Seared Brined Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

• 2 turkey breast, bone-in, about 10-12 lb
• 1/2 gallon ice water
• ½ gallon boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled

Brine directions:

Take ½ gallon of boiling water and add brown sugar, bay leaves, and salt. Dissolve and add ice water. At this point you can add the red pepper flakes.

Preparation:

Rinse turkey under cold water.
Place turkey breasts in a large deep pan or cooking bag. If you use a bag I still would place in a pan just in case the bag leaks. Add the brine ingredients to the pan or bag, then close the bag until brine is covering turkey. If you use a pan make sure it is a non- reactive pan. Make sure brine completely covers turkey breasts. Place in a refrigerator for 6-8 hours. Remove from brine.
Heat oven to 400°.
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry. Lightly rub turkey breasts with vegetable oil and season with kosher salt. Over your stove top oven, heat roasting pan to medium high heat. Place turkey breasts skin/fat side down in the hot pan. The fat in the skin will render down leaving a flavorful crispy crust. This will take 5-8 minutes or so. Flip and do the same to the other side. At this point I like to place seared turkey breasts on a rack on a sheet pan skin side up. This way they cook evenly in the oven. Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone. Roast at 400° for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and continue roasting until turkey breast registers 155°-160° internal temperature. Poultry should reach 165° internal temperature, but because of carry over cooking, after resting 10 minutes out of the oven the turkey will reach that. This will ensure a moist turkey.

Note:

I debone a whole turkey ahead of time and braise down the dark meat and make turkey stock from the turkey bones (carcass). I brown the carcass in the oven then place it in a large stock pot. I like to break the carcass into two, so it fits better into the pot. Add 2 cups onions, 1 cup celery, and 1 cup carrots. These can be rough chopped and can be your end pieces/trimmings from these vegetables. If you have a little less or more than the amount I wrote that is fine also. I also add 1 tablespoon peppercorns, salt to taste, 3 bay leaves, and ½ cup parsley. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain solids out of stock and reduce stock by ½. This stock then can used to make your flavorful turkey gravy.

Turkey Leg Osso Bucco

Ingredients

• ½ cup baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup red wine
• 4-6 turkey drumsticks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
•
Directions

Season the turkey with the salt and pepper and coat evenly with the flour. Place a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan and once hot, sear the turkey in the pan until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes per side. Remove the turkey from the pan, and pour off the fat from the pan. Wipe the pan and return it to the stove. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mirepoix and tomato paste are slightly caramelized. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Continue to reduce the wine until it is nearly evaporated. Stir the stock into the pan and add the bay leaves and thyme. Bring the stock to a boil and return the turkey to the pan. When the stock returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the turkey, covered, until the meat is tender, over 2 hours, turning the turkey every once in a while to ensure even cooking throughout the meat.
When the turkey legs are tender, taste the sauce and season accordingly. Serve the turkey over your favorite starch. Risotto, polenta, or even over grits would be good. Pasta would be fine also.
The great thing about this recipe is that it works for other game as well. I have made variations of this with wild rabbit and wild turkey as well. Wild turkey legs can be tough and this method makes for some very tasty tender turkey.

Halibut Dip

Ingredients:
-Two pounds cooked flaked Halibut
-2 cups small diced onion
-1 cup mayonnaise
-3 dashes hot sauce
-3 dashes worsheshire sauce
-1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl by hand or with an electric mixer. Place mixture in oven proof casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Serve with crackers or toasted bread...Enjoy!

Halibut and/or Salmon Yakitori

Yakitori is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term Yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki (skewer grilled), is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. Both Yakitori and Kushiyaki mean the same, so the terms are used interchangeably in Japanese society.

Ingredients:
-Halibut and or Salmon strips
-skewers or long toothpicks

Marinade:
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1 teaspoon ginger
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup water
-1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
-2 tablespoons sesame oil
-2 tablespoons siracha sauce

Directions:
1. Mix marinade ingredients together and place fish strips in it. If you choose to do multiple types of fish I would suggest dividing the sauce and marinating the different types of fish separately. Leave fish in marinade for about an hour.
2. place fish pieces on skewers. Multiple pieces of fish may fit on each skewer. Just remember to leave an inch or two on the ends so you can turn the skewers.
3. Once all of the fish is skewers you can grill them on your grill or you can broil them in your oven.
4. If you choose to grill them, I would suggest laying tin foil over your grill racks and coat the skewers in cooking spray as this fish can be very brittle and can have a tendency to stick.
5. If you broil them, place them on sprayed nonstick sheetpan or a sheetpan layed with parchment paper.
6. Whatever method you choose to cook the skewers, remember that the fish will cook very quickly! Rotate the skewers during the cooking process if you choose to grill them.

Enjoy!

Mike Walsh 2011

Halibut BLT

Ingredients:
-Halibut portions the size of the bread
-Sourdough bread
-Mayonaise or tartar sauce
-crisp bacon
-lettuce...grean leaf, romaine, iceberg, or bib lettuce will work
-tomato slices

Directions:
1. Take Halibut portions and pat dry with paper towel. Take the dried Halibut portions and lightly season both sides with kosher salt. Set aside.
2. Take nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet and heat to medium high heat. Place 1/4 cup olive oil in pan. Once it starts sizzling, place halibut portions in the pan.
3. Sear on each side until golden brown. It will take aproximitely 1-2 minutes each side. While the fish is cooking place bread in toaster.
4. Build Halibut BLT like your standard BLT, just add the cooked Halibut.

Enjoy!

Mike Walsh 2011

Root beer Float

Root beer Float with crushed root beer candied rim.

Bday Cake

Oven poached Halibut with Israeli Couscous Risotto

Halibut with kumquat Cranberry relish

Rabbit Osso Buco

Ingredients


- 6 rabbit legs, cut into 2 or 3 widthwise
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 cup) dry white wine
- (28 oz.) can of crushed Italian tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove, halved and germ removed
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- zest of 1 orange
- (1 cup) veal stock (In the picture I used beef demi glaze)
- 4 fresh sage leaves,chopped
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven.
Flour the rabbit pieces and tap off the excess. Brown them on all sides in the hot oil. Set aside on a plate.
Sauté the carrot and shallot lightly in the dutch oven; add the tomato paste and mix with a wooden spoon until colored.
Deglaze with the white wine; add the rabbit pieces, crushed tomatoes, garlic, thyme, orange zest, veal stock, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 90 minutes.
Remove the rabbit pieces, thyme and orange zest.
Reduce the sauce to a nice consistency; add the sage just before serving.
Serve over fresh pasta or Parmesan risotto.

Halibut cheek Scampi

Ingredients:
approx. 1 pound Halibut cheeks
1/3 cup clarified butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh if possible
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:Rinse cheeks and set aside. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic and shallot 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add cheeks, wine and lemon juice; cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs if desired.

This dish is great as an appetizer with garlic ciabatta bread, or as a meal served over pasta.

Halibut and Salmon Skewers

Alaskan Style "Fish N Chips"

Beef Tenderloin

I made this a few weeks back. The meal included a rustic twice baked potato,apple cider glazed carrots along with the tenderloin.

Smoked Salmon

Salmon Brine For smoking
Ingredients:
1 1/2c. non-iodized salt (kosher salt)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 quarts boiling water
Approx 1 1/2 quarts ice
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 to 3 crumbled bay leaves
2 cups soy sauce
1 cup teriyaki sauce
Approx. 10-15 pounds salmon or other fish




Directions:
1. Take fish fillets and using small needle nose pliers remove all pin pones. This will make it much easier to enjoy your fish when it is complete.
2. Leave salmon fillets whole or cut them into 6-8 ounce pieces. (make sure to leave the skin on!) set aside
3. Take all of the ingredients except for the ice and salmon and mix them in a large bowl or container. During this step you want to make sure the salt and sugar dissolve in the boiling water. Once dissolved add the ice to mixture to cool it down.
4. Next, place salmon in a large container or pan. You could also disperse the salmon into multiple pans/containers if you do not have one large enough.
5. Cover salmon with enough of the brine mixture to completely cover the salmon.
6. If possible use a smaller pan that you can weight down to keep the salmon from floating. This would keep it submerged in the brine mixture.
7. Place in refrigerator and brine for 8-12 hours depending on how thick the fillets are.
8. After the brining is complete, take and rinse each piece of fish under cold water to remove excess brine. This will help to keep it from getting too salty. Place on sheet pans and refrigerate for 1 day. If you have racks that you can place on the sheet pans to elevate the fish use them as it will aid in helping the fish dry.
9. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour prior to smoking to allow the fish to come up to room temperature.
10. Using your favorite wood chips and charcoal smoke for 6-8 hours.
11. Make sure to rotate the fish, as most smokers have hot and cold spots.
12. As a general rule a colder smoke is better in the early stages of smoking, and a hotter smoke is better as the smoking process is in its final stages.
13. Refrigerate after smoking and freeze what will not be eaten within a week. I prefer to vacuum seal what I freeze to retain the quality of the smoked fish.
14. Enjoy

Mike Walsh 2010

Prime Rib

Ingredients
-Prime Rib Roast
-2 tablespoons fresh minced Garlic
-2 tablespoons beef base (buy the kind at the grocery store that has to be refrigerated after opening)
-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1 teaspoon liquid smoke
-1 tablespoon worsheshire sauce
-2 tablespoons water
-your favorite steak spice

Directions
This is a marinate method so it should be prepared a day before you plan to cook it.
1.Remove prime rib roast from packaging and drain off excess juice. Set aside.
2.Take all ingredients except for steak spice and mix them in a bowl.
3.Take the mixture and liberally rub in all over the roast.
4.Coat the roast with your favorite steak spice. I like to use montreal steak spice.
5.Refrigerate.
6.Remove from refrigerator 45 minutes before you start to cook it.
7.Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
8.Turn oven down to 250 degrees and continue to cook until desired doneness. Time depends on size of the roast and desired doneness.
9.Serve with your au ju and/or your favorite horseradish sauce.




(Note) I prefer and rare roast, so I take my roast out of the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 115 degrees. I place it on the stove top and cover it with tin foil for 30-40 minutes. The larger the roast the more it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven. This is called carry over cooking.

Seared Elk

Chicken with wild mushroom risotto

Recipe to follow soon...

Noodle soup with grouse and collared greens

Recipe to follow soon...

Venison Stew

Recipe to follow soon...

Halibut Chowder

Ingredients:

• Two pounds cubed halibut (approximately ½ inch by ½ inch cubes)
• 1 small can clams (reserve half of the juice)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• Vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons dill
• 2 cups diced red potatoes
• Salt –to taste
• Pepper-to taste
• ¼ cup cook diced bacon (optional)
• 1 cup cooked, drained spinach (optional)

Directions

1. Heat heavy stock pot to medium heat.
2. Add ¼ cup vegetable oil.
3. Add diced onions and celery. Cook until soft and tender approximately 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken stock, potatoes, and dill. Bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat.
5. Add cream and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to simmer.
6. Add (optional spinach and bacon)
7. Add halibut to soup and continue to simmer for approximately three minutes.
8. Empty can of clams into soup. Let sit two to five minutes and enjoy.

Mike Walsh 2008