Wild Turkey and Veggie Chili

A few days ago, while performing some much-needed freezer cleaning and reorganization, I made a delightful discovery in the form of a frozen wild turkey breast. While fried turkey tenders are one of my all-time favorites, it was a cold, grey day, one just made for something to warm the inner man. With that in mind, I whipped up a pot of wild turkey and vegetable chili. It’s simple and supremely scrumptious.

You’ll need:

• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ pounds cubed or ground wild turkey breast meat (if you use cubes, make them quite small)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2½ cups mixed soup vegetables (or used leftover veggies such as corn, lima beans, kidney beans, chick peas, and green peas)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (you can increase a bit if you like a lot of kick, and using a chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper is another option)
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 large (32-ounce) can chunky style tomatoes (or use the equivalent amount of frozen sections, which is what I did)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or if you have saved it, broth from having cooked the dark meat portions of a wild turkey)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat a large soup pot. When it is hot introduce olive oil and add onion, vegetables (except tomatoes), and garlic. Stir while cooking for four to five minutes. Add wild turkey, spices, tomatoes, and chicken broth.

Stir together well then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes, adding salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with crunch bread or Texas toast.

Grilled Bass

Although there’s a great deal of hype connected with catch-and-release, there’s nothing wrong whatsoever with keeping a bass or two for the table. Indeed, in farm pond situations where the fish often become overpopulated and their size stunted, there’s every reason to put smaller size bass on the stringer. Here’s a fine way to enjoy them.

You’ll need:

• 3 pounds of bass (on rib cage)
• ½ stick butter
• Juice from one lemon
• Juice from one lime
• 2 or 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
• Fresh basil leaves
• Cajun seasoning or freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter and mix thoroughly with the lemon and lime juice. Pour over the fish and season. Sprinkle garlic over each fish and top with a basil leaf. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan and grill the fillets in the oven — or atop an outdoor grill — for four to six minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Serve with new potatoes anointed with butter, green peas, and corn bread.

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