Perfect Turkey
This recipe makes a super moist and flavorful holiday turnkey. Brining the turkey overnight is worth the time and trouble.
INGREDIENTS
1 Whole Turkey (Approx 18 Pounds)
2 Cups Kosher Salt
1 Cup Melted Butter
2 Large Peeled & Chopped Onions
4 Peeled & Chopped Carrots
4 Chopped Celery Stalks
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Cup White Wine
Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and set aside. Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Put the turkey in a large stock pot filled with cold water and covered. Place in the fridge overnight to allow the turkey to soak (brine). When ready to cook the turkey remove from the fridge and thoroughly rinse the turkey and throw away the brine mixture. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Brush the turkey with ½ of the melted butter. Place the breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, ½ of the carrots, ½ of the celery, 1 sprig of the thyme and the bay leaf. Place the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover with the white wine. Roast uncovered for 4 hours. Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time. Brush with the remaining butter. Remove from the oven and allow the turkey to stand for 30 minutes before carving. Serves 12
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
6 Peeled & Cubed Sweet Potatoes
¾ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Cup Butter
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 30 minutes until tender. Drain and put back into pot. Add the butter and let melt for 1 minute. With an electric mixer on low, blend the potatoes for 30 seconds. Slowly add the cream a bit at a time and continue beat on low. Add the salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Beat for another minutes until smooth. Garnish with parsley. Serve warm. Serves 6
Whisky Apple Sausage Stuffing
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Diced Apples
½ Cup Raisins
1 ½ Cup Apple Juice
2 Teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Sage
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 ½ Cups Melted Butter
¼ Cup Whisky
1 Chopped Medium Shallot
1 Pound Cooked Sausage Links (Remove Casings)
8 Cups Sourdough Stuffing
1 ½ Cups Chopped & Toasted Pecan
In a large bowl combine the apples, raisins, apple juice, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, sage, kosher salt, butter and whiskey. Combine and set aside. In a separate large bowl add the cooked cut up sausage, chopped shallot, sourdough stuffing, pecans and combine. Next add the apple-raisin mixture over the bread and sausage mixture. Mix to combine. Stuff a turkey or whole chicken with the stuffing or transfer the mixture to a well greased loaf pan. Bake in the turkey/chicken or uncovered at 400° F for 45 minutes or until the top is crusted. Remove from the oven and serve. Serves 8
Teriyaki Ribs
INGREDIENTS
4 One Pound Racks Pork Baby Back Ribs
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 Thinly Sliced Green Onions
½ Cup Teriyaki Sauce
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
4 Peeled & Chopped Fresh Ginger
12 Ounces Apple Jelly
Heat the ribs and ½ cup water in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 60 minutes until tender. Transfer to a platter. Prepare the glaze in a 1 quart saucepan. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the green onions and cook. Stir frequently until golden. Stir in the teriyaki sauce, cornstarch, apple jelly, ginger and ¼ cup water. Cook until the mixture thickens and boils. Make sure to stir frequently. Boil for 1 minute. Place the ribs on a broiler pan lined with foil. Turn on the broiler to high. Brush the ribs with the teriyaki glaze. Place the broiler pan on the bottom rack away from the heat. Broil for 20 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with the glaze. Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter. Serves 4
Sauerkraut Pork Chops
This dish is so very easy to make. It goes well with potatoes and a green salad.
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Sauerkraut
½ Cup Chicken Broth
½ Pound Sliced Bacon
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Grain Mustard
½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
6 (1 Inch Thick) Pork Chops
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Chopped Shallots
1 Chopped Yellow Onion
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
In a Dutch oven heat the olive oil. Place the garlic, shallots and onion in the heated oil and sauté for 1 minute. Add the pork chops to brown on both sides. Add the uncooked bacon and sauté for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let stand for a few minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken broth and mustard. Pour chicken broth mixture over the pork chops and other ingredients that have been standing in the Dutch oven. Add the salt, thyme, oregano, pepper and paprika. Finally place the sauerkraut (with the juice) on top to help keep the pork chops moist. Place the covered Dutch oven in a preheated 350° F. oven and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6
Pumpkin Soup
Not sure what to do with those Halloween pumpkins? Make pumpkin soup! It is a nice change of pace and goes well on a crisp fall day.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds Pumpkin
1 Large Onion
1 Large Potato
1 Large Carrot
1 Celery Stalk
3 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Cream
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives or Italian Parsley To Garnish
Cut open the pumpkin(s) and remove the seeds. Cut out the meat of the pumpkin making sure not to use the skin. Chop up the pumpkin into chunks. Peel and chop the onion, potato and carrot. Remove any strings from the celery and then chop into pieces. Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and add all of the vegetables (including the pumpkin). Cook gently over a medium low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and don’t allow the vegetables to brown. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the vegetable stock cube. Stir. Simmer for 25 minutes over a low heat until the vegetables are just cooked. Turn off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a food processor and pulse until the soup is a purée. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender. Return the puréed vegetables to the saucepan and add both the salt & pepper. Add the cream and gently heat the soup for 10 minutes over a low heat. Add more vegetable stock if you would like to thin the soup out a bit. Remove from the heat and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with chopped chives or Italian parsley. Serves 4
Cheese Bread
This cheese bread is so good. I am certain that you will get hooked on this bread! You can make dinner rolls out of this recipe by simply dividing into smaller pieces.
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Softened Butter
½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Cottage Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grate Parmesan Cheese
Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of lukewarm water. Make sure that the water is NOT hot or it will kill the yeast. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Knead by hand. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. This is a great workout for your arms! Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour until doubled. Punch down the dough and form into a 9 inch log. Place it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Loosely cover with greased plastic and let it rise until the bread is one inch above the rim of the pan.
If you are making dinner rolls divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Bake the risen dough in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes for the rolls and 30 minutes for a loaf. Remove from the oven and serve the rolls warm or let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 rolls or 1 loaf (16 slices).
Chopped Endive & Gorgonzola Salad
I had a version of this salad in a Boston restaurant recently and thought that I would try and duplicate it. I made it tonight for dinner and it turned out perfect! It was actually better than what I had in the restaurant.
INGREDIENTS
1 Small Red Onion
4 Heads Endive
¼ Pound Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
¼ Cup Oil & Vinegar Dressing
Juice of 2 Lemons
Chop 1 small red onion and place into a medium bowl. Squeeze the lemons over the chopped onions and let sit for 45 minutes. Soaking the onions in lemon juice will take the edge off quite a bit. Chop 4 heads of endive and place into a serving bowl. Set aside. Add the lemon soaked onion and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Pour over ¼ cup of the oil and vinegar dressing and toss. Serves 4
Dressing:
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Aged Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt.
Ginger Beef
Most Friday nights I go out for some sort of Asian meal. I call it “Get Your Asian On Fridays.” For me it’s a nice break from the normal weekday meals. I think I’ve tried just about every Chinese and Thai restaurant near my apt. Sometimes I just like to make some sort of stir fry at home. Here is a tasty Ginger Beef recipe that I think you’ll like. If you’re not a fan of the mushrooms then swap them for a vegetable that you do like.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Beef Flank Steak
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dry Sherry
3 Teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Minced Garlic Clove
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
8 Ounces Sliced Mushrooms
1 Large Thinly Sliced Carrot
8 Ounces Sugar Snap Peas or Snow Peas
2 Diced Celery Stalks
1 Thinly Sliced Onion
2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
8 Ounces Fresh Bean Sprouts (Optional)
Cut the steak lengthwise in half. Slice the steak crosswise into 1/8 inch thick slices. In a medium bowl mix the steak, soy sauce, sherry, ginger and garlic. Set aside. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and carrots. Stir often until the liquid evaporates and then transfer to a large bowl. In the same skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium high heat and add the sugar snap peas (remove the strings), celery and onions. Cook and stir until tender and crisp. Stir in the bean sprouts if you want the bean sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into the bowl with the mushroom mixture. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and ½ cup of water until the mixture is smooth. In the same skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium high heat until very hot. Add half of the steak mixture and cook. Stir constantly, until the beef loses its pink color. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Repeat with the remaining steak mixture. Finally, return the vegetables and all the beef back to the skillet or wok. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook. Stir constantly until the liquid is slightly thickened and comes to a boil. Remove and serve. Serves 4
Sweet Potato Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
10 Tablespoons Butter
½ Cup Milk
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2 inch chunks. In a medium saucepan, heat the sweet potato chunks and enough water to cover to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain. Place cooked potatoes into a medium bowl and mash well. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and cooled mashed sweet potatoes. Mix just until combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into an 8 inch square. Cut the dough in half. Cut each half into 10 equal pieces. Gently place the biscuits 1 inch apart on two large cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper. Place the cookie sheet on 2 separate oven racks and bake the biscuits for 14 minutes until golden brown. Make sure not to over bake. Serve warm. Makes 20 biscuits.
