I cannot believe it is November already, and that means it is time for my annual Holiday Rant. I promise to try and be mellower this year, but Thanksgiving is the ultimate holiday for all of us foodies.
We celebrate the abundance we have been given by stuffing food inside other food then we stuff ourselves until we can’t move off the couch until Wal-Mart and Target open up at 5 a.m. the next morning. Despite the over commercialization of all holidays in America, Thanksgiving remains relatively unscathed. We still gather together as families, putting aside our differences, and partake in a feast prepared with love.
Traditions maybe scoffed at in this day and age, but they reign at the Thanksgiving table. Turkey is the centerpiece from which all other foods radiate. The turkey is a true American bird. It, after all, was Ben Franklin’s choice to be the symbol of our young country. In some ways I am glad Ben lost out on that fight. Roasted Bald Eagle just doesn’t sound appetizing to me.
Picking out the right turkey can be an arduous task. The supermarket aisles are loaded with choices running the gamut from Butterball to free-range to free (if you spend enough on all the trimmings at certain mega-stores). Look for a turkey that is free of anti-biotic and growth hormones (the only thing they do is help increase profits of poultry producers and give you a 20-pound turkey with 16-pound breasts, save those for Heffner’s parties).
Cooking a natural turkey is only slightly trickier and is worth the effort. Since a free-range turkey gets more exercise, the muscles are worked more, making them leaner and, since fat is flavor, we need to boost the fat in the bird. Butter, yes butter, don’t cringe here. Butter is better than the turkey being injected with hydrogenated soy asbestos or whatever concoction some chemist at DuPont comes up with. The object here is to create your own semi-self-basting bird. Soften butter at room temperature and stuff under the skin around the breasts. This will add flavor and moisture to the leaner breast meat. If you dare, chop fresh herbs and mix into the butter first. Thyme and sage work well.
When selecting your bird, allow 1-pound to 1½-pounds raw, per person. There is no such thing as too much turkey. After stuffing butter in your bird, the next step is seasoning. This is not the day to try out new seasoning combinations. Save your Himalayan curry blend or wasabi ginger soy tri-mix for another day. Sage, thyme, kosher salt and black pepper are fine. Season the inside of the cavity and the outside. Place the bird in the roasting pan on the rack. If you don’t have a roasting rack, chop celery, carrot and onions and place under the bird. It will also add great flavor to your gravy. Stuff the cavity with herbs, celery, garlic and onions. Roast in preheated 425° oven for 30 minutes. Baste with pan drippings. Reduce heat to 325° and roast for approximately three-and-a-half hours until thigh registers 165° on the thermometer. Let bird rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Gravy! This can be as contentious a topic as peace in the Middle East. Gravy is a sauce made from pan drippings, a thickening agent, aromatics and additional stock if necessary. To get flavorful gravy you must have a flavorful stock and pan drippings, since the thickening agent is starch based, and will lessen the flavor. Make stock from giblets and neck of turkey by simmering in water with celery onions and bay leaf. While turkey is resting, take pan drippings and remove grease (DO NOT THROW OUT. PLACE IN SMALL PAN). The fat from the drippings and butter from under the skin is where the turkey flavor comes from. Heat this in sauté pan and add an equal amount of browned flour this is your roux and will add flavor. Your grandma may have used water and flour or water and cornstarch but these will taste pasty. Bring your stock and remaining drippings, plus any juices from the un-carved turkey resting on the platter, to a simmer. Whisk in small amounts of roux until it reaches the desired consistency. Adjust seasonings and serve with turkey that is now ready to carve.
Now that the turkey and gravy dilemmas are put to rest, the next item for debate is the stuffing. Over the years I have tried to sneak in alternatives to plain traditional bread stuffing with mixed results. Cornbread stuffing does not fare well in Yankee territory and oyster, a favorite of mine, has my siblings threatening to order KFC. Fruit-enhanced stuffing (fig, apple, cranberry-orange or nut-based) seem to induce panic and hysteria as well. Last year I tried spinach and sausage bread stuffing. It was received well enough – that this year it might earn a spot at the big people’s table. Use a good sweet Italian sausage. The spicy variety is out of place with turkey.
Try cooking turkey the Persnickety-way. It should yield a moist flavorful bird with plenty of leftovers for the next couple of days. Leftover turkey should not be feared but embraced. At the end of the feast, when you are staring at the forlorn ravaged carcass, do not despair. Where others see trash, I see the base for the best turkey soup ever. Simply put the carcass in the largest pot you have. Cover with cold water, and put on low. When you awake to your Black Friday search-and-destroy mission, your olfactory senses will be greeted by the pleasurable smell of turkey stock. When you arrive home midday, simply pull out the bones and add some chopped leftover turkey. Sweat (to cook over medium low heat in order to draw out moisture by cooking without browning), some celery, carrots and onions until soft and tender. Add to soup. Season and enjoy.
If you have any energy left, you can even add some cooked pasta for turkey noodle soup. That will transport you into a Norman Rockwell landscape. Enjoy these tips and some of my favorite holiday dishes, including Sweet-Potato Pecan Pie, Sausage Stuffing and Cranberry-Orange Relish. Until December, Bon Appétit.
Spinach Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1½ Pounds sweet Italian sausage
- 8 Cups cubed Ciabbatta bread
- 1 Large onion diced
- 1 Head fennel diced – bulb only
- 4 Cloves garlic minced
- 1 Pound spinach stemmed, rough-chopped
- 2 Ounces Locattelli cheese
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In heavy skillet, brown sausage meat until ¾ cooked. Drain. Add onions, garlic and fennel. Cook until vegetables are tender. Deglaze with white wine. Reduce until almost dry. Add spinach. Cook until wilted.
- In large bowl with bread cubes, add meat mix, cheese, 4 eggs. Mix well. Moisten with turkey stock, about 2 cups more if moister stuffing is desired. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes in foiled-covered baking dish. Moisten occasionally with stock. Remove and fluff. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- ½ Pound sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- ½ Teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 Eggs
- 1 ½ Cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ Teaspoon vanilla
- 10 ” unbaked pie shell
- 1½ cups pecan pieces
- 4 eggs
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- ½ Cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ Cup cane syrup
- ¼ Cup light corn syrup
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Roast. Brush sweet potatoes with olive oil. Roast for one hour until tender. Let cool. Peel. Place sweet potatoes in bowl.
- Add the next six ingredients (molasses, ginger, nutmeg, eggs, cream and vanilla).
- Whisk until smooth. Pour into unbaked 10” pie shell
- Spread 1½ cups pecan pieces
- In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugars, syrups and salt. Pour over pecans.
- Bake pie at 375° for one hour until filling sets.
- Garnish with fresh whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
Cranberry Orange Relish
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 Large seedless orange cleaned, washed and quartered
- ¾ Cup sugar
- ½ Cup Grand Marnier
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except sugar, in food processor. Chop.
- Transfer to glass bowl. Add sugar.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve chilled.
