Nashville Meat and Three: Hot Wild Turkey, Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese, Chopped Kale Salad and Pinto Beans
As tens of thousands of fans, families, sportsmen and sportswomen descend upon Nashville, Tennessee, I wanted to make this recipe to honor the origins of this southern staple. Music City’s very own meat and three.
If you’re not familiar, the meat and three meal is one where you pick your meat from a daily selection of offerings and three side dishes to go with it. You can hope to find cornbread and sweet tea to be served with this meal as well. The meat and three has become popular coast to coast, especially in the south, but its roots can be traced back to Nashville at one of the earliest known meat and three diners called Hap Townes Restaurant, named after the father and son who ran it.
This kind of family style dining helped break down the racial barriers and led the way for black and white integration in the 1960’s. You’ll find no segregation of any kind or sort in these establishments as you sit shoulder to shoulder with family, friends or even strangers enjoying what some call the most foundational Southern meal you can have. Now you can find a spot just about anywhere that serves up delicious choices of fried chicken, catfish, meatloaf or liver and onions with sides such as green beans, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes and fried apples, to name a few. Don’t forget your chocolate pie or bread pudding for dessert. Oh, and you’ll need plenty of napkins too.
In honor of the NWTF’s incoming 50th-anniversary celebration in Nashville, I’m honoring an Eastern tom wild turkey that was killed last year for a wild take on Nashville’s famous meat and three.
So what better way for tens of thousands of people from all over America and the world to gather and get to know each other during their time at convention than by sharing a meal that was intended to be served with all. So make sure to support the local restaurants during your time by visiting the many meat and three shops this city has to offer. Enjoy!
Nashville Hot Wild Turkey
Ingredients:
- 1 wild turkey breast sliced longways into fingers
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vinegar-based hot sauce such as Tabasco
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 4 tablespoons of cayenne pepper (or more if you dare)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Whisk eggs, milk and hot sauce in bowl
- Whisk flour and a pinch of salt in another bowl
- Fill a dutch oven or a fryer with oil to measure 2 inches deep
- Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees
- Working with 1 piece at a time and careful to not crowd the fryer
- Dredge the turkey in the flour mixture, shake off the excess then add to milk, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, add back to the flour and then gently place into the fryer
- Fry until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. 4-6 minutes on each side.
- Transfer to a wire rack, let the oil return back to 325 degrees and add the remaining turkey to the fryer.
- Once finished frying, let the oil cool.
- Mix together cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder in a bowl carefully adding about a cup or the frying oil. Dip and toss the turkey with the oil and serve on top of white bread with plenty of pickles.
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cups unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 pound smoked gouda, shredded
- 1/4 pound shredded cheddar
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard, this will help give it that classic yellow color with the gouda and cheddar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil and season with a few large pinches of salt.
- Add the pasta and cook according to the package
- Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot melt the butter, whisking, until it slows down. 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the flour, constantly whisking, until smooth like gravy. About 1 minute
- Add the milk and whisk. Raise the heat to high to bring to a simmer then immediately turn the heat to low and continue to simmer until the sauce can light coat the back of a spoon. 2 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and add smoked gouda, white cheddar, parmesan, mustard powder, garlic powder, cayenne and black pepper.
- Whisk until the cheese is melted and smooth.
- Add the pasta and stir to combine.
- If you want a thicker and Mac n cheese, then transfer to a dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes
Chopped Kale Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 raisins
- 4 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- Vinegar based salad dressing of your choice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir to combine dressing coating each kale leaf
- Serve in chilled bowls or on the plate
Pinto Beans with Pickled Shallots
Ingredients:
- 1 can of cooked pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 of a sweet or white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoons cumin powder
- 4 cups chicken or beef stock
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black powder
- Pickled shallot
Instructions
- In a large pot add olive oil and heat to medium-high heat
- Add onion and sauté until translucent. About 4-6 minutes
- Add Garlic and cook for another minute
- Stir in the dried cumin and stir continuously for :30 seconds toasted the cumin
- Add the beans and stock and bring to a simmer
- Simmer until the liquid has cooked down and the beans are thickened
- Add more liquid if you need
- Turn off the heat and season with more salt if you need
- Serve with pickled shallots on top