The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for turkey burgers with chipotle ketchup

Truth be told, I love a good hamburger with drippy cheese, oozing and dribbling down my chin. Turkey burgers don't ooze, and that's something I've learned to accept when I opt for healthy eating. However, this chipotle ketchup can drip and dribble with the best. The smoky chipotle flavor here is quite mild, as the recipe calls for the adobo sauce but not the actual chile peppers. If you like your sauces hot, add a bit of chopped chipotle chile (with or without seeds) right into the ketchup mixture. Greek yogurt keeps the burgers moist, so they can cook through without drying out. It's the same trick I use when I make turkey meatballs, and it works every time. You can make the ketchup ahead, even a couple of weeks ahead, and store it in the refrigerator.

Black pepper (Recipe: Laurie Colwin's roasted pepper chicken)

First published in February 2008, this updated pantry ingredient post features new photos, links, and tweaks to the recipe. If you haven't reread Laurie Colwin's books recently, this chicken recipe will remind you of her honest approach to cooking.

A few days ago, when I was searching for the source of a literary fragment rattling around in my brain, I stumbled across this:

It takes four men to dress a salad: a wise man for the salt, a madman for the pepper, a miser for the vinegar, and a spendthrift for the oil.

Anonymous, who supposedly said this, obviously didn't know the guys I know.

Oh, don't get me wrong; I know wise men, madmen, cheapskates and spendthrifts. But I think that any of them, especially the ones who come to cook in my kitchen, could pull off a proper vinaigrette without the help of three other guys.

Slow cooker turkey breast recipe for sandwiches, salads and pasta

In a recent pantry clean-out, I unearthed a frozen "emergency" turkey breast I'd bought last November, in case I couldn't find a fresh turkey breast for Thanksgiving dinner. Six months later, I decided to defrost it and give it a go in the slow cooker. The goal: moist, flavorful turkey to slice and use for sandwiches and salads. The result? Spectacular success, and it couldn't be easier. In fact, the hardest thing about this recipe will be finding a boneless turkey breast. The solution: buy a bone-in turkey breast and ask the butcher to break it down for you. Save the bones and wings and make a soup stock (also in the slow cooker), and use the two breast halves in this recipe. I like this Greek seasoning from The Spice House; you can substitute with your favorite brand, or a mix of kosher salt, fresh black pepper, dried lemon peel and dried oregano. Use the cooked turkey in dozens of ways -- stuffed into sandwiches, chopped in salads, or shredded and tossed with pasta and vegetables.

Recipe for grilled Asian turkey breast with soy, garlic and chili paste

TRUE CONFESSION: I am that crazy woman who stands outside in the middle of winter in a coat and scarf and mittens, tending the grill on the back porch, at the mercy of the elements. The first time I made this Asian-flavored turkey breast, shot through with soy, garlic and my favorite chili paste, that was the scenario; in fact, it was snowing, which made the act of grilling heroic and the result worth every moment of frozen-fingered suffering. Now that the weather is warmer, I grill more often, and more comfortably. Put thoughts of the all-day Thanksgiving turkey out of your mind; boneless turkey breast cooks quickly. If you can't find a whole boneless turkey breast, buy a bone-in and ask the butcher to break it down for you (save the bones, wings and neck for stock). I use this garlicky, spicy turkey to add spark to sandwiches, summer rolls and pasta salads.