Creamy Turkey a la King

New Year's 2026. La Cocina de Consuelo officially launches as a city-funded program this month. The press release went out Monday. The local newspaper picked it up Wednesday. The Hartford Courant ran a small feature Friday with a picture of me at the food bank — Margaret the photographer had taken it last fall and Brian had submitted it. The feature was three paragraphs. It quoted me twice. Both quotes were correct, which is not always the case.

Tuesday food bank: black-eyed peas with rice and ham, the New Year tradition. Mr. Patterson loved it. He said, "Mrs. Carmen, my grandmother made this on January first." I said, "Mr. Patterson, mine made habichuelas blancas." He said, "Mrs. Carmen, the south does black-eyed peas. The Caribbean does white beans. Both are correct." I said, "Mr. Patterson, you have grown wise." He said, "Mrs. Carmen, I have grown old."

Wednesday La Cocina cohort 3 began. The first cohort of the city-funded era. Twenty-six students. Yolanda as full TA, Marcus as full TA, Mr. Patterson as TA. Same opening: arroz blanco and habichuelas. Same intro from me. The students were the students. A man named Ricardo who was sixty-five and had retired and was newly widowed. A woman named Janet who was Black and Puerto Rican and had been raised by her white grandmother in Bristol and had never learned the Spanish or the food. A young couple — Jamal and Marissa — who were getting married in June and wanted to learn to cook for their future household. The class was the class. The food was the food. The night went well.

Thursday Mami had a stretch of days where she did not eat much. Carmen the aide called twice that week with concerns. Dr. Tang came Friday. She said, "Carmen, the appetite is going. This is part of the progression. Do not push food. Push fluid." I bought small bottles of an electrolyte drink in flavors Mami did not hate. She drank a quarter of one a day. It was something.

Sunday David called from Brooklyn. He said, "Ma, I just signed the lease on the Isla space." I said, "Mijo, where?" He said, "Ma, Bushwick. Knickerbocker Avenue. A three-thousand square foot space. Forty seats. We start build-out in May. We open Q3 2026." I said, "Mijo, that is —" He said, "Ma, I know." I said, "Mijo, you tell Mami." He said, "Ma, I will. I will FaceTime her tomorrow." Wepa.

The week of New Year’s 2026 was the fullest week I can remember in a long time — the press release, the cohort, Mr. Patterson’s grandmother’s black-eyed peas, and then David on the phone saying Bushwick, Knickerbocker Avenue, forty seats. When a week asks that much of you, you need something that asks very little back. Creamy Turkey a la King is that dish for me: one pan, forgiving ingredients, enough to share. It is not the tradition food, not the teaching food — it is the Friday-night, sit-down, breathe-out food. And after the week I had, that is exactly what I needed to make.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 jar (2 oz) diced pimientos, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Toast points, biscuits, or egg noodles, for serving

Instructions

Soften the vegetables. In a large skillet or wide saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, about 6–8 minutes.
Build the roux. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the cooked vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the flour smells slightly nutty and no dry white patches remain.
Add the broth. Pour in the chicken broth gradually, whisking as you go to prevent lumps. Raise the heat to medium-high and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and beginning to thicken, about 3 minutes.
Add the cream. Reduce heat back to medium. Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Simmer gently for 4–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Add the turkey and peas. Stir in the cubed turkey, thawed peas, and drained pimientos. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until the turkey is warmed through and the sauce is velvety.
Taste and serve. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Spoon generously over toast points, warm biscuits, or cooked egg noodles. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamy Turkey a la King — What We Make When the Week Has Already Given Everything