The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (16 page)

It’s a shame that turkey is usually relegated to Thanksgiving. This is partly because of tradition, and partly because roasting a whole turkey seems like too much work for a regular night of a week. If you buy just the bone-in turkey breasts, however, rather than a whole turkey, the task is less daunting.

A generous drizzle of butter keeps the meat moist and creates crispy, deeply browned skin. As we all know, one of the best things about turkey is leftovers. Roast the turkey early in the week and you’ll have enough meat for several lunches.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Gently melt the butter with the herbs, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add the garlic. Gently pull the skin away from the turkey meat and drizzle a little bit of butter under the skin. Drizzle or brush the rest of the butter over the top of the turkey.

Roast the turkey uncovered in a roasting pan for 45 minutes. Then, add the broth to the pan and continue to roast until the temperature of the turkey reaches 165–170, about another 45 minutes. If the skin on the top of the turkey begins to get too dark, lightly cover it with foil.

Remove the turkey from the oven and pour any liquid into a sauté pan. Simmer the liquid on the stove for several minutes to reduce the liquid slightly. Slice the turkey off the bone, drizzle turkey juices on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These kebabs are a little different than your typical skewer lined with cubes of meat and vegetables. Instead, ground turkey is formed into an elongated meatball and grilled. The addition of spices makes the meat incredibly flavorful and slightly spicy. These kebabs could be served either as a main course or appetizer.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a food processor, blend meat until ground. Add all remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until well blended. Lightly grease your hands then form meat into meatballs that are longer and more oval in shape than regular meat-balls. Drizzle the formed meatballs with oil and slide a skewer through them. Gently lift onto a hot grill and grill for 6–8 minutes a side.

A whole duck can be challenging to cook, since each part of the duck cooks differently. To become tender, the thigh meat is best when roasted, but the breasts are best seared so the thick, fatty skin becomes crispy. This recipe provides different cooking methods for each and the result is a succulent, rich meal. The addition of bok choy adds both color and a lighter flavor.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove excess fat and neck from inside body cavity, saving the neck for stock. Cut off legs, wings, and breasts from duck, or ask your butcher to do it for you, making sure to save the carcass for the stock. Cut off the flap of fat that remains on the carcass and also remove any fat that seems excessive from the duck pieces. Save all the fat, as it can be rendered later and the fat can be used for other recipes.

Break the carcass up into smaller pieces and put it in a large soup pot with the carrot, celery, half of the chopped onion and 1 quart of water. The water should almost completely cover the carcass. Add a dash of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat so the broth continues to gently simmer uncovered for 1 hour, skimming off foam if it gathers on the top. After an hour, strain the stock through a colander or fine mesh sieve and discard solids. Skim excess fat off the top of the stock. You won’t have much more than 2 cups of stock remaining.