After butter-brushing a young turkey, sprinkle brown sugar, cajun spice, thyme, and oregano on top, to not only add more flavor but also transform the meal into a southern-style adaptation.

Choosing a young turkey means you get tender, juicy meat with a shorter cooking time. It’s a practical choice for a flavorful and efficient cooking experience, delivering a succulent outcome without compromising on convenience.

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 teaspoons ground oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 (8 to 12-pound) turkey
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

1. Combine brown sugar, Cajun seasoning, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder in a small bowl
2. Rub turkey with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.
3. Place turkey in a v-rack, upside down, over a roasting pan. Cooking your turkey upside down makes for a juicy, tender turkey.
4. Heat oven to 325°F.
5. Remove neck and giblets. These may be used to prepare gravy or stuffing. The plastic leg clamp may be left on during cooking
6. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow pan, breast side up, and loosely cover with foil. Roast at 325°F. for 3 to 4 hours.
7. Remove foil after 1 hour of cooking. Continue to roast at 325°F. until the meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F. Juices should run clear. Always confirm doneness with a meat thermometer.
8. Let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before carving. For optimal safety cook stuffing and turkey separately. If desired, add fully cooked stuffing to the cooked turkey just prior to serving.

Do you take the time, or have the time, to pull every single herb leaf from its stem? Now, it may not seem like a big deal, as fresh herbs when bought in bulk are fragments of a penny per leaf. When comparing herbs to labor it becomes an equation of whether you want to exude the additional labor costs, or dismiss a few herb leafs.

Can you have the best of both worlds?

By simply submerging your herb stems (thyme, oregano and rosemary work best) in a container of vinegar, after a resting period of a few days, you will soon have an herbal infused vinegar. Personally I like to use either an inexpensive cider or rice wine vinegar as they both have a great base flavor with a color suitable for many applications without risking discoloration of neighboring ingredients. Balsamic vinegar is another option, whichever you decide to use, this solely depends on your choice of application. Keep in mind that the herb flavors will intensify if you allow at least a week to steep. To further elevate the flavor balance and layers, simply add a few slivers of onion and a bay leaf, or even a couple toasted peppercorns…YUM.

My personal favorite uses:

• Use in Vinaigrette.
• In Marinades.
• In a quick style BBQ sauce.
• Use for a mignonette in raw bar presentations.
• I love to roast chicken thighs in about 1/4″ of infused vinegar. By the time the chicken thighs are cooked, the vinegar should be reduced to a vinegar glaze consistency; add sea salt = sea salt & vinegar chicken.
• A splash splash here, a splash splash there, here a splash, there a splash, everywhere a splash splash. Point being, use in all applications that could use a bit of citric brightness.

We all grew up with tomato soup firmly established as comfort food item, a cold day offering, or as an easily prepared dish to serve when life was too busy for cooking, usually from a can… add water and serve.

Tomato soup is a staple offering that can be easily morphed from old-school ordinary to a crown jewel in your soup arsenal. And it can be used in all outlets, from the dinning room to buffets. The key to elevating the flavor profile of tomato soup is to properly roast your tomatoes, garlic, and onions… thus adding a richness of flavor not found in the canned version.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 lbs of tomatoes, washed and cut in 1/4s
• 1 cup whole garlic cloves
• 2 lbs yellow onions or shallots, rough cut
• 1 cup oil blend, to coat vegetables
• 1/2 gal of vegetable stock
• 1 cup red cooking
• 16 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 oz of fresh oregano
• 1/2 oz of thyme
• 1/2 oz fresh basil
• salt & pepper to taste

VISUAL DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS
Serves: 100

• 3lbs diced onion
• 6oz minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 12lbs 8oz canned, low-sodium diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 128 whole-wheat lasagna sheets 3 1/2″ x 7″
• 18lbs 8oz peeled, sliced butternut squash
• 2lbs sliced spinach
• 3lbs 2oz low-fat mozzarella, part-skim cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. To make tomato sauce, sauté onions and garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and basil. Simmer over low heat, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   2. Place pasta sheets in hot water for 7-10 minutes. Remove sheets as dish is assembled.
   3. Lightly coat steam table pan (12″x20″x2 1/2″) with pan release spray (about 4 pans).
   4. First Layer: 16 lasagna sheets, slightly overlapping. 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce. About 2 1/2 cups spinach. 2lbs 5oz squash slightly overlapping.
   5. Second Layer: Repeat first layer.
   6. Third Layer: 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce.
   7. Cover with foil and bake until squash is fork tender. Convection oven: 350˚F for 40-55 minutes.
   8. Remove from oven. Sprinkle 3 1/8 cups cheese evenly over each pan of lasagna.
   9. Bake uncovered until cheese starts to brown slightly. Convection oven: 350˚F for 10 minutes.
   10. Remove from oven and allow to set for 15 minutes before serving. Cut each pan 5×5 (25 pieces per pan).

Serving: 1 piece proves 1/2oz equivalent meat alternate. 5/8 cup red/orange vegetable. 1/8 cup other vegetable, and 3/4oz equivalent grains. 

INGREDIENTS
Serves: 100

• 3gal 1qu of water
• 11lbs 4oz brown, long grain rice
• 1 tablespoon, 2 teaspoons of salt
• 48 liquid, or fresh large beaten eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 3lbs extra-lean turkey ham, diced 1/4″
• 1lbs 4oz fresh, diced green onion
• 6lbs fresh, chopped spinach
• 1/3 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. Boil water.
   2. Place 2lbs 13oz brown rice in each steam table pan (12″x20″x2 1/2″) about 4 pans.
   3. Pour boiling water over brown rice, stir, cover pans tightly.
   4. Add salt to brown rice, mix well, set aside.
   5. Whisk eggs and 1 cup water.
   6. Lightly coat pan with pan release spray. Cook half of egg mixture. Chop and set aside for later. Reserve other half of egg mixture.
   7. Sauté ham in vegetable oil over high heat for 2 minutes or until ham beings to brown.
   8. Reduce heat to medium. Mix in brown rice.
   9. Add remaining egg mixture. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes, or until cooked.
   10. Mix in onions, spinach, chopped egg, sesame oil and soy sauce.
   11. Portion into 1 cup, and serve!

Serving: 1 cup provides 1oz equivalent meat/meat alternate and 1 1/2oz equivalent grains. 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast – cut into 3/4 inch pieces item #30680
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 sliced green onions
1 sliced think zucchini item #16018
1/2 lb fresh pea pods
1/2 lb fresh asparagus – cut unto 1/2 inch pieces item #26189
14.5 oz whole peeled tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups cooked, drained fettuccine item #12555
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese item #5140
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large fry pan, sauté garlic and chicken pieces in oil until lightly browned. Add green onions, zucchini, pea pods, asparagus, whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt and black pepper.
2. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring until moisture is almost gone and tomatoes are broken up. Add wine and simmer to reduce liquid. Pour over pasta. Toss all together with cheese, and serve!

serves = 6

Serves: 1 pizza

INGREDIENTS

1 18 oz pizza dough ball
3 tablespoons sautéed garlic
6 oz caramelized red onion item #6833
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
6 oz crumbled feta cheese item #3795
6 oz sliced kalamata olives item #9918
1 tablespoon chopped oregano

DIRECTIONS

• Remove dough ball from cooler and let sit at room temperature for 1-3 hours to finish proofing.
• Remove dough balls from packaging, place on flour-dusted work surface and stretch dough to approx. 16″, then place on an oiled pan or pizza screen.
• Brush dough with sautéed garlic.
• Layer caramelized onions on dough, leaving an edge of about 1/4″.
• Sprinkle the mozzarella and feta cheeses over the onions.
• Arrange the olives and oregano evenly over the cheese.
• Bake in forced air conveyor oven at 450˚F for 5 minutes.

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