Bang Bang Turkey

Last Year's Post: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Two Years Ago:  Rum Cake

I came across this recipe recently in no less than the esteemed New York Times Cooking site, and was immediately intrigued by the unusual name so I of course had to try it.  Was I glad I did!  It's completely delicious and very healthy.  It turns out Bang Bang Turkey or Chicken is Szechuan; the name refers to the technique of pounding the poultry before shredding (although here you'll use leftover turkey or chicken, no pounding required).  The poultry is served with a satay-type sauce, vegetables, and lettuce or noodles.  I adapted the recipe slightly to serve the turkey over crunchy Napa cabbage rather than lettuce and added additional garnishes of peanuts, radishes and jalapenos.

It's a great way to use up leftover shredded turkey or chicken and has a totally different flavor profile than the usual carb-laden turkey dinner. (The same reason I like to make Middle-Eastern inspired turkey and couscous after the holidays.)  The sauce is dark, complex and slightly spicy.  Although it calls for two Asian ingredients you may not have on hand - Chinese chili-bean sauce and Chinese black vinegar - there are easy substitutes you can use if you can't find them at your local store and don't want to make a trip to the Asian market.  Chinese chili-bean sauce is hot, so if you can't find it you could use a sweet or garlic bean sauce with a little hot sauce.  Be sure to add substitutions sparingly (especially hot ones) and taste before adding more. Come to think of it, that's a good idea for any hot ingredient in a recipe you haven't tried before.  For the Chinese black vinegar, use one part balsamic vinegar to one part rice vinegar to three parts water (for this recipe, that means one teaspoon of each vinegar and one tablespoon of water).  I used substitutions for both and found the sauce to be a little too spicy for my taste, so I toned it down with a little additional peanut butter and it was perfect.

The cucumber and mint help cool things down, and all the veggies add bright fresh crunch.  If you're not familiar with Napa cabbage, this is what it looks like.  It's a little more mild and delicate than normal green cabbage.

The easiest way to clean it is to shred it crosswise first, then place in a colander, rinse and let drain, shaking to get off as much water as possible.  You can also put the shredded cabbage on a clean towel and pat it dry - you just don't want watery cabbage or the sauce won't stick.

The salad is very easy to make - stir together a sauce, slice up some veggies, and assemble.

The Lawyer and I literally inhaled it, it was that good.

printable recipe

Bang Bang Turkey

Serves 4

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons Chinese chili-bean sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 ½ tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

For the salad:

6 cups shredded Napa cabbage, rinsed and drained well

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

½ English cucumber, sliced crosswise

4 radishes, sliced

4 cups cooked shredded turkey

2 green onions, sliced crosswise

½ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

1 red jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced for garnish (optional)

To prepare the sauce, combine sauce ingredients with 2 tablespoons cold water and mix until smooth.  Set aside.

Divide cabbage among serving plates and top with cilantro and mint.  Drizzle 4-5 tablespoons of sauce on top. Arrange cucumber and radishes around the sides of the cabbage.

In a bowl, combine turkey with 4 tablespoons of sauce and toss until evenly coated.  Mound the turkey in the middle of each salad and top with chopped peanuts, green onions and optional jalapeno slices.

Serve with any remaining sauce in a small bowl to pass at the table.

Chicken Gyros

Last Year's Post: Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad
Two Years Ago:  Gazpacho

It's late summer, which means the farmers markets (not to mention your garden) are bursting with fresh produce.  This recipe uses cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and lettuce, which makes it perfect for this time of the year.

Greek food is fresh, vibrant and usually pretty good for you.  Gyros (pronounced yeer-ohs) refers to a popular type of Greek meat that's thin-sliced off a giant spit and usually served as a sandwich with pita bread, yogurt sauce and cucumber.  Since most people don't have a giant spit handy, grilled chicken is typically substituted in recipes.  Chicken Gyros recipes often suffer from two major problems - dry, chewy, tasteless chicken, and leaky, cracking pita pockets. (Supermarket pita pockets are one of my all-time pet peeves to be filed under Never Buy Again Unless You Need to Punish Yourself.)  This recipe solves both problems and has the added bonus of using roast chicken from your local store (or your own leftover chicken), which makes it a very fast and easy meal to serve any night of the week.

The tzatziki sauce can be made at the same time you're making the rest of the meal, although it benefits from at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.  It could also be made up to a day in advance.  The moist roast chicken is shredded and bathed in a light coating of garlic herb oil, which is also used to brush the bread before heating and lightly browning.  Finally, the cucumber salsa includes bright notes of tomato, red onion, Feta cheese, parsley and mint.  Iceberg lettuce adds the most crunch, although you could substitute sliced Romaine if you want.

I found the world's cutest cherry tomatoes at the farmer's market called "Tiny Tims" for obvious reasons.  Too cute for words.  You could also certainly use regular cherry tomatoes, or sliced or chopped regular tomatoes from your garden.  These were so tiny I left them whole.  And they were really sweet!

Back to the question of bread.  If you can find really fresh pocketless pita bread in your town, that's great.  Try the local Middle Eastern markets - they're an excellent source and a fun adventure.  Naan bread is an Indian/Asian flatbread very similar to pita bread (readily available in supermarket delis) that also works well.  Any other flatbread such as the "Flat Out" brand would work, and even flour tortillas would work in a pinch although they're less authentic.  The key is to make sure whatever flatbread you use is soft and foldable, although you could also serve the gyros open-faced with a knife and fork. I used naan bread and cut each one in half (they're big) for four individual sandwiches.

The recipe calls for dried oregano and rosemary, but you could certainly use fresh if you have some on hand. A good rule of thumb is to use approximately twice as much of a fresh chopped herb as called for dried.  I adapted this recipe from two others, and I'm genuinely pleased with the results.  In particular, the garlic herb oil, moist shredded chicken, and bright cucumber salsa make it the best chicken gyros recipe I've had.  I hope you like it too!

printable version

Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Salsa and Tzatziki

Serves 4

1 English cucumber, cut in half (or 2 Kirby cucumbers)

1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

5 garlic cloves, minced, divided

Salt and pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

1 small red onion, halved and chopped

1/2 cup crumbled Feta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped mint

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 rounded teaspoon dried oregano

1 rounded teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

1 (8-ounce) package naan bread (2 breads) or 4 (8-inch) pocketless pita rounds

2 cups roast chicken, shredded

4 cups iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

Lemon wedges, for serving

Peel and grate ½ cucumber, then squeeze it in a towel to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, lemon juice, and one third of garlic.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate tzatziki for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend (preferable but not necessary if you’re pressed for time).

Preheat broiler.

Cut remaining cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces and stir together with tomatoes, onion, Feta, 1 tablespoon olive oil, vinegar, parsley, and mint to make salsa.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gently simmer ¼ cup oil, oregano, rosemary, remaining garlic, and salt and pepper in a small heavy saucepan until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes (or microwave on low power for 30-60 seconds). Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic oil and brush one side of bread with remainder.

Heat bread, oiled side up, in a 4-sided sheet pan, covered with foil, 3 to 4 inches from broiler 3 minutes. Uncover and broil, rotating bread for even coloring, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes.  Cut naan bread into half.

Spread some of tzatziki on warm bread and top with lettuce, chicken and salsa.  Fold in half.  Serve lemon wedges and remaining lettuce, salsa, and tzatziki on the side.

Note: Tzatziki can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.