This recipe by Campanile’s Mark Peel helped change my view on meatballs: By using a mixture of three different kinds of meats, he manages to create the most tender and light meatballs I’ve tasted. The sauce isn’t your average bland marinara either. The flavour of the olive oil and the freshness of the basil make for a bright and tangy tomato sauce that tastes like it has been made from fresh tomatoes. This recipe does take a while to make, but is a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially if you have a good glass of wine in your hand. The meatballs and sauce freeze really well for up to 1 month too if you needed an added incentive. This recipe makes enough spaghetti and meatballs for 8 very generous dinners at $2.56 per serving.

Spaghetti and Meatballs, from Mark Peel’s New Classic Family Dinners
For the Sauce:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, halved and thinly sliced
3 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
about 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
about 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large fresh basil sprigs, plus 1/2 cup leaves

For the Meatballs:
about 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
2 teaspoons cracked fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
About 2/3 cup cold dry white wine, divided
4 ounces crusty bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
3/4 pound cold ground pork
3/4 pound cold ground turkey, dark meat
3/4 pound cold ground beef
2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make the sauce, get a 5- to 6-quart pan and cook the oil and garlic over medium-low heat until the garlic softens, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover the sauce and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer it, stirring often, until thick, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If needed, crush the tomatoes with a spoon to break them up. Stir in the basil sprigs and then turn off the heat.

While the sauce is cooking, make the meatballs by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms, fennel, salt, and pepper. Cook everything until the mushrooms are tender, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup wine and the bread crumbs until the liquid is absorbed.

Transfer this mixture to a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Scrape everything into a bowl and let it cool. When it has cooled down, add the parsley, meats, and 1/3 cup wine and mix everything together until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.

Using wet hands, shape the meat into 1 1/2-inch balls. Be sure to use both hands and firmly press the meatballs into shape so they won’t fall apart later. Heat 2 large frying pans over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil in each. Brown about a third of the meatballs in each pan, turning once and adding more oil if needed, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. With a slotted spatula, transfer the meatballs to a platter. Repeat with the remaining meatballs and oil.

Scrape all the meat drippings from the pans into 1 pan. Whisk in the flour, then cook it over medium heat until bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups of sauce to loosen up the browned bits then scrape everything into the pan with the rest of the sauce and stir.

Return the sauce to a simmer. Gently stir in the meatballs; simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs, and cut the remaining basil leaves into fine slivers and stir into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the packet directions. Drain the pasta and serve by topping with meatballs and tomato sauce with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Turkey King Ranch Casserole, adapted from Homesick Texan
3 cups leftover turkey meat, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes, or 1 8-ounce can diced tomatoes and 1 small can green chiles
3 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 cup half and half
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
10 corn tortillas
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium, and add the onions, red bell pepper, and poblano pepper. Let the veggies cook for 10 minutes, and add the garlic, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper, and ancho chile powder to the mix. Cook for another minute, and pour the chicken broth in the saucepan and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until the mixture thickens. Stir in the half-and-half and Ro-Tel. Cover the saucepan and let everything simmer for around 15 minutes while giving the sauce an occasional stir.

Take the lid off the saucepan, and add the sour cream, lime juice, and 1/4 cup of cilantro to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and take the sauce off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, as you begin to assemble the casserole. Grab a large baking dish, and spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Layer 5 of the corn tortillas on the bottom of the dish. I like to cut 3 of them in half and place the straight edge of the tortillas against the edges of the pan. Arrange the tortillas so the bottom of the pan is evenly covered.

Place half the turkey on top of the tortillas and pour over half of the remaining sauce. Top the casserole with half of the remaining cilantro and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Repeat the layering process again starting with another layer of tortillas and ending in a thick layer of grated cheese.

Cook the casserole uncovered for around 30 minutes, or until the cheese topping gets nice and browned. The casserole tastes great served with a big dollop of sour cream.

Keeping this in mind, we have come up with a few turkey recipes that use up all of those leftovers. And believe me, we cooked a 13 pound turkey for two people so we had TONS of leftover meat.

First up is a recipe for Turkey Stock, which is a great way to use the carcass of the bird instead of just throwing it into the rubbish bin. Plus homemade turkey stock is so much better than any canned or cube stock that you buy at the grocery store. We made a huge vat of stock and then divided it among smaller containers which we froze so we can use them later as a chicken stock substitute. This recipe makes enough for 10 cups of stock at 24 cents per cup.

Turkey Stock, adapted from Gourmet, November 2004
1 turkey carcass
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 medium yellow onions, left unpeeled, then trimmed and halved
3 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 carrots, quartered
6 fresh parsley stems, without leaves
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
5 quarts cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Take the turkey carcass and break it down into thighs, drumsticks, wings, and the back bone. Halve the turkey wings at the joints, and then crack the wing bones in several places with the knife. Don’t worry about picking the carcass clean of every last piece of meat since this is what helps make a flavourful stock.

Heat up 1/4 cup of oil in a heavy stock pot over a medium heat and then throw in the turkey bones and let them brown. Once they are browned, remove the bones from the pot and set them aside for a few minutes.

Add the onions to the stock pot, cut side down, and cook them until they are golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pot and let them rest with the bones. Then cook the celery and carrots until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the turkey bones, onions, and remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and let the stock gently simmer, partially covered, for 3 hours. Be sure to skim the top of the stock to remove any foam that may build up during this cooking process.

Once the stock is cooked, remove the pot from the heat and let the stock cool uncovered until it is room temperature. Pour the cool stock through a large fine-mesh sieve and throw away the solids.

Now measure the stock. If there is more than 10 cups, boil the stock until it is reduced, or if there is less than 10 cups, add a bit more water to make up the difference.

Let the stock stand for a few minutes until the fat rises to the top and then skim that off and throw it away. You can either use the stock right away, or freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

I’ve been known to spend hours making turkey. My favorite recipe is to smoke a turkey (which takes about 8-10 hours), but only after soaking it in brine for 3-5 days. This recipe, though, is the other end of the spectrum: brine it for a day, then cook it in the oven for a few hours. It’s pretty easy — usually the hardest part is finding a container big enough to brine the turkey in — and turns out a moist, delicious bird that’s almost as good as the smoked ones I used to make. This recipe makes enough to brine a turkey that feeds 12 at 49 cents per serving, plus the cost of your turkey.

Apple Cider-Brined Turkey, adapted from Cooking Light, November 2004
For the Brine:
8 cups apple cider
2/3 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
1 tablespoon whole allspice, coarsely crushed
8 1/8-inch thick slices peeled fresh ginger
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves

For the Turkey:
1 12-pound fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
2 oranges, quartered
6 cups ice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the brine, combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cook the brine for 5 minutes or until the sugar and salt fully dissolve. Let the brine cool completely.

Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the turkey, and rinse the turkey with cold water and then pat it dry. Trim off any excess fat and stuff the body cavity with the orange quarters. Place the turkey inside a double layer of large oven bags, or trash bags if you don’t have any, and put the bagged turkey inside a large stockpot.

Add the cooled brine with the ice to the turkey in the bag. Tie the bag with some twist ties, and let the turkey brine in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. During the brining process, be sure to turn the turkey occasionally so all parts of the bird get to soak up the brine.

When you are ready to cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 500¬?.

Remove the turkey from the bags, and discard the brine, orange quarters, and bags. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat it dry. Lift the wing tips up and over the back, and tuck them under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string, or leave the plastic tag on the legs so you can easily handle the turkey.

Arrange the turkey, breast side down, on the roasting rack. Brush the back of the turkey with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake the turkey at 500¬? for 30 minutes. After that initial cooking, reduce oven temperature to 350¬?.

Remove the turkey from the oven. Carefully turn the turkey over using tongs so it is breast side up. Brush the turkey breast with 1 tablespoon of butter; and season with more salt and pepper.

Bake the turkey at 350¬? for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the meaty part of thigh registers at 170¬?. When taking the temperature of the turkey, make sure to not touch the bone as that can throw off the reading. In case the legs of the turkey start to brown too fast, place some foil over the legs to shield them from the heat.

Once the turkey is cooked, remove the bird from oven and let it stand for 20 minutes before serving as the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dinner.

Other suggested Thanksgiving recipes:
Back to Basics: Roast Chicken

They were perhaps the tastiest turkey burgers that I had every eaten, let alone made at home. The thick chunks of onion, bits of black olive, and nuggets of feta cheese added so much flavour, it was incredible. If you have a hankering for a burger, try grilling up one of these instead for a change. This recipe feeds 4 people at $1.38 per serving.

Turkey Burgers with Olives and Feta
1 pound ground turkey
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese plus additional for topping
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives (about 6)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
coarse kosher salt
black pepper
4 crusty rolls, halved horizontally, or 4 pitas

Tomato Jam
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar
sprinkle of dried thyme
coarse kosher salt
black pepper

Turn on the barbecue at a medium-high heat, and brush or spray the grill rack with a bit of oil so the burgers don’t stick.

Gently mix the turkey, onion, feta, chopped olives, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and a generous amount of coarse salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about 1 inch thick. Spray them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle them with more salt and pepper.

Grill the burgers until they are charred on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill the cut side of the rolls until they are toasted, about 2 minutes. If you are using pita bread like I did, they also taste good if you toast them up a bit on the grill.

I had to include this photo of my awesome looking burgers since this was the first thing that I had ever grilled by myself! I was very impressed that they had not crumbled up and fallen through the grate, or they weren’t burnt.

To make the tomato jam, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, sugar, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the saucepan.

Cook everything over medium-high heat until almost all of the liquid evaporates and the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup or so, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool.

If you can’t be bothered to make this tomato jam, you can skip this step and just use some good ketchup, but I can say that the sweetness of the jam did complement the burgers very nicely.

Take your toasted bun or pita bread and assemble your burger with some tomato jam, and additional feta and chopped olives to top for a delicious and fast summer dinner!