This article was originally published by The Mennonite

December recipe: Curried turkey salad

The Hungry Hounds is the food blog of Paul and Rebecca Shetler Fast, incoming country representatives for Mennonite Central Committee in Haiti. 

With Thanksgiving past, our departure for Haiti is just 2 days away. This last month we’ve had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends and saying goodbye. Now our belongings are safely tucked away in storage for the next five years; our house and cars are sold; and we have some pretty enormous duffel bags sitting packed at the foot of our bed. Last night we completed the last item on our Haiti-bound check-list and stayed up late chatting excitedly about the new things to come: a baby, learning a new culture, cuisine, language, new job, traveling, and hosting friends and family. Life feels pretty vast right now!

Lest we digress too long from the ever important topic of food, we’re sharing our favorite spunky and updated curried turkey salad today. This is a vibrant and flavorful recipe Paul has been perfecting for the past year, and a delicious lunch as you laze around after any holiday. Think of this recipe as a guide and freestyle with whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand.

Yield: Approximately 4 cups turkey salad 

   Base Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked turkey/chicken
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon sweet curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper

   Add-ins:

  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced (substitute a spicy pepper variety)
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds (substitute cashews, peanuts)
  • 1 medium apple, finely diced (substitute celery, cucumber)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (substitute parsley, basil, mint)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives (substitute green onions, shallot, red onion)
  • Raisins, dried cranberry or other dried fruit (optional)

Steps:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the base ingredients—mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, salt, garlic powder, paprika, cumin and cayenne—until well combined.
  2. Stir in the cooked turkey, red bell pepper, almonds, apple, cilantro and chives. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper and lime to your preference and serve immediately on a starchy vehicle of your choosing. We prefer open faced sourdough sandwiches.

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