Since I'm game for anything these days, including trying new recipes I find on blogs,I did just that. Pithy and Cleaver shared a recipe for Farfalle with Turkey and Broccoli that intrigued me. Well, what sold me was the photo. Gorgeous. And how do my photos compare? Not so good.
But, I'm working on that. I promise. My promise to you, and to myself, is more mindful photos for next year. So, you can find the original recipe at that blog. I followed it mostly, but made a few substitutions. Instead of broccoli, I did fingerling potatoes and carrots.Ian doesn't eat broccoli and I wanted this to be a dish we'd both enjoy, though if I was making for myself, I'd likely mix in a bunch of mushrooms. I also added a few spices to the mix. I love nutmeg. And Spanish paprika, which is spicy and smokey. And for a bit of derring-do, I threw in cinnamon. Sure, folks think about adding nutmeg to savory dishes like macaroni and cheese, or anything with a cream base, but they don't always consider cinnamon.
Cinnamon, like nutmeg, is my surprise ingredient. Eighty to ninety per cent of the time it works in a dish. Don't be afraid to try it.
Ah, the glory of grated cheese. I know, it's not a cheese grater; I normally use it for nutmeg and other spices. My cheese grater was dirty. Still hasn't been washed. I made a substitution. Grating is my favorite kitchen activity. There's a swell of satisfaction in my mind when I put product to grater and then it CHANGES shape after going through to the other side. Just a bit of sci-fi geekery there.
My adaptation for Happy Turkey Farfalle:
6 fingerling potatoes
4 baby carrots
3/4 lb farfalle or other pasta
1/4 cup diced fresh mozzarella
1/4 lb cheddar cheese, divided
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
3 T broth
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon spanish paprika
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 T breadcrumbs
1 T freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice potatoes and carrots thinly. Cook them in a saucepan over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Set aside.
Cook pasta in salted, olive-oiled water for 6 minutes.
Dice about two thirds of the cheddar and set the rest aside.
Drain pasta and pop it into a medium-to-large sized bowl. Add sour cream, salt, pepper, spanish paprika, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir and incorporate spices judiciously. Add potatoes and carrots, diced mozzarella and cheddar, turkey, and gravy and stir again to ensure equal coating.
Grate and sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on the casserole's top. Do the same with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Bake about 30 minutes until top has browned slightly.
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