Turkey with cannellini beans

Here is another freezer dish in preparation for my baby, however you can always make this and pop it in the freezer for any family or friend meal emergency! Or how about this handy tip; the quantities below makes a huge batch – enough for two people to have four meals, so if you use half of it straight away for your family meal you can always pop the rest in the freezer for a quick supper another time, doubling up like this will save you time and effort in the future.

I have used turkey here as it is very lean and extremely economical, however if you are not a fan of turkey you can always use the same quantity of chicken breast instead.

Ingredients
2tbsp olive oil, 4 spring onions, 2 cloves garlic, 7 closed cup chestnut mushrooms, 860g turkey breast steaks (or chicken if using instead), 2 x 235g tins of cannellini beans in water, 1 gelatinous chicken stock-pot, 20g fresh tarragon, 1tsp black pepper, 1tsp salt, 1tbsp butter, 1tbsp plain flour.

First a bit of prep; wash and chop the spring onions, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves, wash and dice the mushrooms in to 1cm size cubes, and cut the turkey breast in to bite size chunks. Next heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the spring onions for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms and turkey and cook over a medium heat until the turkey is browned and everything begins to soften.

Add both tins of cannellini beans along with their water and the chicken stock-pot then turn the heat to a low simmer. Take half the tarragon, remove any tough stalks and finely chop, add this to the pan. Cover and continue to cook on a low simmer for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the hour take the butter and flour and using a fork mix together until a smooth paste is formed, then stir this in to the turkey to help thicken it. Raise the heat gently and continue stirring until it comes to the boil. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Finely chop the remaining tarragon and stir this in and the dish is ready to serve.

If you are freezing this ensure that it is completely cold before transferring to a suitable freezer containers – don’t forget to label and date so you know what’s inside in a months’ time! This dish is fantastic served with mashed potato or a slice of crusty bread and butter to mop up the juices.