cooking time - 45 minutes, plus a couple of hours for freezing. Calories pate - 230 kcal.
Wash and dry the liver, clean and wash the vegetables. Cut carrots into 3 parts, 2 onions put intact. In a saucepan with a thick bottom (or roaster), put the vegetables first, then the liver.
Half fill with water, add allspice and salt. Put on medium heat, wait for boiling and remove the foam. Reduce heat to low, simmer liver with vegetables for another 25-30 minutes under the lid. Turn off the gas and open the lid to cool the liver a little.
Hot stewed liver with vegetables scrolls through a meat grinder. Onions can be pre-lightly pressed. Stir the pate, add black ground pepper, gently add soft butter to the pate. Ready to send the paste to freeze in the cold.
Useful tips
Cooking turkey meat is easy; this product provides a wide field for the culinary fantasy. A few tips will make cooking enjoyable:
- if it is necessary to marinate the meat quickly, place it in a cellophane bag (along with the sauce), let the air out and tie it up - the meat will be marinated much faster;
- in recipes from turkey fillet (or minced meat) it is preferable to use butter and sweet milk cream (the dish will be juicy);
- If you need to add vegetables to the mince in the recipe, it is better to grind them using a meat mincer grid with minimal holes.
Enjoy your meal!
The recipe for a delicious turkey with herbs is in the next video.
