I'm attempting a new segment in this blog. Since I'm not getting a CSA this year.... just too many vegetables and too few people, I need something to try to focus on weekly. Many of those CSA vegetables ended up in my compost pile or freezer, yet to be used.
I attempt every week, to go Meatless on Monday. This helps reduce my impact environmentally as a omnivore. If everyone went meatless one day a week, we could reduce our carbon footprint greatly.
** I must say that this makes my vegetarian/vegan friends very happy ** :)
I don't eat a ton of meat anyway, as I believe in normal portions, not American Supersized portions.
I do make sure I get meat on Sunday though since I'm meatless on Monday. This helps to reduce my cravings. (That's my theory and I'm going with it.)
Tonight's menu: Jerk Ground Turkey, Spiced Sweet Potatoes, and Fig Onions.
This new venture will show what I cook every Sunday - most often using just what I have available in my kitchen at any one time. It's cold in Ohio in February, I don't feel like going out after I get home.
I also have the most time to cook on Sundays (usually) since my son is at his father's house on Sunday.
So with out more explanation, let me introduce my cooking team.
Kira: The Supervisor
When Magi passed this past October, the hole in my life was filled by 2 dogs.... Kira and Sparky.
Kira, is a beagle/border collie mix. So her nose commands her brain. In fact, she is supervising my blog writing (as seen in the picture) because it gets her closer to my plate of food.
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| Kira |
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| Sparky |
Sparky is a border collie/whippet/fox terrier mix. He never leaves me alone, except when he eats or goes outside. Seriously, he follows me everywhere.
I spend so much time kicking them both out of the kitchen.
Tonight, after perusing a few cookbooks, I look at what I have:
* Boiler onions (small onions that were on sale a couple weeks ago)
* Ground Turkey (3 tubes of this in my freezer)
* Sweet Potato and shallots
So most of my inspiration came from Cooking with Herbs and Spices 
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| Jerk Turkey, Spiced Sweet Potatoes, Fig Onions |
I cooked 1 tube of ground turkey with a touch of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) and a good helping of Jamaican jerk seasoning. I buy my jerk seasoning pre-made at a local bulk store, but there are many recipes online to make your own. The basic elements are garlic, cayenne pepper, onion powder, thyme, parsley, sugar, salt paprika, allspice, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon. (I'll freeze the rest of the cooked turkey for taco night. :) )
I quartered 4 boiler onions, and boiled them in some white wine ( about 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup). When the wine had almost boiled completely off, I added about 1 teaspoon of homemade fig jelly. Let this melt and blend with with the onions and caramelize just a bit. ** Note: this should cook the onions adequately.**
I peeled and chopped 1 sweet potato into cubes. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter mixed with a splash (about 2-3 tablespoons) of olive oil. Fry the cubes until barely soft. I also added 1 sliced shallot. After they are soft, add 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon allspice, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate flavors and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
I then put the sweet potato into the oven at 375 because I needed the space on my stove to cook the other parts of my meal. Just check frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. Or turn off the oven and let it just keep everything warm. I was trying to toast the sweet potato just a bit more to add some crunch.
In the end... the turkey was spicy as expected. I love Jamaican Jerk. It's a savory blend of spice and subtlety (sorry I've been watching cooking shows on Netflix).
The sweet potato and shallots was sweet and perfect. A taste like roasted root vegetables, which balanced out the spiciness of the turkey.
The onions turned out a bit surprising. I expected a more caramelized and sweet flavor. I got more of a vinaigrette flavor, with a tang to it. I think if I added more jelly and let it caramelize a bit more I would get that sweet flavor. It mixed well with the savory and sweet balance I had going on the plate.
I don't follow recipes well, so every dinner is an experiment. Tonight's experiment went well I think.
The dinner was delicious with balanced flavors, complimented with a pinot grigio.
