Turkey and Dumplings!

Serves 6
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 stick Butter
2 cups Pearl Onions, trimmed and peeled
1½ cups Carrots, cut into 3/4” dice
1½ cups Celery, cut into 3/4” dice
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Thyme, minced
2 teaspoons Sage, minced
1 piece Bay Leaf
½ cup Flour
3/4 cup White Wine
¼ cup Dry Sherry
4 cups Turkey Stock or Chicken Stock
1 cup Milk
1½ lbs Cooked Turkey Meat, White and Dark, cut into 1” chunks
1 recipe Dumpling Dough (recipe follows)
Salt and Black Pepper
Pinch Nutmeg
Juice of one Lemon
Minced Parsley for garnish

1. In a large Dutch oven or 8 qt pot, heat the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Add the pearl onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, sage, and bay leaf. Season the mirepoix with salt and pepper. Sweat the vegetables until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the white wine, sherry, stock, and milk to the pot all at once. Stir well to mix and make sure there are no lumps. Season well with lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. Bring the mixture to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat, being careful to stir the bottom of the pot. The stock should thicken as it comes to a simmer. Add the chopped turkey to the pot, stirring well to combine.
4. Drop the dumplings onto the surface of the stew and reduce to heat to low and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the dumplings have expanded and are cooked through. Serve immediately garnished with chopped parsley.

Dumpling Dough

2 cups All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ cup Parsley, minced
1½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons Butter, Lard, or Shortening, cold, diced small
¾ cup Buttermilk, cold

1. Combine the first five ingredients and mix well. Cut the lard in until the mixture resembles a crumb. Slowly stir in the buttermilk until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
2. Roll the dough out to ½” thickness. (Use a light amount of flour if needed) At this point you may cut the dough into 2”x2” squares or pinch off 1”-2” balls of dough to drop in.