Tasty but homely

[lagatta]

Today I followed instructions on braising a turkey leg - the whole thing, thigh and drumstick (many recipes use "leg" to mean drumstick). I had made a brunoise with finely chopped celery, carrot and onion and had some very good stock previously made. I added some lemon juice and a little white wine.

I browned the leg on both sides in my little countertop oven, and set out to braise the leg, slowly, at a very low heat.

The flesh is delicious as is the concentrate stock + vegetables. But it all looks ... beige. Parsley? Little sweet peppers? Other ideas? I don't want a lot of tomato, as while I love tomatoes, I find they can be acidic, except in their peak several months from now.

[kerouac2]

You're lucky if it's beige. Some of my good dishes look grey. I could never serve them to a guest.

[bixaorellana]

Would it be the most awful sacrilege to add a drop or two of Maggi (or even Worcestershire) to the stock?

[kerouac2]

It's true that I sometimes rectify the colour with soy sauce.

In hopeless cases, adding a tin of tomatoes will disguise just about anything, but one doesn't always want to turn dinner into a tomato based dish.

[lagatta]

I do have light soya sauce (which is reduced-salt) and a thing called dark soya sauce, which is in my cupboard since at least five years as it must be used in such homeopathic quantaties, as it can turn dishes an evil black colour. Naturally fish sauce too, but I hadn't put any in the dish as I didn't want to salt it earlier on (I love salt, but of course have to take care not to eat too much).

I could also eat at least some of it with corn tortillas, or next to a green salad. I'm out of both Maggi and Worcestershire (which I rarely buy, dunno why as I do like it). I haven't put anything hot in it either. I may wind up putting something tomatoey in a portion of it. This turkey leg weighed well over a kilo, though obviously a lot of that is the bones. Although they were braised, I'm keeping them for another round of stock, as if I add some vinegar (I use cheap white wine vinegar, which doesn't taste nasty like the pickling stuff) there is more calcium etc to leach out of the bones.

I may also make some of it into an arroz con pavo, with more vegetables and the rice made with the good stock + brunoise veg. I do have a bunch of fresh green parsley to chop up!

[breeze]

The dish sounds delicious as is, so I think your idea of adding color is a good one. Parsley or chopped pepper or both. But since I'm lazy I'd just accept its beigeness and put broccoli or a green salad on the plate next to it.

Lagatta, do you find that lemon juice and white wine improve just about anything? I do.

[lagatta]

Lemon juice and white wine would improve an old boot.

Finally I did make a good part of it into an arroz con pavo, and it is plenty colourful, as there is some saffon I found in a kitchen cupboard as well as the pepper etc mix and another of mushrooms, tiny Chinese eggplant and more celery. The problem remains as to how to eat it all up - I think I'll freeze some if I can't eat it within 3 days or so.         

[bixaorellana]

I can come over!

[rikita]

i have a small bottle of blue food colouring in the fridge that is near the best by date. want it?