After Christmas, I felt the need to go for a walk. The whole family has a subscription to Martin Mere Wetland Centre (WWT), it’s only a 15 minute drive from home. The Mere is a vast marsh and is home to many birds as well as other animals. It is the most beautiful and peaceful place to walk and has a great cafe too. I do like a decent coffee and their gluten-free chicken and watercress sandwiches. It is a true antidote to Christmas excess.
We arrived about 2.30pm as I wanted to see the sunset. It was cold and as the sun set, it felt freezing. So I planned to make a hearty and warming meal, using the leftover Christmas turkey and gammon. This recipe from Sugar Free Mom ticked all the boxes. As usual, I modified it, adding gammon and lots of baby portobello mushrooms. I have included the original recipe ingredients below; even those I did not use. The butter, cheese, and cream I used were all lactose-free.
The original recipe says it serves 6; this is accurate as it’s a filling meal, as you can see from the last picture below. The biscuits are fluffy underneath and crisp on top, it freezes and reheats well.
Ingredients
Turkey Pot Pie Filling
- 1 cup celery diced ( I chose not use this, as personally I don’t think it adds anything to the dish)
- 1/2 cup carrots diced (I chose not to include these)
- 1 cup of sliced mushrooms (I added these, instead of the above)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (I used a lactose-free cream. I added another 1/3 cup when the filling was complete, as it looked too thick with the Xanthan gum)
- 1 tsp Xanthan gum (see note in the instructions)
- 3 cups turkey cooked, diced ( I added 2 cups of turkey, and 1 1/2 cups of diced gammon)
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings (I used Herbes de Provence)
- 1/4 tsp salt (I also added the same of black pepper)
Method
1) Add oil to a pan, and cook onions over a medium heat for around 4-5 minutes, or until tender.
2) Sprinkle coconut flour over the onions, then add cream. Stir until all the flour is combined.
3) Add chicken broth to the mixture, then gradually sprinkle on the Xanthan gum and whisk very thoroughly into the sauce (Note: to prevent any lumps which is a tendency when using Xanthan gum). Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a low heat, continuously stirring until it begins to thicken (around 10 minutes).
4) Once thickened, take the mixture off the heat and add turkey, gammon, and sliced mushrooms, as well as seasonings. Taste, and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. I added an additional 1/3 cup of cream at this point, as I felt the sauce was too thick.
5) Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
6) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, or 190 degrees C.
Keto Drop Biscuits
- 1/3 cup of coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup butter, melted (I used lactose-free butter)
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (I chose not to use basil)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried parsley instead)
- 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, grated (I used lactose-free cheese)
Method
1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, onion and garlic powder.
2) Stir in melted butter, and mix until no lumps remain.
3) Add eggs, grated cheese, and parsley to the mixture. Stir until fully incorporated. Freeform 6 large biscuit mounds and drop on top of the turkey mixture.
4) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown.
essentialonion 