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Teriyaki Turkey Thighs

In this dish, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce flavor meaty thighs, which are terrific served with salads, steamed rice, and vegetable stir-frys. It is best to marinate the turkey overnight before cooking.

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons rice wine (mirin) or dry sherry

¼ firmly packed light brown sugar

4 turkey thighs, skin removed

blend the soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, ginger, rice wine, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

pour the marinade in a zipper-top plastic bag. Add the turkey thighs to the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Pour the contents of the bag in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the turkey is cooked through and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.

remove the turkey from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

serves 6

Tea “Smoked” Turkey Legs

Tea-smoked duck or chicken dishes are common in Asian restaurants. The flavor of the tea infuses the poultry, giving it a smoky, exotic taste. Your slow- cooker rack helps you re-create the same flavor using turkey legs coated in soy and brown sugar and flavored with tea. Serve with flour tortillas, hoisin sauce, and sliced green onions and cucumber sticks.

2 cups chicken broth

8 bags Lapsang Souchong or black tea (see savvy)

4 slices fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hoisin sauce

6 turkey legs, skin removed

bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the tea bags, ginger, and cinnamon. Allow the broth to cool, about 45 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and whisk in the soy sauce and hoisin.

brush some of the sauce on the turkey legs with a silicone pastry brush. Pour the remaining sauce in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Fit the rack in the slow cooker and place the turkey legs on the rack.

cover and cook on high for 5 hours, basting the turkey a few times during cooking.

slice the turkey legs into serving-size pieces and serve.

serves 6

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tea savvy

Most supermarket teas are combinations of various black teas. I recommend the Lapsang Souchong tea in this recipe because of its smoky character; ordinary Lipton or Tetley just didn’t have the same flavor.

Artichoke-Stuffed Turkey Breast Cutlets

Artichoke hearts, pine nuts, cheese, and bread crumbs are spread on turkey breast cutlets, which then are braised in a sage and white wine sauce. This is a terrific do-ahead meal—the turkey cutlets can be rolled a day ahead of time and then put in the slow cooker the next day.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

One 16-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and coarsely chopped

½ cup pine nuts (see savvy)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped

8 turkey breast cutlets, ¾ to 1 pound

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 cup chicken broth

melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and artichoke hearts and sauté until the liquid in the pan evaporates, 5 to 7 minutes.

transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the pine nuts, bread crumbs, cheese, and basil to the bowl and stir to combine. Place the cutlets on a cutting board, sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper, and spread 2 tablespoons of the filling on each turkey breast.

roll the cutlets lengthwise and place seam-side down in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet. Add the onion and sage and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

add the flour and cook for 3 minutes,