By Chef Jeffrey Compton of Acre Auburn 

April 5, 2019 - While this dish is a little more involved than your typical smoked turkey, the extra effort will certainly reward your taste buds. Chef Jeffrey Compton is a talented wild game chef who prefers to source his own meat whenever possible. When I asked him to collaborate with us on this wild turkey project, he casually responded with, "Sure, I'll go get a turkey this weekend and start working up the recipe." He didn't mean he was going to pick it up at the store... Enjoy!

Smoked Turkey and Parisian Gnocchi with a Grilled Okra and Tomato Salad

Turkey brine - (brine 24hrs.)

¾ cup Salt

¼ cup Sugar

¼ cup Garlic Powder

2 G Water

This dish is utilizing turkey wing drumettes, but the brine recipe is perfect for the whole bird. Smoke the turkey drumettes for 3 hours at 180 degrees (or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees). While hot, pull the meat from the bone and then chill.

Parisian Gnocchi -

1qt water

5c flour

1 pound unsalted butter

1tbs salt

3tbs dijon mustard

2c grated parmesan cheese

12 eggs

1c chopped tarragon

Bring the water, butter, Dijon mustard, and salt to a boil. Add flour while mixing with a wooden spoon until the dough is being pulled from the bottom of the pan. Add the Parmesan cheese and keep mixing thoroughly. While still hot, temper the eggs one at a time while mixing the dough until fully incorporated and then mix the tarragon in to finish. Once you have the finished dough, put it into a piping bag (or sandwich bag) and cut the corner to the desired size of the gnocchi. Using a separate simmering pot of water, pipe the desired sized gnocchi dough into the simmering pot of water. The gnocchi will float when fully cooked. Store on an oiled baking sheet and chill.

Grilled Okra and Tomato Salad -

2 c lightly grilled and coined okra

2 c halved cherry tomatoes

1 tsp garlic

2 Tbs chopped basil

1tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

Final Product -

In a Saute pan, brown the gnocchi and 8 ounces of pulled turkey meat. Finish the now browned gnocchi with a pad of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Top with the Grilled Okra and Tomato Salad.  Then dig in!