Reader shares tips for tasty turkey

Published 9:52 am Sunday, July 22, 2007

Here’s some tasty news for Reda R. Gross, via a great letter from Cyndie Lou Dixon of Lake Stevens.

“I have been a long, longtime fan of your column,” she writes. “I grew up reading The Everett Herald and still read it daily. The Local section has always been my favorite!

“I’m responding to Reda R. Gross’s request for a good turkey meatloaf recipe. My hubby Steve has come to her rescue. We have been nonbeef-eaters in our household for at least 10 years and have had lots of practice with ground turkey.

“Here are some good general tips when using ground turkey. Don’t handle it much – this causes it to become tough during cooking. Choose lean ground turkey, not turkey breast, for meatloaf or burgers. Having a wee bit more fat imparts better flavor and a more tender texture in the finished product.”

Winding up, Cyndie says, “Following is Steve’s general recipe for meatloaf. This can be used for making burger patties as well. When making patties, it’s best to fry them in a pat of butter for four minutes on each side. I hope this recipe is something Reda will like.”

Then, if you’re wondering what to fix for dessert tonight, how about another version of lush, as recently requested by Norma Rae Pilkenton of Everett. This one is thanks to Granite Falls cook Shannon Thom, who tells us, “For the pudding, you can use your choice of flavor. Chocolate or lemon are my favorites.”

Steve’s turkey meatloaf

1thick slice bread

1egg

1/3cup milk

11/4pounds ground turkey (not breast)

1/2cup finely chopped onion

1-2tablespoons Worcestershire

1teaspoon garlic powder

2tablespoons ketchup

1 1/2teaspoons freshly ground pepper

2pinches kosher salt

2teaspoons prepared mustard

Break the slice of bread into pieces into a food processor and whirl into breadcrumbs. In small bowl, beat egg slightly with a fork; add milk and stir to mix well. In the following order, turn into large mixing bowl the turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, egg mixture, Worcestershire, garlic powder, ketchup, pepper, salt and mustard.

Mix together gently until all ingredients are blended evenly. Don’t over-handle or over-stir as the mixture will become tough.

Turn meatloaf into a buttered glass or graniteware loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 loaf.

Lush

Crust:

13/4cups plus 2 tablespoons flour

1/2cup chopped pecans

1 1/2cups butter, melted

First layer:

1cup powdered sugar

1package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Second layer:

1large or 2 small packages instant pudding mix, your choice of flavor

Third layer:

1container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/4cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine the flour, pecans and butter, mixing thoroughly. Press mixture onto bottom of 8-by-12-inch baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly.

For the first layer, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, cream cheese and whipped topping until smooth; spread over the cooled crust.

For the second layer, in a large bowl, prepare pudding mix according to package directions; spread over the first layer.

For the third layer, spread whipped topping over pudding layer, then sprinkle with the chopped pecans and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

The Forum is always happy to receive your contributions and requests, so send them along to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

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