Skip to main content

Turkey Divan

Turkey and broccoli baked in a creamy, cheesey, bubbly brown casserole definitely counts as comfort food - a staple as we sequester in place for COVID 19.  But because our grocery escapades are somewhat thwarted, we may not have exactly what we want - so improvise!

I used a delivery service at one point and ordered broccoli flowerets which looked fresh during the online ordering, but arrived in a five-pound frozen bag! What to do? Why - bake in a 'Divan'!  But I only had a few slices of deli turkey breast left - so I went for it and it was fantastic and comfy.

Granted this would take another level with fresh turkey or chicken, and I'm sure to finish some of the remaining 4 pounds of broccoli accordingly.  But for now - here is a great way to use what you have on hand.


Sauce:
3 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 to 2-1/4 cups milk
2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 to 1 lb cooked turkey
1 lb broccoli, cooked and well drained and patted dry
1/3 lb cheddar cheese, cubed, 1/4-inch
dash crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter in the oil.  Fry the flour in the oil mixture for a few minutes until nutty and bubbly.  Add the milk, mustard and garlic powder, and whisk together.  Cook whisking often until nicely thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, lay the broccoli evenly in a 13x9-inch casserole.  Make sure the broccoli is patted dry or it will thin out the sauce and make the dish watery.  Nestle the turkey pieces among the broccoli flowerets.  Sprinkle with the cheese cubes and season with red pepper flakes, if using.
Pour the sauce all over the broccoli-turkey bed and garnish with Parmesan cheese and more pepper flakes, if desired.  I also reserved a few cubes of cheddar for garnish as well.
Bake for about 30 minutes uncovered, until brown and bubbly.

Serves 4.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chicken Piccata over Squid Ink Pasta

Serve this delicious lemony piccata over your favorite pasta. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick cutlets 1/4 cup flour 1 lemon sliced and de-seeded  2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp capers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz squid ink pasta fresh parsley for garnish Melt butter in the oil in a skillet.  Fry the lemon slices for a few minutes, just until beginning to brown.   Set aside on a plate.  Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast.  Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the first side of each in the butter mixture in the skillet.  Flip to brown second side.  Cook over low heat for a total of about 15 minutes.   Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta.  Cook until just al dente. Remove chicken to a plate when cooked through. Add capers and garlic to skillet a...

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs.  Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have.  Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade.   Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment.  It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich. 1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%) 2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press 1/2 shallot, very finely diced 1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill) 1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste 1 tsp red wine vinegar Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt.   Allow to sit 10-15 minutes. Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper t...