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The salad turned out very good; V did a fair amount of blissful moaning while eating it last night, something he seldom does, so I know it's not just me and my love of my own cooking. So I must write the recipe down for posterity.
The recipe has two parts--first poaching the turkey (and you could definitely substitute chicken), then the construction of the salad. It's possible to skip the first part and use previously cooked poultry (leftovers).
Poach with whatever flavors you like. My flavors were influenced by what I had in the house (like 5 mushrooms that needed to be used for something).
Poaching Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. unsalted butter
5 brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
turkey pieces
cold water
small handful lavender (make sure it is for cooking and doesn't have chemicals added)
heaping tsp. dried thyme (fresh would be better)
9 peppercorns
Heat a large saucepan over medium. Add the oil and butter, wait until you smell it, then add the mushrooms and onion. Cook for about five minutes (this brings out the mushroom flavor). Add your turkey pieces and a lot of cold water. Add the spices. If you're using dried thyme, be sure to crush it between your palms before adding. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer until the turkey is nice and tender.
Carefully strain the mixture through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a triple thickness of paper towels (I was a bit frantic when I discovered that I was out of cheesecloth, but happily the paper towels worked just fine). Remove the turkey pieces, brushing off any herbs or onions, and place in a covered container in the back of your refrigerator to cool. Save the broth for another use. Discard the veggies.
Salad Ingredients:
3 green onions, finely chopped (you could substitute chives)
juice of one lemon
scant tsp. dried thyme, crushed
2 pears (any crunchy variety, preferably just a bit under-ripe), roughly chopped
about 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts, toasted (I like to toast in a pan, simply heat a small skillet on medium-low, add walnuts and let them toast, stirring often, until they have a nice smell)
cooked turkey, roughly chopped
1-2 TBS minced parsley
mayonnaise
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
spinach or other greens
Combine everything but the greens and mayo in a bowl. (Chop the ingredients into whatever size you like--I enjoy variation so I have both large and small pieces of the turkey, pears and walnuts). Add just enough mayo to coat everything, then add just a bit more. Mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours, if you can wait that long, so the flavors can meld. Serve over greens, or with bread as a sandwich. Enjoy :)
The recipe has two parts--first poaching the turkey (and you could definitely substitute chicken), then the construction of the salad. It's possible to skip the first part and use previously cooked poultry (leftovers).
Poach with whatever flavors you like. My flavors were influenced by what I had in the house (like 5 mushrooms that needed to be used for something).
Poaching Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. unsalted butter
5 brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
turkey pieces
cold water
small handful lavender (make sure it is for cooking and doesn't have chemicals added)
heaping tsp. dried thyme (fresh would be better)
9 peppercorns
Heat a large saucepan over medium. Add the oil and butter, wait until you smell it, then add the mushrooms and onion. Cook for about five minutes (this brings out the mushroom flavor). Add your turkey pieces and a lot of cold water. Add the spices. If you're using dried thyme, be sure to crush it between your palms before adding. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer until the turkey is nice and tender.
Carefully strain the mixture through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a triple thickness of paper towels (I was a bit frantic when I discovered that I was out of cheesecloth, but happily the paper towels worked just fine). Remove the turkey pieces, brushing off any herbs or onions, and place in a covered container in the back of your refrigerator to cool. Save the broth for another use. Discard the veggies.
Salad Ingredients:
3 green onions, finely chopped (you could substitute chives)
juice of one lemon
scant tsp. dried thyme, crushed
2 pears (any crunchy variety, preferably just a bit under-ripe), roughly chopped
about 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts, toasted (I like to toast in a pan, simply heat a small skillet on medium-low, add walnuts and let them toast, stirring often, until they have a nice smell)
cooked turkey, roughly chopped
1-2 TBS minced parsley
mayonnaise
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
spinach or other greens
Combine everything but the greens and mayo in a bowl. (Chop the ingredients into whatever size you like--I enjoy variation so I have both large and small pieces of the turkey, pears and walnuts). Add just enough mayo to coat everything, then add just a bit more. Mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours, if you can wait that long, so the flavors can meld. Serve over greens, or with bread as a sandwich. Enjoy :)
