Turkey Curry Salad (or Sandwich)

July 12, 2010, By Craig J. Heimbuch 0 comments

Craig J. Heimbuch

When I was a kid, breakfast was Cinnamon Life, that perfect mix of crunchy and sweet that got soft in milk and left a deliriously delectable sludge of sugar, cinnamon and bits of remnant cereal in the bottom of the bowl just waiting to be scooped out by pudgy little fingers. Later, in college, it was cold pizza and in my 20s, breakfast lost its importance. Coffee, an egg, maybe a bagel and I was fine.

But breakfast has taken on a new importance in the wake of kids. In part it’s because I like getting up a little early and having some time to myself before my wife and kids get up and the morning rat race begins. But also because I need the energy and I have found that eating breakfast helps to regulate my eating for the rest of the day. But I’m too old to eat toaster waffles. Whipping up some eggs is fine, but it usually leaves me feeling over-stuffed and a bit sludgy. Some odorously severe lactose intolerance has killed my cereal days and who in the hell finds anything appealing about a bowl of oatmeal?

I found the perfect breakfast food recently, thanks to some inspiration from chef, author and traveler Anthony Bourdain. On an episode of his Travel Channel series "No Reservations," Bourdain found himself eating calf embryo soup for breakfast in Quito, Equador and declared that he would rather eat a meaty soup for breakfast than something sticky and sweet. And I thought, that’s right. Why the hell should I eat traditional breakfast foods? I’m a sandwich guy and my palate runs toward savory, not sweet.

So I began experimenting. A turkey sandwich and an orange. A salad and a piece of toast. Some brown rice with carrots, onions and peppers prepared the night before. And it was all fine, but it wasn’t until I was walking passed the deli counter in my local Whole Foods that I lit upon the perfect breakfast food for a guy like me: turkey curry salad.

I know, I know. Curry in the morning sounds about as appealing a high colonic over brunch, but trust me on this one. Meaty cubes of turkey in a creamy curry sauce with dried cranberries, green onions and slivered almonds (or walnuts), this is the perfect food for a man on the go. You can eat it cold, right out of a bowl – and who doesn’t love cold turkey? – or slightly warmed on a piece of whole grain toast. The balance of flavors gets your taste buds up and at ‘em like a bugle call and I think it actually makes my morning Folgers taste a little better. And the best part? You can make a batch on Sunday and have it last all week long.

Just be sure to pack some breath mints.

Try this recipe from Diana Rattray on southernfood.about.com.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chutney
• 3 to 4 teaspoons curry powder, to taste
• whipping cream, as needed
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries or raisins
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, optional
• 1 1/2 cups diced turkey

Preparation:

Combine mayonnaise and chutney in a small bowl, adding curry powder to your taste. Stir in a little cream to moisten. In a larger bowl, combine celery, chopped dried cranberries, green onion, pecans (if using) and turkey. Stir in the curried mayonnaise, adding a little more cream if needed to moisten more. Serves about 4 as a main dish or luncheon salad or about 6 as a sandwich filling.

Craig J. Heimbuch is the Editor-in-Chief of ManoftheHouse.com and the author of "Chasing Oliver Hazard Perry." He is a Barefoot Proximity employee.