Ground Turkey Kofteries

Ground turkey. The very idea of it used to make me scoff. It didn’t seem like a real ingredient. Where was there a cuisine that traditionally used ground turkey? Wasn’t it just a substitute for other, better tasting meats that health conscious people could use to dumb their food down while ostensibly making it “healthier”? Like turkey Italian sausages: they don’t taste as good as pork sausages, and the texture is all wrong.

Still, ground turkey goes on sale at the supermarket pretty regularly, so if I could find a use for the stuff it could become a cost-effective part of an ostensibly healthy diet. Was there a way to make this inexpensive, low fat source of protein delicious? I started playing around with the stuff in my kitchen. As a substitute for ground beef in a red pasta sauce, turkey proved to be unsatisfying as Italian sausages made from it – too dry and bland. Turkey burgers weren’t an experience I’d seek out again, for the same reason. Then I got to thinking: who in the world eats turkey often? Middle Easterners do. On a trip to Paris last year I bought Döner sandwiches on the street from Lebanese immigrants, and the meat was a combination of veal and turkey. Why not try Middle Eastern spicing with the stuff? That direction met with success: these Turkish style meatballs work so well with they don’t leave me pining for the more classic lamb and beef combination. I serve them with tzatziki, which adds a bit of much needed moisture. A tomato and cucumber salad and bread (or a pilaf) nicely rounds a meal out in a Turkish/Greek vein.

Turkish Style Turkey Kofteries
(serves four)

20.8 oz package (or scant 1 ½ lbs) ground turkey
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup flat leaf parsley (or mint), chopped
tsp salt
Tbs ground allspice
tsp ground cumin
tsp ground coriander seed
ground black pepper, to taste
pinch crushed red pepper
2 Tbs oil for frying

Mix together all ingredients by hand in bowl while heating frying pan. Wash hands, and add oil to pan. Form meatballs by hand and place in hot pan. Let cook on one side until slightly browned. Turn meatballs with a spoon in pan to brown the other side until equally browned. Reduce heat and roll meatballs on their sides, turning every couple minutes until you’re sure they’re completely cooked. Plate and serve.

(Tip: If you keep a dedicated coffee grinder for spices you can buy your spices whole. They'll last longer and taste fresher when you grind them yourself. This allows you to keep a wide variety of spices in your cupboard without worrying about them losing their flavor if you don't use some of them very often).

Tzatziki
(feeds four as a side dish that’s something between a sauce and a salad)

1/2 seedless cucumber or 2 Kirby or 3 Persian cucumber
1 generous cup yogurt (Greek is better, as full fat is better over 2% over nonfat)
tsp salt
½ clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon (optional)

Grate cucumber into serving bowl. Add salt and mix by hand. Let stand for 30 min. while you do something else, such as make the meatballs in the recipe above. Squeeze cucumber in bottom of bowl by hand, draining the juice into the sink. Stir in remaining ingredients. Either serve immediately or cover and let sit in fridge for up to 24 hours (it gets better with time up to that point). Dunk bread into it or use as a sauce for meatballs (or grilled meat).

Vin Ordinaire

Sacha Lichine, La Poule Blanche, Vin de Pays D’Oc, 2006

There’s a white chicken on the label. That’s generally a bad sign in my book, but I’m happy to let La Poule Blanche be the exception to my “no critter wines” rule, screw top and all. This wine is a blend of mostly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, showing a little crispness from the Sauvignon and some body from the Chardonnay. A very simple wine, but at $8 a bottle I’m happy there are no “off” flavors to get in the way of La Poule’s drinkability.

Distributed by Borvin – Sacha Lichine U.S.A.

Bodega J&F Lurton, Pino Gris, Argentina, 2007

At $11 this is a good value. Not much of a surprise, since the Lurtons are part of a France winemaking legacy now operating in Argentina. The main expressions we see of this grape are featherweight Italian Pino Grigios and the fuller bodied Alsatian Pino Gris. This wine leans toward the Alsatian style: It’s still light and crisp, but has some body to it. Not big on the finish, but nice in the mouth. Refreshing citrus character, with just a hint of sweetness.

Distributed by Monsieur Touton, Ltd.

Château le Chêne de Margot, Premières Côtes de Blayes, Bordeaux, 2005

Here’s a find: a good $12 bottle of red Bordeaux in NYC. This wine offers soft dark fruit up front, then finishes with tannic, earthy restraint. This wine is medium bodied, so it doesn’t feel at all heavy in the mouth. It’s a pleasure on it’s own, but clearly this is a wine meant to accompany food. I’m starting to see the 2006 show up in stores, so now is the time for budget minded Bordeaux fans to snap up any 2005’s they can find.

Distributed by Monsieur Touton, Ltd.

Pere Ventura, Cava, First Press Cuvee, Spain, NV

This sparkler hits the top of my price range for ordinary wine: $15. I’d consider this a splurge for someone who was trying to cut down on expenses. But what an inexpensive splurge it is! No, it doesn’t taste like champagne: different grape, less complexity and larger bubbles. Then again, if you’ve been trying to save a couple bucks by substituting prosecco for champagne this cava is a drier alternative. It’s good enough to have been well-received when I toasted a wine-loving friend’s birthday with it. A pleasing acidity allows it to accompany food as well as it drinks on its own.

Distributed by Monsieur Touton, Ltd.