Monthly Archives: December 2009

Turkey Part Deux

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Wow…I just realized that I did not post this right after Thanksgiving.  We love turkey and I find it one of the easiest proteins to make, so explain to me why I don’t make it more often?  Why do I only save it for Thanksgiving?  I fear that I must now walk the “Cooking Hall of Shame”.

Of course, I did not take a picture of the turkey.  We had our Thanksgiving on the Sunday following, as Boo was at her father’s for the actual day.  This did give me a extra time to get everything together.  The menu is always the same:  roast turkey,  sage dressing, green bean casserole (although I now make it from scratch using Guy Feiri’s recipe  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/the-mean-green-recipe/index.html), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, broccoli with cheese sauce, rolls, and my new recipe for pumpkin pie.

Although I had plenty of time to fix our meal when it came time to sit down to eat the chaos started.   MJ decided that she wanted us to watch the Star Trek Blu-Ray, since it was now on DVD.  She dashes to her car and jets over to Walgreen’s (about four blocks away) – not there.  A quick call to me to let me know that she was on her way to Target (about three miles away).  I asked if she tried Barnes and Noble (across the street from Walgreen’s), but the child was on a mission, she was listening to no one!  No success at Target, but another quick call to me to say she was on her way to Wal-Mart (about five miles from Target).  In my mind’s eye, I think that this was her own version of “Black Friday”.  Driving all around town just to find that one item.  Anyway, we had a delicious dinner and then watched “Star Trek”.

I am not a Trekkie, but I really enjoyed the movie.  I was amazed at how well the young man who played the young Spock (Zachary Quinto) looked and acted like the Leonard Nimoy “old” Spock.  I enjoyed it so much, that I could even watch it a second time. That statement alone could earn me many brownie points with my own little geek girl, Boo.

The next day I made “Rescued Turkey Stock”, packed the left-over turkey into several packets for us to eat over the next month and made one of Boo’s favorite Giada DeLaurentiis’ pasta recipes.  The picture does not do this recipe justice at all.  It really is a very pretty and festive pasta.  Don’t blame the pasta, blame the photographer!

How nice to have roasted turkey in the freezer just waiting for me to make Turkey Soup, or Hot Browns, or to have some for a salad or sandwich for lunch.  And home made turkey stock!  Well, it just makes me feel very Suzie Homemaker – Joy Rising!

Rescued Simon and Garfunkel Turkey Stock

From: Basic Knowledge

Notes: I call this “Rescued Turkey Stock”, because that is exactly what it is.  Too many people just cut off what meat they can from the turkey and then toss out the carcass.  Bad move.  This recipe will not only give you some amazing stock that you can either use right away or freeze, but you will be amazed at how much turkey meat falls off the bones during the cooking process.  I use the stock when I make soup, but also when I boil potatoes or rice.  It adds a wonderful, extra layer of flavor.  And, of course, Simon and Garfunkel because I always find myself humming that song, “Scarborough Fair” whenever I make anything with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme!

Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass

16-17 cups cold water

3 celery ribs (I don’t slice them or toss away the “tree” sections)

3-4 carrots (again, I don’t slice or peel them)

2 softball sized onions (no need to peel as the skin adds color to the stock, just cut into quarters)

4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1T dried)

2 bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)

5-6 sage leaves (or 2 tsp dried)

8-10 sprigs fresh parsley

1T salt

1T pepper

1.  After you have removed what meat you can from the turkey carcass, break about the bones as best you can.  The size of the pot you use will greatly depend on how much you can break down the turkey.  If you have a pot that will hold the carcass without breaking the bones, go for it.

2.  In the stock pot place in the carcass, then add in the water.  Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.

3.  Turn back the heat to medium (just so that it remains at a bubbling simmer) and add in the veggies and seasoning.

4.  Let this simmer for 3-4 hours.  Cool slightly.  Remove the bones (now you can toss them).  Pour the stock through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a container.

You can either use this right away, store it in the refrigerator for up to one week, or place it in the freezer.

Now, on to the pasta.

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Holiday Ravioli

From: Giada DeLaurentiis

Serves 4

1 package won-ton wrapper (can be found in most grocery store where they have fresh herbs)

4-5 fresh sage leaves

4T butter

leftover turkey

leftover cranberry sauce

leftover dressing

leftover broccoli (or other veggie)

small bowl of warm water

1.  Lay out even number of won-ton wrappers (we usually each eat four “ravioli”, so I lay out 16 wrappers).

2.  In the middle of one wrapper lay out small amount of turkey and what ever leftovers you wish.  I don’t leave out the cranberry sauce, as it gives the “ravioli” a nice tang.

3.  Using you finger dip it into the water and run it around the edges of the wrapper with all the goodies.  Place another wrapper on top of it, pressing down the edges, then dip your finger again into the water and around the edges.  You want to get a tight seal so that none of the leftovers will leak out during the sauteing process.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers.

4.  In a saute pan, on medium heat, place in the butter and the sage.  Allow the butter to brown and the sage to release it’s favor into the butter.  Remove the sage and place, careful as the butter is hot, as many “ravioli” as will fit comfortably into your pan.  Cover the remaining “ravioli” with a slightly damp cloth, so that they will not dry out.

5.  Saute for about three minutes or until this side is a nice brown in color.  Flip and saute for another three minutes or until a nice brown color.

6.  Remove the “ravioli” from the pan and serve.  I usually top each plate with one or two of the fried sage leaves.

The French Chef, a Blizzard, and The Best French Onion Soup

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It sure is beginning to look a lot like Christmas is coming here in Nebraska.  Our first blizzard of the winter season.  So far we have about twelve inches, with another three to four projected by morning.  Yippee??

If we can figure out how to put a man on the moon, figure out how to transmit data/voice wireless, figure out how to capture the wind and turn it into power, why oh why can we not figure out how to make the snow ONLY land on the ground not on sidewalks and driveways??  Shoveling one or two inches once a day is not a big deal.  However, shoveling three or four inches every six to eight hours for the first snow fall of the season is disheartening…especially when you realize that this is only the first week of December.  Our winter will last another three more months.  What else is in store for us this winter?

I did have a wonderful blessing in the middle of my second shoveling session.  Two of my dear, sweet cousins surprised me by coming down to my home and helping with the shoveling.  Such darling young men.  I found it very hard to grumble and feel sorry for myself when I had those two special young men helping me.  Colton and Shea are such kind souls.  Their parents have every reason to be proud of them.  The only “attitude” they showed me was an attitude of service.  Huge smiles on their faces all the time we were shoveling.  Those extra four arms and two shovels made a task into a memory to store in my heart.  I must admit, the time just flew by and I wanted it to last longer.  They are moving tomorrow, weather permitting, out of our neighborhood.  They are moving only about two miles away, but they won’t be three doors away.  It was always a source of comfort to me knowing that they were so close.  Just a quick walk for me to bring them extras of all my cooking/baking experiments.  Their new home is in a wonderful neighborhood, with lots of their classmates close, and their new home is awesome!  I truly am so happy for them.

Since the DVD of “Julia and Julie” is available today to rent what better way to celebrate “The French Chef” (Julia Child) then by eating a warming bowl of French Onion Soup while I watched the movie?  While I sliced the onions it brought back memories of my backyard neighbor from my “other life” (marriage).   Kathy was an amazing cook.  She brought grace, elegance, and joy to everything she made.  I wanted to be just like her in the kitchen.  The toffee that she gave out every year for Christmas was something I looked forward to each year.  She must have been so tired of telling me each year that this was her special recipe and just could not share it with me.  Sad for me, this will be another year that I won’t be a receiver of this special candy again this year.  I lost that treasure in the divorce.   Why is it that friends are more things that are “divided” up in any divorce?

Gracious, is it the freezing weather that is freezing up my brain?  Why the sadness in my writing?  Why am I being such a big baby?  Shift gears and get back to the French Onion Soup.  It was awesome and I really wanted to eat two bowls, but restrained myself.  The leftovers will make a great lunch for Boo and me.  She was pleased to know that the university has already canceled classes for tomorrow – now if only she would get a call that work is closed her day will be perfect.

This is a recipe that I have adapted from “Cooks Illustrated” and we just love it.  I find, as it is with most soups, time and reheating only makes it better.  Except for the tears you shed while you are slicing the onions, this is one of the easiest recipes for a hearty meal.  I do lazy it out by purchasing a great loaf of french bread from either the grocery store or a bakery.  Truly, is there anything better than the smell of onions roasting?  Okay, maybe turkey will beat onions, but this has to be a close second.  You can make your life easier by purchasing chopped onions in the freezer section of your grocery store, but I don’t mind the tears.  I hope you give this a try and will experience joy rising!

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The Best French Onion Soup

From:  adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Serves 6

Notes:

For the best flavor, make the soup a day or 2 in advance.
Ingredients:

Soup

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I use the sweet onions)
  • Table salt
  • 1T worcestershire  sauce
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson Certified  Chicken Broth )
  • 1 cup beef broth (again, Swanson)
  • 1 cup white wine (I like Pinot Grigio)
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine or just tossed in the pot (remove the stems before serving)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons

  • 1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:

For the soup:

  1. Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter and olive oil in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook covered on medium low heat, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, about 20 – 25 minutes.
  2. Turn heat to medium high and cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 20 – 30 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond (that’s the burned looking stuff on the bottom of the pot) that collects on spoon back into onions.)
  3. Stir in the wine, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until wine evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. This step is called “deglazing”.  The onions will be a  very dark brown. Stir in the Worcestershire Sauce and let the mixture cook about five minutes.
  4. Stir in the broths, add thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
  5. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.  At this point you can refrigerate the soup, after it cools, or continue.

For the croutons:

  1. While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   Set individual oven-safe crocks on baking sheet and place in one or two baguettes (the bread will help thicken the soup).  Fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with evenly with Gruyère.  Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 35 – 40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
  2. If you don’t have heat safe crocks to serve the soup, try topping the baguette slices, while still on baking sheet, with cheese and place bake under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Then carefully place baguettes onto soup in serving dish.