My Kind of Valentine's Day

My sweetie had to work tonight so you know what I had for dinner? Leftover smothered turkey necks with onion gravy that I made yesterday. And it was delicious! I used John Folse's recipe, following it pretty closely. I made a delightful French 75 too so I have that recipe for you after the main event.

Smothered Turkey Necks in Onion Gravy
PREP TIME: 2 ½ Hours
SERVES: 6 - 8


COMMENT:
Turkey neck stew or gumbo is often served at large gatherings such as Mardi Gras parties in Louisiana. The reason is simple. First, the meat is inexpensive and quite flavorful, but more important, there’s a lot of meat on those turkey necks so they’re good for a large crowd and the flavor mimics beef, veal, pork and chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

8 turkey necks
½ cup bacon drippings
2 cups onions, sliced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
1 ½ quarts beef or chicken stock
2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
1 cup green onions, sliced
¼ cup parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce to taste
METHOD:
Turkey necks are normally available in packs of 6 in the poultry section of your supermarket. The necks are usually cut into 2 (6-inch) sections but if they are packaged whole, cut them in half for easier handling. Season turkey necks well using salt, pepper and pepper sauce. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large dutch oven, heat bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add the larger ends of the turkey necks and cook until golden brown on all sides. Regulate the heat to keep the bacon fat from burning. Continue until all the neck pieces are well browned. Remove and keep warm. In the same dutch oven add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté 3 – 5 minutes stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour and blend well into the vegetables. This will help to thicken the finished sauce. Add 1 quart of the stock and Worcestershire sauce, blend well into the vegetables and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add turkey necks, making sure that the stock covers the necks by a minimum of half way. Add additional stock if necessary. Return the mixture to a rolling boil, top with green onions and parsley. Cover, place in oven and bake for 2 hours, checking for tenderness at 1 ½ hours. It is imperative that the meat is tender enough to fall from the bones. If not, allow the necks to continue baking. Serve over steamed white rice or alongside whipped potatoes.

My changes: I used 7 turkey necks (about 2 lbs) but they were pieces, cut like osso bucco, not the whole long thing. I'm not sure what he means by 8 necks but he must mean whole ones if it is supposed to feed 6-8 people! This only made one meal for two people; 3 necks for me, 4 for Ben.

I did not use bacon fat, just olive oil. I did not use stock, just water and only about 3 cups of that. I didn't have any bell pepper but I subbed a carrot. I added a bit of sherry as the onions were cooking, maybe 1/4 cup? I wish I had some dark beer instead because I think that would be fantastic but the sherry was good too. I probably added only a tablespoon or two of flour, and I left out the green onions and parsley since I also didn't have those on hand. It was still divine! Oh yes, and I baked them about 2 hours in a 325 degree oven, Folse says 400 but that sounds very high to me.

Now, for the good part. I love French 75s but I never make them at home because I don't want to open a whole bottle of champagne. So I bought a few splits for $4.99 and now I can have them on the comfort of my couch.

1 oz lemon juice
2 oz cognac
3 oz champagne or sparkling wine


Shake the lemon juice and cognac with one ice cube. Strain and top with champagne. I also like to add a cherry, not the funky maraschino but a real one, hence the pink hue to my drink. I have also made this successfully using a bit of lime and/or orange juice, any blend of citrus will be good. You're supposed to add some simple syrup but I find it unnecessary. For cognac, I use Grand Marnier.