Chicken Noodle Soup, Moroccan Cigars, Spinach and Feta Pies, Turkey Burgers,

White Meat Chicken Soup with Egg Noodles
Adapted from 1996 Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 Chicken Breasts
2 medium onions , cut into medium dice
2 quarts boiling water
Table salt
2 bay leaves
1 large carrot , peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium rib celery , sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups egg noodles (3 ounces), preferably wide
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large soup kettle. When oil shimmers and starts to smoke, add chicken breast halves; sauté until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add half of chopped onions to kettle; sauté until colored and softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase heat to high; add boiling water along with breast halves, 2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaves. Return to simmer, then cover and barely simmer until chicken breasts are cooked and broth is rich and flavorful, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Remove chicken breasts from kettle; set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces. Strain broth and skim fat from broth, reserving 2 tablespoons plus the rest of the broth.

3. Return kettle to medium-high heat. Add remaining onions, along with carrot and celery; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, along with broth and chicken; simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes. Add noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, stir in parsley, and serve.

Moroccan Meat "Cigars"
Adapted from "The Book of Jewish Food" (Below makes 15, original recipe makes 32... just double the below for 32 cigars)

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Peanut or Sunflower oil
1/2lb ground beef (we're using turkey)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Philo dough, About 4-6 sheets

Make the filling:
Fry the onions in oil until soft. Add the meat and stirr until is changes color. Ad salt and pepper to taste, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne and lemon juice. Stir Well. Add 1 cup water and cook, covered for 30 minutes. remove lid toward the end to dry it out. Put mixture in a food processor until it's a soft paste. Stir in Parsley. Set aside to cool.

Make the cigars:
Cut each sheet of filo into 4 rectangles. Pile the rectangles on top of eachother so they don't dry out. Brush the top strip lislty with oil. Take a lump of the meat, smaller than a walnut, and press it into a sausage shape in your hand. Place it along one short end of a strip of filow 1 inch from the edge. roll it up like a cigarette, turning the ends in about a thired of the way to trap the filling, then continue to roll with the sides open. Repeat with the remainder of the strips

Bake:
Brush the tops with a little egg yolk mixed with a teaspoon of water will give them a more golden color. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Spinach and Feta Borekas
Adapted from "the Book of Jewish Food"

For the crust:
1 recipe basic pie dough (see below)
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspooon water

For the filling:
1lb frozed chipped spinach, thawed (we used fresh spinach, steamed and squeezed.
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2lb feta cheese, mashed
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Make the filling:
Drain the spinach in a colander and press all the water out. mix with the rest of the filling ingredients.

For the Pie Dough:
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
4oz unsalted butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 2/3 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional, for the tops)

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over low heat until the butter melts. Add the water and salt and beat well. add the flour gradually- enough to make a soft, greasy dough that hold together in a ball, stiring with a fork to begin with, then working it in with your hand. dough should be handled as little as possible. Leave it to rest, covered in plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes.

1. Take walnut-sized lumps and roll each into a little ball. Press and squash between your palms and pull into a 4-inch round. Put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each round and fold the dough over the filling into a half moon. Pinch the edges firmly togeter to seal.

2. Place the pies on oiled trays. Brush with egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with sesames seeds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


Turkey Burgers
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, July 2008

Ingredients for 4 burgers (I will cut it in half for dinner for two)
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil

Instructions
1. Transfer ground meat to medium bowl. Stir in salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, ricotta cheese, and mustard until blended, and divide meat into 4 portions. Lightly toss one portion from hand to hand to form a ball, then lightly flatten ball with fingertips into 1-inch-thick patty. Repeat with remaining portions.

2. Heat a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron or stainless steel with an aluminum core) over medium heat until very hot, 4 to 5 minutes. Swirl oil in pan to coat bottom, then add burgers. Cook over medium heat without moving burgers until bottom side of each is dark brown and crusted, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn burgers over; continue to cook until bottom side is light brown but not yet crusted, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Reduce heat to low, position cover slightly ajar on pan to allow steam to escape, and continue to cook 8 to 10 minutes longer, flipping burgers if necessary to promote deep browning, until center is completely cooked. Remove from pan and serve immediately.