Beer-braised turkey legs (with pumpkin and potato purée)
It’s Monday! Welcome back to the Light and Tasty appointment.
For today’s release, the Team has planned a recipe with white meat.
I can’t deny that it put me in a bit of a tight spot. 😌 As you know, I rarely eat (and therefore buy) meat, so I found myself without available recipes or meat in the freezer (um, as usual! 😄) to use quickly for a last-minute recipe. The last meat recipe I photographed was… let me check…
… here: in June! (but not white).
I had already decided to ask my Team colleagues for a pass today, because for those who rarely cook meat, it’s not easy to decide to go out specifically to buy it. If you’re like me, I know you can understand. Until it occurred to me to take a look at my forgotten recipe archive, that bottomless pit of photos taken over the years, most of which should be scrapped because they’re poorly done, blurry, shaky, dark, unusable, which I keep only for pure sentimentality, or as a reminder to redo the recipes, sooner or later, one day or another. At least one recipe had to be there! I vaguely remembered a pork tenderloin from some time ago…
And no, the pork tenderloin was there, but it was one of those recipes to try again, so nothing. Instead, this recipe popped up, these beer-braised turkey legs that I had set aside (they date back to 2016!) just because of the photos, which didn’t turn out well. All because of that pile of pumpkin purée placed to the side that I didn’t like one bit, a classic ‘mistake’ of a disorganized food blogger like I am, photographing in a hurry, and haste is the enemy of food bloggers! 😅
The power of photos is sometimes incredible, they can make something look enticing that isn’t, or on the contrary hide true goodness. But today I don’t care anymore, in the end, the stars are the turkey legs, not the purée, and so here I am to make public this delicious and uniquely simple recipe. I recommend trying it because it turns out really well and without any effort. And I might just make it again, after all, every seven years it fits well into “very rarely”! 😃
With two turkey legs (to be precise, these two were from a hen turkey, smaller but equally excellent) you get a second course that always makes a good impression, every day or at parties, it’s always lean meat, decidedly light if cooked without skin, and flavorful and tender cooked this way, with beer.
And then it’s economical, something not to be underestimated in this era of price increases, which we’re all feeling firsthand when we shop. Moreover, it lends itself very well to anti-waste: if you’ve opened a beer and haven’t drunk it all, don’t throw it away, please, use it for this recipe!
👇 And if you’re looking for other ideas, my other turkey recipes on the blog are these three: 😉
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2 turkey legs
- 2 cups beer
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp flour
- pepper
- pumpkin and potato purée (see recipe)
Tools
- Stainless Steel Pan
How to Prepare Beer-Braised Turkey Legs
👉 Unlike what I did with the roasted turkey leg, this time I removed the skin, so it was not necessary to flame the legs. I flamed only the end of the drumstick, where removing the skin residue was more difficult.
Proceed as follows:
Brush the legs (or massage with your hands) with a small amount of oil (one teaspoon).
Sauté the legs in a pan with a sprig of rosemary, the garlic clove (chopped or sliced), and a sprinkle of pepper.
Turn the legs until they are browned on all sides.
Pour the beer.
☝ In the ingredients list, I indicated 2 cups, but I don’t remember exactly how much I used. It should ideally cover the legs halfway. It’s possible, if necessary, to top up with more beer during cooking, or use more (in the end, there will be more cooking liquid, useful for more sauce).
Cook over low heat with the lid partially closed for about an hour, turning occasionally.
Once cooked, remove the legs, place them on a cutting board, and let them cool slightly.
Slice the meat.
Thicken the remaining cooking liquid in the pan with a tablespoon (or two, depending on the desired thickness) of flour (I didn’t take a photo of this step 🤷♀️).
👉 Sift the flour with a sieve, stirring constantly with a spoon, to prevent lumps.
Place the slices of meat on a serving platter and drizzle with the sauce, or put them back in the pan and reheat in the sauce for a few minutes.
Serve hot, accompanied by the pumpkin and potato purée.
For the pumpkin purée and potatoes, which I find perfectly suitable as an accompaniment to this meat, you can find the full recipe here of my version cooked in the microwave.
Curiosity: The purée I paired with these beer-braised turkey legs was made with green pumpkin (from a home garden of some relative or acquaintance) that I show you in the photo below. A variety that I haven’t had the chance to find again, it seemed a cross between a giant zucchini and a butternut squash, with light green skin and pale flesh, but orange under the seeds. Who can tell me what variety it is? 😀
Salt-free Tips
As always, I did not add salt to this recipe. The beer cooking and the sauce (essential!) make this white, lean meat flavorful and tender. If desired, you can add an extra sprinkle of pepper and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil before serving.
As always, I did not add salt to this recipe. The beer cooking and the sauce (essential!) make this white, lean meat flavorful and tender. If desired, you can add an extra sprinkle of pepper and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil before serving.
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually reduce salt, the palate must get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, nuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not dilute flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself a lapse from the rule. It boosts your mood and helps you persevere.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Just what I was looking for! and if you like… subscribe to my Newsletter
I’ll leave you with other recipes from the Light and Tasty Team. See you next Monday!
Carla Emilia: Chicken Rolls with Olive and Ricotta Cream
Daniela: Chicken Legs with Yellow Pepper and Black Olives
Elena: Turkey Strips with Beer
Milena: Turkey Roast with Vegetable Sauce
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
If there’s little cooking liquid left, how can you “increase” the sauce?
It’s very simple, just add a cup (or two, depending on how much sauce you want) of beer (or broth if you prefer) to the cooking liquid, then thicken over low heat with a tablespoon of flour.
To “gloss” and make the sauce creamier, you can also add a knob of butter.
