Make that turkey tasty

Try Raspberry Pecan Turkey Breast recipe

Winter hung with us for a while this year, but we’ve made it to May, and most of the days are nice and warm. The days might start off with a little nip in the air, but by the time the sun is up a little, the temperatures are warming, and it’s time to head outside. The world of nature is waking up, and it’s time for sportsmen to be out and about.

Many people think of May as only a time for fishing and it will be soon enough. South Carolina turkey hunters got an early start, and their season ends on May 1, but North Carolina hunters get a later start and also get the first nine days of May to put their tag on a gobbler.

Hunters who live along the border between the two states often purchases licenses from both so they can add a few weeks to their turkey seasons starting earlier in South Carolina and ending later in North Carolina.

I won’t deny the fish are biting, and that’s true in both freshwater and saltwater. However, turkey season is relatively brief, and it’s circled on many a sportsman’s calendars, with time reserved until tags are filled. I enjoy being on the water and eating fish, and there are a lot of fish recipes featured in this column but….

There is something special about watching the day break in the turkey woods. There are blooms on the woods flowers and a new growth of brilliant green almost everywhere. As the light builds, those pre-dawn shapes become bushes, and the dew sparkles on the leaves and shoots of new growth as sun rays filter through the leafy canopy and reflect off them.

Taking a deep breath, you soak it all in as you lightly stroke a slate or send that first cluck from your diaphragm call. With luck, a few seconds later a gobble booms back from a late-season tom looking for a hen that hasn’t mated. Oh yes, it’s the last week of turkey season and the game is on. With the hair standing up on the back of your neck, you send a subtle yelp from the call and issue a challenge to the gobbler to find the hen. Come on down, thunderchicken!

After the thrill of the hunt, there hopefully will be a turkey to cook. This month’s recipe is an excellent way to prepare one, and it was sent in by Robert Cardwell of Rockingham County, N.C.. He said if your turkey doesn’t come in, or heaven forbid you miss, the recipe also works well with a chicken breast.

Raspberry Pecan Turkey Breast

Regular readers will know I usually run a single turkey recipe every spring as the season arrives. I ran one in April, but I would have substituted this one had I received it in time. Because it’s so good, you get two turkey recipes this year, and when you try it, you’ll understand why. With recipes like this, I may be lobbying the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to increase the bag limits on turkeys. Five in South Carolina and two in North Carolina may not be enough.

Regular readers may recognize the name Robert Cardwell. He has contributed several recipes that were featured in past years, and all have been excellent. This one will add to his reputation as a superior game chef. It tastes as good as the excitement of watching a big tom work his way to your decoy feels.

Cardwell is the fire marshall in Rockingham Co., N.C., who saves his vacation time for hunting and fishing. I met him at a fishing event more than 20 years ago, and we connected and have stayed in touch. We haven’t fished and hunted together much, but he occasionally graces me with a new way to prepare fish or game, and I believe all of them have been good enough to be featured here. Sometimes, it makes me wonder what a fire marshall actually does and how he gets to spend so much time in the kitchen.

This recipe is also a winner, but in a much more conventional way. There is just a good edge of chipotle flavor, much more the smoky edge than any really  heated spice, and a sweet streak that will have you asking for seconds — and maybe even thirds. This recipe features the breast of the turkey, but I promise Robert uses the rest of the turkey for some other meal that is just as interesting, and you can too. The legs, wings and back from the turkey in his meal were steamed in a pressure cooker then used to make a turkey salad with cranberries and almonds. Maybe I can talk him into that recipe for turkey season next year?

This recipe features Kenny’s Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Rub, which is another of many fine North Carolina cooking products. It is made in Spruce Pine by Kenny Henline Spices. If it is not available in your local grocery store or gourmet shop, it can be ordered direct from www.kennysspices.com.

Taking a wild turkey is a gift, and I believe the meals made from them should be special. Their reintroduction into the Carolinas has been a great success story for game management. This recipe absolutely makes turkey special and is really easy to prepare. I hope those who are turkey hunters take one this season to try this year. For those who for whatever reason don’t have a wild turkey to cook, Robert says it works pretty well with chicken breast as a substitute. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

One half of a wild turkey breast (deboned)

1/4 cup Polaner Red Raspberry Seedless All Fruit

Kenny’s Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Rub Seasoning

1/2 cup white wine

1 clove of garlic (crushed)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1/8 cup chopped pecans

Salt and pepper (to taste)

PREPARATION:

Cut the turkey breast crossways into 1-inch slices. Cover liberally with Kenny’s Raspberry Chipotle Seasoning on both sides. Add the olive oil to the bottom of a non-stick frying pan and swirl to coat the pan. Add a half tablespoon of butter to the pan.

Sear the turkey on both sides using medium heat. Cook until done but be careful not to overcook the turkey. Cooking time should be approximately 4 minutes per side.  Remove turkey from the pan and wrap in tin foil to maintain the temperature. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan with the turkey drippings and  stir in the crushed garlic clove and pecans as the butter is melting.

Sautee the garlic and pecans stirring constantly for a couple of minutes. Slowly pour in the white wine and add the Raspberry All Fruit. Stir until it is melted into the wine. Cook the mixture until it reduces to a light syrup consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate the turkey breast and drizzle the pecans and sauce over it.

Robert Cardwell’s suggestion is to serve the turkey with dirty rice and asparagus.