Recipe: Here’s why you should serve a turkey dinner in the spring

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Save turkey for holiday feasting? Not anymore. A boneless turkey breast, roasted in just over an hour, can be a midweek entrée, or the cornerstone of a company dinner.

Lean and lovely boned turkey breasts, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, require very little of the cook’s attention. Once the flavoring ingredients are added and the bird is in the oven, most of the work is done. It’s the perfect amount for a small family, with four large or six small servings. For smaller families, there will be luscious leftovers, perfect for next-day lunches.

Mediterranean Turkey Breast

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 boneless turkey breast, skin on, about 1 1/2 pounds; see cook’s notes

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced “ready-cut” tomatoes, partially drained

1/3 cup pitted imported black olives

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Pinch dried red chili flakes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and pepper

For serving: Fettuccine or penne, cooked al dente and drained

Optional: 1/2-1 teaspoon finely minced lemon peel (zest), colored part only

Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon drained capers

Optional garnish: Sprigs of fresh basil

Cook’s notes: If the turkey breast has a pop-up timer, gently remove it.

To save time, you can substitute a large jar of your favorite prepared tomato-based marinara pasta sauce, such as arrabiatta or tomato with basil and skip Step No. 2.

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly dust turkey with flour. Heat olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add turkey breast, skin down. Brown well on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Remove turkey from pan.

2. Add garlic to pan; the oil in the pan will probably be hot enough to lightly brown the garlic after 1-2 minutes; stir it frequently. Add wine and tomatoes to pan. Return to medium-high heat. Scrape the sides and bottom of pan to loosen any brown bits. Add basil, oregano, chili flakes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.

3. Place turkey breast in center of sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test turkey breast for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. It should register 170 degrees in thickest part of breast. Taste sauce; adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt or pepper. If it needs a boost, add a little finely minced lemon zest.

4. If desired, remove skin from turkey. Place hot, cooked pasta on a platter with a lip or in a large, shallow pasta bowl. Place sliced turkey on top, overlapping slightly like a fan. Spoon sauce on top. If desired, sprinkle capers on top. Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil.

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.

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Biden, at risk with young voters, is racing to shift marijuana policy

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Noah Bierman | Los Angeles Times (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris looked up from prepared remarks in the White House’s ornate Roosevelt Room this month to make sure the reporters in the room could hear her clearly: “Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.”

Harris’ “marijuana reform roundtable” was a striking reminder of how the politics have shifted for a onetime prosecutor raised in the “Just Say No” era of zero-tolerance drug enforcement. As President Biden seeks badly needed support from young people, his administration is banking on cannabis policy as a potential draw.

Biden made similar comments to Harris’ in this month’s State of the Union address — though the 81-year-old president used the term “marijuana” instead of “weed.” The administration is highlighting its decision to grant clemency for pot possession as it races to have cannabis reclassified under the Controlled Substances Act before Biden faces voters in November.

“What’s good about this issue is it’s clean and it’s clear and it cuts through,” said Celinda Lake, one of Biden’s 2020 pollsters who also works for the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform, an industry group, along with Democratic organizations supporting Biden’s reelection. “And it’s hard to get voters’ attention in this cynical environment.”

The challenge is significant. Biden is viewed favorably by only 31% of people ages 18 through 29, much worse than he fares with other age groups, according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll. Though he leads former President Trump by 21 percentage points in that age group, he needs a high turnout to repeat his 2020 formula. Biden’s age probably has played a role in alienating a group that is both essential for Democrats and historically harder to galvanize than older voters, who more consistently show up at the polls.

What’s more, the biggest step Biden is taking is incremental and not in his full control. The president wants regulators to move marijuana from a Schedule I classification under the Controlled Substances Act — the most restrictive category of drugs that also includes heroin — to Schedule III, a still highly regulated group of drugs that includes anabolic steroids.

That decision is now under review by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which has historically resisted looser drug laws and usually taken many years to review such rule changes within the law, which has been in effect since 1971.

Even if the DEA agrees, it will not mean marijuana is legal at the national level, something that frustrates some cannabis advocates.

“In the year 2024, it’s fair to expect more from a Democratic president,” said Matthew Schweich, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit trying to loosen laws at the local, state and federal levels.

Schweich said he worries about Trump returning to office but believes Biden has done the “absolute bare minimum,” missing a political opportunity to push for legalization in Congress and to advocate for the complete removal of marijuana from the controlled substances list, which Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and 11 other Democratic senators urged in a January letter to the DEA.

Trump, whose administration threatened federal enforcement against localities and states that had legalized marijuana, is unlikely to attract support from legalization advocates.

Polling that Lake has done for the industry shows even the incremental step Biden is seeking could boost his approval by as much as 9 percentage points with younger voters in battleground states. But it’s hardly certain how that would play out.

A campaign aide, who would speak only on condition of anonymity, said marijuana policy is one of a number of issues the campaign believes will motivate young people — important but not as prominent as top-tier concerns including college affordability, reproductive rights, the economy, climate and healthcare.

The campaign cautions against treating young people as a monolith, noting that they care about a variety of issues and tend to see connections between them. Democrats, through a variety of methods including social media influencers and a newly launched campus outreach program, are trying to make the broader case to young people that Biden is fighting for equity and change while Trump is looking backward.

They note that young voters proved critical not only in Biden’s 2020 election but also in the 2022 midterm elections, when concerns over democracy and abortion rights helped the party perform better than expected.

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Overall support for legalization is now at 70%, the highest recorded by Gallup, which began polling the question in 1969, when just 12% of Americans favored legalizing marijuana. The substance is legal in 24 states and Washington, D.C., for adults, and a total of 38 have made it legal for medical use, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a legalization advocacy group.

The administration has pitched its marijuana agenda as part of its broader efforts to change other criminal sentencing laws and to improve job and business opportunities for people who have spent time in jail or prison.

Lake argues the two efforts combined could help Biden with Black men, another group where he has lost significant support since winning election in 2020.

Padilla said he still gets asked about marijuana regulations regularly, even though California was the first state to pass a medical-use law in 1996. “It resonates with a lot of people,” he said.

In practical terms, reclassifying marijuana changes little. Federal penalties would remain the same, though the Justice Department has for decades treated most marijuana crimes as low-priority prosecutions. It would remain illegal to transport pot across state lines, meaning access to banks and financial markets will remain a hurdle, even for companies operating in states that have legalized pot.

The biggest difference is that scientists and doctors could more easily study the drug for medical uses, something that is now practically banned. Such a change could open the door for greater acceptance. It also would lower tax burdens for the industry in states where it is legal, by allowing deductions for ordinary business expenses that are currently prohibited by the Internal Revenue Service.

Other potential changes are less certain. Banks and credit card issuers, for instance, would not immediately lift restrictions on marijuana transactions, though that could come if regulators in the Treasury Department decide to take up the issue, according to Shane Pennington, an attorney specializing in the Controlled Substances Act who has industry clients.

Biden proposed reviewing marijuana’s status in October 2022, a process that usually takes an average of more than nine years, Pennington said. The Department of Health and Human Services recommended Schedule III in August, the first step toward a change. A DEA spokesperson, in an email, said the agency would not discuss the issue while it is under review.

“It often takes a very long time, but we’re in unprecedented territory here” because the order came directly from the president, Pennington said.

Harris, in her roundtable discussion on marjuana reform, showed her impatience.

“I cannot emphasize enough that they need to get to it as quickly as possible, and we need to have a resolution based on their findings and their assessment,” she said.

The rushed nature of the process could expose the administration’s actions — which are almost certain to draw lawsuits — to further scrutiny.

Kevin A. Sabet, a former marijuana policy advisor in the Obama administration who heads an anti-legalization group, noted that Biden’s Health and Human Services Department released its preliminary recommendation at 4:20 p.m., slang for weed smoking time, underscoring the political nature of a normally button-down regulatory process. He argued that the decision was poorly crafted and could run afoul of U.S. treaty obligations.

But Sabet also agrees with advocates that Biden could have gone further.

“I think what the president wants to do is reap some of the benefits of the guy who’s embracing all this stuff without actually becoming in favor of legalization,” said Sabet, who heads the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Recipe: Chorizo and potato empanadas make a handheld spring meal

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By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Spring weather is here, and I’ll bet you can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

My bike is already at the ready in the backseat of my car, awaiting the days when I can hop onto a bike path or trail after work and ride with the wind on my face and setting sun in my eye.

Spring is also a good idea to have a few hand-held meals like these easy Mexican meat-and-potato empanadas waiting in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, all you have to do is throw them into the oven for a few minutes to reheat.

If the thought of making fresh dough scares you, it shouldn’t. The dough in this recipe has just five ingredients (plus ice water) and comes together like a dream.

It quickly mixes into a soft and pliable ball using just your fingers and a fork, and it’s extremely forgiving as long as you let it rest in the fridge for a spell before rolling it out on a flour-dusted work surface.

I made these empanadas with ground chorizo sausage because I like spicy foods, but any ground or finely chopped cooked meat or vegetable, or combination thereof, makes a great filling. You also can add shredded cheese if you’re so inclined.

I precooked the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of water for 3 minutes in the microwave, but you also could parboil them with a little salt until they are fork tender.

Serve with salsa verde or chimichurri for dipping. I made mine with cilantro, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of red pepper. You may end up with a little extra filling — I had enough for two street-sized breakfast tacos.

Chorizo and potato empanadas

A savory handpie stuffed with Mexican chorizo and potato makes quick and filling dinner. (Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

PG tested

For dough

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

For filling

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup chopped white onion (1/2 large)

1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

2 hot chili peppers, seeded and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound loose chorizo sausage

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces and cooked

Generous pinch of Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon salt

Generous grind of fresh black pepper

Egg wash, for sealing and brushing tops of pies

Directions

Make dough: In a large bowl, mix flour with salt until blended. Add butter chunks and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal or sand with some pea-size butter lumps.
In another small bowl, beat together egg, water and vinegar with a fork. Add to the flour mixture, and stir just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Don’t worry if it looks a little shaggy, as it will soon come together!
Pour flour mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and after gathering it into a loose ball with your hands, knead it gently once or twice until it comes together in a soft dough. Form the dough into a rectangle, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least a half-hour while you prepare the filling.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and baking pan with parchment paper.
Prepare filling: Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add onions and cook until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add peppers, stir to combine and continue cooking for another minute or two. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add chorizo to pan and cook, breaking it up with a wood spoon, until well browned and cooked through.
Add cooked potatoes and stir to combine. Add oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Assemble empanadas: Divide dough into 8 portions (for large) or 16 portions (for small). On a lightly floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll each into a 7-inch circle (for large) or 4-inch circle (for small).
For large empanadas, place about 1/3 cup of filling in the center of the dough circle; for small empanadas, use about 2 tablespoons.
Brush a little egg on the outer edges, then fold the dough over to enclose the filling and form a half moon. Use a fork to press the edges to seal, then place on prepared baking sheet. If you like, brush egg wash on top. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Bake empanadas for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is a picture-perfect golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for a minute or so (so you don’t burn your tongue) and serve warm, with salsa verde or chimichurri, for dipping.

Makes 8 large or 16 small empanadas.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Calder Trophy? Wild’s Brock Faber ‘would much rather make the playoffs’

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Connor Bedard is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best rookie — as expected pretty much the moment he was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks with the first pick in last June’s entry draft.

But Brock Faber has made it a two-man race.

The former Gophers star who was last year’s Big Ten defensive player of the year has been nothing short of a revelation in his first full NHL season, becoming not just a stout, reliable presence on the blue line but a burgeoning leader in the dressing room.

In a poll of nhl.com writers, Bedard, the NHL’s rookie leader with 21 goals and 56 points, received 66 points. Faber was second with 56, and Wild center Marco Rossi was fifth with 19.

With 11 games remaining, Faber already has the second-most points by a rookie in franchise history, 40 through 71 games heading into Thursday night’s game against San Jose at Xcel Energy Center. His 40 points are tied with New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes for second behind Bedard’s 56, and his 33 assists are second only to Bedard’s 35.

Faber, 21, is currently the only challenger according to oddsmakers MGM Sportsbook, FanDuel and DraftKings. Asked Wednesday if he is paying attention, he answered quickly and unequivocally.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I don’t like to read into those things and, frankly, would much rather make the playoffs.”

The Wild still have a chance to earn a Western Conference wild card playoff spot, but the odds are against them. They’ll start Thursday’s game nine points out of that spot with 11 regular-season games left, and since the NHL moved to an 80-game schedule in 1974-75 (it’s now 82 games), no team has ever made the postseason after being more than seven points out through 70 games.

And that happened just once.

Still, Faber’s season has been a highlight for the Wild, and a bright harbinger for the team’s future. Whether he wins the Calder or not, the big blue liner appears to have a bright future.

“I’ve heard the talk, obviously,” Faber said. “I don’t really know what goes out on Twitter about it, but I try to stay away from that. Obviously, I have the utmost respect for every other rookie in the league. But I really try not to focus on that.”

Teammate Marco Rossi is part of a small group behind Bedard and Faber, alongside Hughes and Calgary winger Connor Zary, receiving Calder consideration. With two goals in his last game, Rossi reached the 20-goal mark and passed Marian Gaborik for second on the Wild’s rookie list. Only Bedard (21) has more rookie goals this season.

Rossi and Faber also have a chance to pass Jordan Greenway (81) and become the first Wild rookies to play a full 82-game season. Asked if that would mean something to him, Faber was, again, quick and unequivocal.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I take pride in staying healthy and taking care of my body, even though that doesn’t always make the difference, right? Sometimes injuries just happen. But, yeah, that would be really cool, for sure.”

They’re back …

Center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin are set to return from lower-body injuries Thursday night, good news for the team but bad news for a couple of players who will be squeezed out of the lineup.

Eriksson Ek, out since March 12, will retake his spot on the top line, and another forward to the press box. After Thursday’s morning skate, coach John Hynes said the team was waiting to hear about “another questionable forward from an injury perspective.”

In any case, rookie Marat Khusnutdinov was expected to play against the Sharks.

Briefly

Filip Gustavsson will start in net against San Jose, Hynes said.