Recipe: Jesse Griffith’s Turkey & Dumplings

With spring turkey seasons right around the corner, we’re sharing two of our favorite recipes from The Turkey Book—Jesse Griffiths’ latest cookbook dedicated to all things wild turkey. First up: Turkey and Dumplings. To learn more about Jesse and the cross-country hunting trip that inspired his book, read our Q&A here.

Turkey and Herb Dumplings

This classic is topped with dumplings flecked with fresh herbs, bright lemon zest and a big handful of chopped greenbriar tips. As much as I hate greenbriar due to its grabby thorniness, the tender springtime tips are very nice, with an asparagus-like flavor and a pleasant vegetal crunch. — Jesse Griffiths

Ingredients

8 tbsp butter

6 medium carrots, thickly sliced

1 onion, diced

2 celery ribs, thickly sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Salt

1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

2 quarts turkey stock

Freshly cracked black pepper

For the Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1⁄2 tsp salt

2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

2⁄3 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

3–5 tbsp chopped fresh sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley and/or greenbriar tips

Zest of one lemon

2 cups shredded turkey

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas

(optional)

A handful of green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces

Preparation

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the carrots, onions, celery and optional mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, and season with a pinch of salt. Add the flour and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add about 2 cups of the stock to the pot, stirring until thickened. Continue to add the stock in two-cup increments, allowing to thicken each time, until all of the stock has been added. Keep the pot barely bubbling at a bare simmer—do not boil.

Season with salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Make the dumplings: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter and use your hands to pinch it together with the flour until it is in small pea-sized pieces.

Read Next: Q&A: Jesse Griffiths on Hunting and Cooking Turkeys

Add the milk, egg, herbs and zest and stir until just combined, gently and briefly kneading with your hands. Add the shredded turkey, optional peas and green beans to the pot, then drop in walnut-sized pieces of the dumpling mixture. Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer very gently for another 20 minutes, or until the dumplings are fluffy and cooked through. Serve hot.

Serves 4–6

For more recipes like this, pick up a copy of The Turkey Book:  A Chef’s Journal of Hunting and Cooking America’s Bird at thewildbooks.com.