Well, I haven't posted for a very long time. We had a very cold and harsh winter and spring here in the mountains outside of Boulder. Our usual odd mixture of warm sunny days interspersed with snow devolved into snow, cold and damp, and more snow. In terms of food, I just seemed to stick to warm food - stews and soups, using whatever fresh greens (kale and collards) that were still holding on in the greenhouses, combining them with the last of the summer beans and tomatoes in the freezer. Then the beginning of summer hit, with end-of-school year chaos, and I just haven't settled back down to writing.
On the other hand, friends keep asking me for recipes. So I return.
And I return to examine more closely the relationship between food and health, between the joy of cooking and how that nourishes our body and our soul. As a health practitioner with, I am constantly bombarded with information about foods that are supposed to be 'dangerous' to eat - pesticides on vegetables, water from plastic bottles, trans-fats, saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, any carbohydrates, food that's not in accord with your blood type, foods with cholesterol (some of these certainly are not good for you, others unfairly demonized) - as well as foods that you have to eat because they're good for you. Nowhere in any of the 'health' literature is there anything about enjoying food, about taking time to prepare the food, about taking the time to sit down and eat the food. In my cookbooks, I find much about the joys of preparing food, but little thought of good nutrition - except, of course, that the best cooks have always insisted on fresh, local ingredients.
So I hope, once again, to begin to link the two - the pleasure of cooking food with supporting our own health. Thanks to all who have enjoyed my past posts, and bon appetit to all!
04 July 2010
14 February 2010
COMFORT FOOD - LENTIL SOUP
It's the middle of February, and there is little sign of spring in Colorado. A few warm days to give us hope, followed by another snow storm. My thoughts turn to warming, comforting food. Stews and soups nourish the spirit and the body.
Lentil soup is simple and classic. It can be made in a simple vegetarian version, or with chicken stock for extra richness. I include two varieties - a Turkish variety that is simple and creamy, and a French version, which includes a variety of whatever vegetables I happen to have around.
Lentils provide incredible nutritional benefits. Lentils provide both soluble and insoluble fiber (essential for proper digestive function, and important in stabilizing cholesterol and blood sugar levels), and are loaded with folate, B6, and iron. Like all legumes, they are a good source of vegetarian protein, when combined in a meal with grains (eg a nice whole wheat loaf with the soup, or 1/2 C cooked brown rice or barley thrown into the soup just before serving). Lentils are low in calories, and have been linked to reduced breast cancer risk. They're inexpensive and easy to keep stocked away in the kitchen. And can be adapted to many different flavors and styles - simple, as in these recipes - or used in curries or salads or loafs.
Of all the beans, lentils are the most user friendly, since they require no soaking and cook up quickly. Red lentils are the quickest, and what is recommended for the Turkish soup, but the green and brown varieties have their hulls still intact, a richer taste, and provide more fiber. Each type of lentil has an individual taste - it's worth experimenting to see what you like.
French Lentil Soup
(adapted from 12 months of Monastery Soups by Brother d'Avila-Latourrette)
6 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
1 turnip or a piece of rutabaga, diced fine
1 bunch greens - kale, sorrel, spinach or chard
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 large potato, diced
1 bay leaf
2 C lentils (red, green or brown)
6 C water or water/stock mix (more if needed)
1 C tomato sauce (canned italian tomatoes, pureed in their juices, work well. I usually use tomatoes that I have frozen, either whole or cooked down, from my summer garden)
salt & pepper
Gather and prepare your vegetables. The amounts here are suggestions. Feel free to add more garlic, or a variety of greens, or perhaps a diced sweet potato. If you don't have all the vegetables on hand, or there's something on the list, don't worry - it'll still be lovely.
Clean your lentils - depending on your source, they may have small twigs or stones. Give them a bit of a wash, rinse and drain.
A large (4 quart) soup pot is important for soup. Ideally, these should be made of stainless steel. Cast iron can interfere with the cooking of lentils. Non-stick pots are, in my opinion, a serious health hazard (a topic for a different blog).
Heat the olive oil. Gently saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes, stirring all the while. When they are soft, add the other vegetables (except the greens and potatoes) and saute for another couple of minutes.
Add the lentils and everything else except the salt and pepper. Bring the mix up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until done. Keep an eye on the soup, stirring occasionally. Depending on the type of lentils used, and how thick or thin you want the soup, you may need to add more water or stock. If using small red lentils, this soup may be done in about 1/2 an hour. Brown or green lentils will take about an hour.
When the soup is done, season with salt and pepper.
Creamy Red Lentil Soup
(adapted from Classical Turkish Cooking by Ayla Algar)
1 C red lentils
1 1/2 C chopped onions
4 T butter
6 C stock (chicken, meat, vegetable stock or just water)
2 T flour
1 egg yolk
1 C milk
salt and pepper
Clean, wash, rinse and drain the lentils.
Melt 2 T butter, and gently saute the onions until soft and golden.
Add stock and bring to boil.
Stir in the lentils. Bring back to the boil
Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about half an hour, until very soft.
Puree the soup. I do this with a stick blender that I just stick in the pot, but you could also put it into a blender, or press it through a sieve.
In a separate pot (or, if you have removed the soup to puree it, clean out your first pot), melt the remaining 4T butter. Add the flour and mix it well with the butter, using a wooden spoon. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture is light brown. Then add the lentils slowly but steadily, stirring all the time to prevent lumps. Simmer very gently over low heat for three minutes, continuing to stir all the time.
Whisk the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl. Pour a little of the hot soup into the egg/milk mixture and whisk together. Then pour the egg/milk mixture into the soup, continuing to stir constantly.
Heat the soup but don't boil it. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Lentil soup is simple and classic. It can be made in a simple vegetarian version, or with chicken stock for extra richness. I include two varieties - a Turkish variety that is simple and creamy, and a French version, which includes a variety of whatever vegetables I happen to have around.
Lentils provide incredible nutritional benefits. Lentils provide both soluble and insoluble fiber (essential for proper digestive function, and important in stabilizing cholesterol and blood sugar levels), and are loaded with folate, B6, and iron. Like all legumes, they are a good source of vegetarian protein, when combined in a meal with grains (eg a nice whole wheat loaf with the soup, or 1/2 C cooked brown rice or barley thrown into the soup just before serving). Lentils are low in calories, and have been linked to reduced breast cancer risk. They're inexpensive and easy to keep stocked away in the kitchen. And can be adapted to many different flavors and styles - simple, as in these recipes - or used in curries or salads or loafs.
Of all the beans, lentils are the most user friendly, since they require no soaking and cook up quickly. Red lentils are the quickest, and what is recommended for the Turkish soup, but the green and brown varieties have their hulls still intact, a richer taste, and provide more fiber. Each type of lentil has an individual taste - it's worth experimenting to see what you like.
French Lentil Soup
(adapted from 12 months of Monastery Soups by Brother d'Avila-Latourrette)
6 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
1 turnip or a piece of rutabaga, diced fine
1 bunch greens - kale, sorrel, spinach or chard
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 large potato, diced
1 bay leaf
2 C lentils (red, green or brown)
6 C water or water/stock mix (more if needed)
1 C tomato sauce (canned italian tomatoes, pureed in their juices, work well. I usually use tomatoes that I have frozen, either whole or cooked down, from my summer garden)
salt & pepper
Gather and prepare your vegetables. The amounts here are suggestions. Feel free to add more garlic, or a variety of greens, or perhaps a diced sweet potato. If you don't have all the vegetables on hand, or there's something on the list, don't worry - it'll still be lovely.
Clean your lentils - depending on your source, they may have small twigs or stones. Give them a bit of a wash, rinse and drain.
A large (4 quart) soup pot is important for soup. Ideally, these should be made of stainless steel. Cast iron can interfere with the cooking of lentils. Non-stick pots are, in my opinion, a serious health hazard (a topic for a different blog).
Heat the olive oil. Gently saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes, stirring all the while. When they are soft, add the other vegetables (except the greens and potatoes) and saute for another couple of minutes.
Add the lentils and everything else except the salt and pepper. Bring the mix up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until done. Keep an eye on the soup, stirring occasionally. Depending on the type of lentils used, and how thick or thin you want the soup, you may need to add more water or stock. If using small red lentils, this soup may be done in about 1/2 an hour. Brown or green lentils will take about an hour.
When the soup is done, season with salt and pepper.
Creamy Red Lentil Soup
(adapted from Classical Turkish Cooking by Ayla Algar)
1 C red lentils
1 1/2 C chopped onions
4 T butter
6 C stock (chicken, meat, vegetable stock or just water)
2 T flour
1 egg yolk
1 C milk
salt and pepper
Clean, wash, rinse and drain the lentils.
Melt 2 T butter, and gently saute the onions until soft and golden.
Add stock and bring to boil.
Stir in the lentils. Bring back to the boil
Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about half an hour, until very soft.
Puree the soup. I do this with a stick blender that I just stick in the pot, but you could also put it into a blender, or press it through a sieve.
In a separate pot (or, if you have removed the soup to puree it, clean out your first pot), melt the remaining 4T butter. Add the flour and mix it well with the butter, using a wooden spoon. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture is light brown. Then add the lentils slowly but steadily, stirring all the time to prevent lumps. Simmer very gently over low heat for three minutes, continuing to stir all the time.
Whisk the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl. Pour a little of the hot soup into the egg/milk mixture and whisk together. Then pour the egg/milk mixture into the soup, continuing to stir constantly.
Heat the soup but don't boil it. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
18 January 2010
LUSCIOUS LEEKS
December and January are pretty dismal times for the home-garden cook. The home vegetable gardener (that would be my husband) can at least amuse himself with seed catalogs and starting seeds. (Even as I write, onions and salads are starting to germinate). For the cook, there are no such diversions. When I buy vegetables from the store I realize how much more taste and nutrition are held in my very-local-organic produce.
However, all is not lost. Struggling in our unusually cold winter, protected from deep snow only by unheated, plastic-wrap covered frames, a few brave vegetables survive. Digging under layers of insulating leaves and then deep into the earth, I find bright orange jewels of carrots. The collards and kales and chinese cabbages aren't doing much growing, but their green leaves provide bursts of flavor to stir fries. And, if I can excavate them out of the near-frozen grounds, I have my stalwart leeks - fine and tall, green and white.
Leeks are wonderful vegetables. Part of the allium family (think onion and garlic), they provide great nutritional benefit. Lots of fiber. Supplies us with manganese, iron, B6, folic acid, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. Stabilizes blood sugar. Alliums have been shown to reduce LDL and raise HDL cholesterol levels (that's good), and to lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that alliums reduce the risk of prostate & colon cancers, and that a flavanoid called kaempferol (present in leeks, tea and some other veggies) lowers ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancer risks. Way low in calories (16 calories/serving) - although I must confess I usually counter this benefit by combining in some way with butter!
I usually combine my precious leeks with other vegetables - a slow sautee with carrots and collards (as with onions, sautee them first before adding other vegetables), or a quick stir fry with bok choy and garlic, or as part of the vegetable medley in a beef stew - but they do deserve to be highlighted. They are famous in leek and potato soup (hot or cold), and are great in a bechamel (white) sauce laced with parsley, or braised, or in a cheese sauce, or simply sauteed in olive oil until tender and sweet.
As with many vegetables, bigger is not necessarily better. Big leeks look great but are often woody inside. Choose small but firm leeks (1 1/2" or less in diameter). Take off the outer tough leaves and the very top (the really dark green part) of the leek. The tops of the leeks often need a good washing. If you're slicing into small pieces, wash after you've sliced. If you're leaving them large or whole, you can slice lengthwise down the middle of the green part to open them up part-way, and rinse.
Braised Leeks
It's nice to leave the leeks long - cut the tops off, leaving the leeks 6-7" long. slit the green part of the leek to wash. Blanch in boiling water for about 7-10 minutes. Lay in a baking dish. Add butter, a sprinkle of salt, and a small amount of water to cover the bottom. Top with chopped parsley. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes. For extra fun/flavor, uncover, sprinkle with grated swiss cheese or a mix of cheese and breadcrumbs, scatter some small pieces of butter on top, and broil for a few minutes.
Sauteed Leeks
Slice the leeks crosswise into 3/4" pieces, and wash thoroughly. Melt olive oil and/or butter in stainless steel sautee or frying pan. Add the leeks and let cook for a long time at medium low heat, until leeks are tender and sweet - they'll almost melt.
The other night, for extra richness, I did a quick sauce. After the leeks were soft, I added a couple of tablespoons of flour to the pan and coated the leek/butter mix, and let it cook for a few minutes. Then I took the pan off the heat, added some hot milk, stirred very fast to mix, returned it back to the heat, and let it cook for a short time. I also put in a splash or two of sherry. Right before serving, I added a whole bunch of chopped parsley. Divine! (Sorry, I didn't keep track of amounts - it'll depend on the quantity of leeks that you start with. As a rough guide, Julia Child - my bible long before her deserved bestseller success - recommends 2T butter, 3T flour, 2C milk, 1/4 t salt for a basic bechamel).If you're looking for a gluten free/dairy free way to dress leeks up, I would recommend sauteing them slowly (as above) in olive oil. After they're really soft, add a little rice flour or arrowroot starch, coat and heat for a few minutes. Then add a white wine/stock mix, let simmer until thickened, and mix in the parsley at the end, as above.
For me, leeks are an essential part of winter vegetable eating. Their taste improves after a frost. They are deeply nourishing, and their warm sweet flavor lightens a cold winter night.
24 December 2009
CHRISTMAS STUFFING & GLUTEN FREE STUFFING
Sorry it's been a while since the last entry - the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas, current Hanukkah rush has taken up my spare moments.
Many people have commented on my turkey/stuffing entry. Thanks for your enthusiasm.
Christmas is coming. We currently have a broken oven at our house (I'm finding out how many recipes I can modify for a toaster oven!), so I wasn't planning much in the way of food. However, now it looks like we will have a new stove, so I'm thinking about the turkey.
Yet another remnant of my many years in England is the British Christmas dinner. This is turkey time in the British isles - or occasionally, a goose. Christmas Day is the big 'meal' day - turkey with two stuffings, brussel sprouts, white sauce (a kind of mush of bread and milk), gravy, roast potatoes. And for desert, the theme of dried fruit, fat and alcohol - steamed 'figgy' pudding (dried fruits, some bread crumbs, and suet or butter, drenched just before serving with brandy and lit on fire), Christmas cake (dried fruits, flour, eggs, butter baked in a cake in October or November, and then annointed weekly with whiskey), mince pies (dried fruit, alcohol and fat placed in individual pie crusts and baked, served with brandy butter, an incredible mix of butter, sugar and brandy). If lighter desert fare is desired, there is trifle - sponge cake soaked with sherry, fresh (not dried) fruit, custard and whipped cream!
I have been known to cook this meal single-handedly (with help from family members, of course). This year, I have limited the desert options - we will have only mince pies and trifle. If I don't feel like cooking on Christmas day, I won't (my local Chinese restaurant is open, and that sounds good to me). I'll leave it until sometime later in the week. But the turkey will have two stuffings.
In honor of that, here are a couple more stuffing recipes. Please refer to the Thanksgiving entry for the most important sausage stuffing recipe.
Remember - stuffings are not an exact science. All quantities are approximate - you really want to look at the mixture - is it too dry or too moist, is there enough bread or too much bread, are there enough flavorings. And go with your mood. I made my sausage recipe the other day (see previous post). It was going in lamb, so I wanted to lighten it up. I added the zest of an entire lemon, and some lemon juice, and lots of rosemary - amazing!
CHESTNUT STUFFING
The most difficult/tedious part of this recipe is preparing the chestnuts. You will need at least 12 chestnuts (I sometimes use up to double) and they need to be cooked and peeled. You can bake them (slice an x on the flat side of the chestnut with a sharp knife, place on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through) and peel them. Or you can boil them - slice off the top, place them in boiling water for 10 minutes, peel them, and then simmer them in stock or water for about 30 minutes. I have to confess - I hate this part. Chestnuts are not very reliable here in Colorado - I often get them home from the store to find them dry or rotten inside. If at all possible, I buy pre-cooked, pre-peeled chestnuts - they are sometimes frozen, sometimes in a vacuum pack bag, sometimes in a jar. These save me so much time (even if the do cost a fortune) and have plenty of taste. Don't bother with the canned ones - these are very mushy and have no taste.
Once you have your chestnuts, the rest is easy.
12 or more chestnuts, cooked, peeled and chopped into small-ish pieces
1 oz/2T butter (more if needed)
1 turkey liver, chopped into very small pieces
4 oz fresh white breadcrumbs (see sausage stuffing blog)
4 sprigs parsley, chopped fine
small onion, chopped fine
orange zest (optional but nice)
stock or orange juice
salt and pepper.
Melt the butter on medium-low heat. Gently fry onion then add the the turkey liver and fry until brown. Place in a bowl. Add all the ingredients except the stock, and gently mix. Then add a small amount of stock or juice until just slightly moist. That's it. As with all stuffings, place it in the bird just before cooking. This makes a small amount of stuffing - in our family, it's placed in the front of the bird, with the sausage stuffing in the main cavity.
GLUTEN FREE STUFFING
A few people have asked about gluten free stuffing. I suppose any of these recipes could be modified and made with gluten free bread. However, my experience with this bread is that it's too soft - not enough crumb - to hold a decent texture and absorb juices.
I prefer to use a grain option, my favorite being basmati rice. The grain should be cooked, and then mixed with the rest of the stuffing ingredients.
There are many ways of cooking rice, but this is my preferred method for stuffing and pilaf: to cook the basmati rice: place it in a large bowl of cold water. Stir gently with your fingers - the water will become slightly cloudy. Then drain out most of the cloudy water. Add fresh water. Repeat this process until the water is clear. Then drain the rice. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and a little salt. Bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the rice, and stir gently. Bring back to boil. Start tasting rice after 3 minutes. Cook 3-5 minutes, until just barely tender. Drain, and rinse, and let dry until needed for use.
I like to use the rice in the apricot/almond stuffing:
GLUTEN FREE ALMOND/APRICOT STUFFING
2 C dried apricots
1 onion, chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C chopped almonds
1 C raisins or chopped dates
1 1/2 C basmati rice
1 t grated orange rind
1 t allspice
1 t brown sugar
salt & pepper
2 T sherry
Cook rice according to above directions.
Soak apricots in water overnight. Strain and chop
Fry onions in butter.
Add all the ingredients except rice and sherry.
Add enough rice for a good mix (you will probably have some left over)
Add sherry until just moist
Many people have commented on my turkey/stuffing entry. Thanks for your enthusiasm.
Christmas is coming. We currently have a broken oven at our house (I'm finding out how many recipes I can modify for a toaster oven!), so I wasn't planning much in the way of food. However, now it looks like we will have a new stove, so I'm thinking about the turkey.
Yet another remnant of my many years in England is the British Christmas dinner. This is turkey time in the British isles - or occasionally, a goose. Christmas Day is the big 'meal' day - turkey with two stuffings, brussel sprouts, white sauce (a kind of mush of bread and milk), gravy, roast potatoes. And for desert, the theme of dried fruit, fat and alcohol - steamed 'figgy' pudding (dried fruits, some bread crumbs, and suet or butter, drenched just before serving with brandy and lit on fire), Christmas cake (dried fruits, flour, eggs, butter baked in a cake in October or November, and then annointed weekly with whiskey), mince pies (dried fruit, alcohol and fat placed in individual pie crusts and baked, served with brandy butter, an incredible mix of butter, sugar and brandy). If lighter desert fare is desired, there is trifle - sponge cake soaked with sherry, fresh (not dried) fruit, custard and whipped cream!
I have been known to cook this meal single-handedly (with help from family members, of course). This year, I have limited the desert options - we will have only mince pies and trifle. If I don't feel like cooking on Christmas day, I won't (my local Chinese restaurant is open, and that sounds good to me). I'll leave it until sometime later in the week. But the turkey will have two stuffings.
In honor of that, here are a couple more stuffing recipes. Please refer to the Thanksgiving entry for the most important sausage stuffing recipe.
Remember - stuffings are not an exact science. All quantities are approximate - you really want to look at the mixture - is it too dry or too moist, is there enough bread or too much bread, are there enough flavorings. And go with your mood. I made my sausage recipe the other day (see previous post). It was going in lamb, so I wanted to lighten it up. I added the zest of an entire lemon, and some lemon juice, and lots of rosemary - amazing!
CHESTNUT STUFFING
The most difficult/tedious part of this recipe is preparing the chestnuts. You will need at least 12 chestnuts (I sometimes use up to double) and they need to be cooked and peeled. You can bake them (slice an x on the flat side of the chestnut with a sharp knife, place on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through) and peel them. Or you can boil them - slice off the top, place them in boiling water for 10 minutes, peel them, and then simmer them in stock or water for about 30 minutes. I have to confess - I hate this part. Chestnuts are not very reliable here in Colorado - I often get them home from the store to find them dry or rotten inside. If at all possible, I buy pre-cooked, pre-peeled chestnuts - they are sometimes frozen, sometimes in a vacuum pack bag, sometimes in a jar. These save me so much time (even if the do cost a fortune) and have plenty of taste. Don't bother with the canned ones - these are very mushy and have no taste.
Once you have your chestnuts, the rest is easy.
12 or more chestnuts, cooked, peeled and chopped into small-ish pieces
1 oz/2T butter (more if needed)
1 turkey liver, chopped into very small pieces
4 oz fresh white breadcrumbs (see sausage stuffing blog)
4 sprigs parsley, chopped fine
small onion, chopped fine
orange zest (optional but nice)
stock or orange juice
salt and pepper.
Melt the butter on medium-low heat. Gently fry onion then add the the turkey liver and fry until brown. Place in a bowl. Add all the ingredients except the stock, and gently mix. Then add a small amount of stock or juice until just slightly moist. That's it. As with all stuffings, place it in the bird just before cooking. This makes a small amount of stuffing - in our family, it's placed in the front of the bird, with the sausage stuffing in the main cavity.
GLUTEN FREE STUFFING
A few people have asked about gluten free stuffing. I suppose any of these recipes could be modified and made with gluten free bread. However, my experience with this bread is that it's too soft - not enough crumb - to hold a decent texture and absorb juices.
I prefer to use a grain option, my favorite being basmati rice. The grain should be cooked, and then mixed with the rest of the stuffing ingredients.
There are many ways of cooking rice, but this is my preferred method for stuffing and pilaf: to cook the basmati rice: place it in a large bowl of cold water. Stir gently with your fingers - the water will become slightly cloudy. Then drain out most of the cloudy water. Add fresh water. Repeat this process until the water is clear. Then drain the rice. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and a little salt. Bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the rice, and stir gently. Bring back to boil. Start tasting rice after 3 minutes. Cook 3-5 minutes, until just barely tender. Drain, and rinse, and let dry until needed for use.
I like to use the rice in the apricot/almond stuffing:
GLUTEN FREE ALMOND/APRICOT STUFFING
2 C dried apricots
1 onion, chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C chopped almonds
1 C raisins or chopped dates
1 1/2 C basmati rice
1 t grated orange rind
1 t allspice
1 t brown sugar
salt & pepper
2 T sherry
Cook rice according to above directions.
Soak apricots in water overnight. Strain and chop
Fry onions in butter.
Add all the ingredients except rice and sherry.
Add enough rice for a good mix (you will probably have some left over)
Add sherry until just moist
22 November 2009
TURKEY TIME
I wasn't going to write about turkeys, but several people have asked me how I cook mine.
The first thing about turkeys is not to be afraid of them. The second is to have patience and just let them cook until done - and not any longer! My mother is very casual about turkeys - she thinks nothing of sticking one in the oven when we come to visit, and then having the leftovers for several days.
Some of my thoughts on turkeys...
To Brine or Not to Brine
Brining is certainly the fashionable cooking technique in the magazines and tv shows. I just don't get it. I don't have an objection to the gentle use of salt - from a health point of view, I think the people who obsess over eliminating sodium are doing more harm to their blood pressure from stress than if they just had the occasional sprinkle - but it seems insane to drench a piece of protein in salt water. The meat always seems salty to me. Also, while it is supposed to make the meat moist, to me it just tastes...well, wet. More poached than roasted. Also, the skin of brined turkey never gets crispy - and we love crispy skin. Also, you can't stuff a brined turkey - and my family lives for the stuffing.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff
Yes, we love stuffing. During my years in England, stuffing the bird was normal. Lately, the cooking fashion seems to be to cook the stuffing separately. Another fashion I just don't get, nor do I think there's any justification for health paranoia, as long as you stuff the bird just before cooking and make sure it is actually done before serving. A stuffed bird takes a bit longer to cook, but is worth the wait. Stuffing cooked separately is just flavored bread. The beauty of stuffing is that it absorbs the juices from the bird - the flavor is created from the mixture of whatever you've decided to put in with the flavor of the bird. The stuffing also helps keep the bird moist. So I'd rather stuff than brine!
To Cover or Not to Cover
If you cover (with tin foil or a baking bag), the bird won't dry out. On the other hand, it won't get beautiful and crispy. I use a technique I learned many years ago - I cover the bird with cheesecloth that has been soaked in olive oil or butter. The bird needs less basting. I sometimes uncover the turkey for the last fifteen minutes to crisp up the skin.
High or Low Heat
I mix it up here - I start with a hot oven to seal the skin, then turn the oven down quite low to cook the bird. The last fifteen minutes or so, I may turn the heat up a bit to crisp the skin (have I mentioned that my family likes crispy skin?)
TURKEY GUIDELINES
Prepare the turkey:
I usually rinse it the night before, and let it air dry in the fridge. I sometimes salt the skin the night before, as well - it helps to dry the skin (a dry skin helps absorb the fat you coat it with, and helps it crisp).
Let the turkey sit at room temperature for a while before cooking - a cold bird cooks less evenly.
Near cooking: Preheat the oven to 425 (400 convection).
I usually rub the skin with softened butter, mixed with salt and pepper (no salt if you've already salted the skin). You can also slip the softened butter under the skin. You can use olive oil instead of butter.
Stuff the bird just before cooking (see below for stuffing ideas).
Place the turkey in the roasting pan. I don't use a rack for turkey, and I don't have an expensive roasting pan.
Take a piece of cheesecloth and soak it in olive oil or melted butter. Place it over the bird, covering it as well as you can.
Cooking:
Place the bird in the hot oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
Turn oven down to 325 (300 convection). Roast until 165 in thigh (about 3 hours convection for a stuffed 15 lb bird).
A cheesecloth-covered turkey needs very little looking after. Every 30 to 45 minutes I might open the oven door and have a look - if it looks a bit dry, I'll baste it with the juices from the bottom of the pan (see options below for some other ideas).
When the turkey is done, the cheesecloth should slip off easily, revealing a golden skin. Check it when the bird is close to done - if the skin isn't as done as you like, take the cheesecloth off for the last ten minutes of cooking - you can turn the oven back up to high, to ensure nice browning.
Don't overcook the turkey!
Some options:
- if the bottom of the pan seems dry or close to burning, add 1/4 C stock or water or orange juice in the pan.
- 1/2 hour before the end, you can add 1 C warm white wine or orange juice in the bottom of the pan.
- if not crisp, put the heat back up high (425/400) for ten minutes at the end.
That's it - consult a real cook book about tying the bird up, letting it sit, carving, etc.
STUFFING
In England, it is traditional to do two stuffings for the Christmas turkey (obviously, they don't have Thanksgiving, since the Puritans were the ones who left England...) - one in the front cavity, then a smaller one in the back. I love to make stuffing, so I sometimes do this. I always make a traditional sausage stuffing. For the other, I might do a chestnut stuffing, or a sweeter stuffing with dried fruit and nuts. Stuffings give a lot of opportunity for creativity - the amounts are not exact, the flavorings optional. Adjust any recipe for your own personal taste, knowing that the flavors will become richer and more complex as they cook inside the bird.
Sausage Stuffing
2 oz butter (or more as needed)
1 lb onions, finely chopped
6 oz breadcrumbs
8-12 oz ground sausage meat, or breakfast sausages chopped into small pieces
liver from the turkey, chopped fine
fresh sage and thyme
A note on breadcrumbs: You can buy 'stuffing mix' breadcrumbs, but I never do. Here's what I do - I take a nice bread and chop it up or tear it up into small pieces and leave it to dry out a while. This is one time when I really do prefer white bread to whole wheat, although I might put a bit of whole grain bread in. I usually take off most, if not all of the crust. A nice sourdough works well. Don't skimp on the bread - commercial bread is too soft to make a nice stuffing. I don't spend too much time drying the breadcrumbs, although you can stick them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes. I just tear it up a few hours before (the night before, if I remember) - the air will dry it out. Dry, stale bread absorbs more juices than fresh soft bread.
Cook onions gently in butter, on medium low heat, in a cast iron or stainless steel frying pan. Add the sausage and liver and fry until the meat is nice browned. Put the onion/meat mix in a large bowl, and add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, sage and thyme to taste.
All these amounts are approximate - feel free to add more or less of anything. In addition, here are some ideas for optional extras: 1 egg (added at the very end), 3-4 T cream or stock (added at the end, if the mixture looks very dry), 1-2 apples, chopped fine and sauteed separately in butter. If your don't have fresh herbs, dry will do. Feel free to add more herbs - parsley, small amounts or rosemary, chives all mix well with the sausage.
Stuff in the bird just before roasting. Fill the cavity, but don't pack it in too tight. If there's extra, put it in the back cavity, or bake separately in a baking dish, adding some stock or wine to the mix (it'll take about 45 minutes)
Apricot and Almond Stuffing
2C/8 oz dried apricots
1 onion, finely chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C/2 oz chopped almonds
1C/4 oz raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of the two
4 oz breadcrumbs (prepared as in sausage stuffing recipe)
grated rind of one orange
1 t allspice
2 T sherry
1 t brown sugar (optional)
salt & pepper
Soak the apricots overnight. Try to get preservative-free apricots - they will look harder and darker and perhaps less appealing, but have much better taste (and no preservatives, of course). After soaking, drain them and chop finely
Fry the onions gently in the butter, and transfer to large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients except the sugar. If you're using dried cranberries, which are sweetened, don't add the sugar, otherwise add according to personal taste. Then add just enough sherry to moisten the mix. If it's too wet, you just have mushy stuffing.
Options: orange juice instead of sherry; different spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and star anise are all nice possibilities); some chopped dates or prunes instead of some of the apricots...pecans instead of almonds...like with all stuffing, play with the proportions - feel free to add more bread if it's too densely fruit-y, or more liquid if it's too dry. If you want to experiment with changes, just don't make it too complicated - too many flavors or ingredients can overwhelm your senses!
Enjoy your turkey!
The first thing about turkeys is not to be afraid of them. The second is to have patience and just let them cook until done - and not any longer! My mother is very casual about turkeys - she thinks nothing of sticking one in the oven when we come to visit, and then having the leftovers for several days.
Some of my thoughts on turkeys...
To Brine or Not to Brine
Brining is certainly the fashionable cooking technique in the magazines and tv shows. I just don't get it. I don't have an objection to the gentle use of salt - from a health point of view, I think the people who obsess over eliminating sodium are doing more harm to their blood pressure from stress than if they just had the occasional sprinkle - but it seems insane to drench a piece of protein in salt water. The meat always seems salty to me. Also, while it is supposed to make the meat moist, to me it just tastes...well, wet. More poached than roasted. Also, the skin of brined turkey never gets crispy - and we love crispy skin. Also, you can't stuff a brined turkey - and my family lives for the stuffing.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff
Yes, we love stuffing. During my years in England, stuffing the bird was normal. Lately, the cooking fashion seems to be to cook the stuffing separately. Another fashion I just don't get, nor do I think there's any justification for health paranoia, as long as you stuff the bird just before cooking and make sure it is actually done before serving. A stuffed bird takes a bit longer to cook, but is worth the wait. Stuffing cooked separately is just flavored bread. The beauty of stuffing is that it absorbs the juices from the bird - the flavor is created from the mixture of whatever you've decided to put in with the flavor of the bird. The stuffing also helps keep the bird moist. So I'd rather stuff than brine!
To Cover or Not to Cover
If you cover (with tin foil or a baking bag), the bird won't dry out. On the other hand, it won't get beautiful and crispy. I use a technique I learned many years ago - I cover the bird with cheesecloth that has been soaked in olive oil or butter. The bird needs less basting. I sometimes uncover the turkey for the last fifteen minutes to crisp up the skin.
High or Low Heat
I mix it up here - I start with a hot oven to seal the skin, then turn the oven down quite low to cook the bird. The last fifteen minutes or so, I may turn the heat up a bit to crisp the skin (have I mentioned that my family likes crispy skin?)
TURKEY GUIDELINES
Prepare the turkey:
I usually rinse it the night before, and let it air dry in the fridge. I sometimes salt the skin the night before, as well - it helps to dry the skin (a dry skin helps absorb the fat you coat it with, and helps it crisp).
Let the turkey sit at room temperature for a while before cooking - a cold bird cooks less evenly.
Near cooking: Preheat the oven to 425 (400 convection).
I usually rub the skin with softened butter, mixed with salt and pepper (no salt if you've already salted the skin). You can also slip the softened butter under the skin. You can use olive oil instead of butter.
Stuff the bird just before cooking (see below for stuffing ideas).
Place the turkey in the roasting pan. I don't use a rack for turkey, and I don't have an expensive roasting pan.
Take a piece of cheesecloth and soak it in olive oil or melted butter. Place it over the bird, covering it as well as you can.
Cooking:
Place the bird in the hot oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
Turn oven down to 325 (300 convection). Roast until 165 in thigh (about 3 hours convection for a stuffed 15 lb bird).
A cheesecloth-covered turkey needs very little looking after. Every 30 to 45 minutes I might open the oven door and have a look - if it looks a bit dry, I'll baste it with the juices from the bottom of the pan (see options below for some other ideas).
When the turkey is done, the cheesecloth should slip off easily, revealing a golden skin. Check it when the bird is close to done - if the skin isn't as done as you like, take the cheesecloth off for the last ten minutes of cooking - you can turn the oven back up to high, to ensure nice browning.
Don't overcook the turkey!
Some options:
- if the bottom of the pan seems dry or close to burning, add 1/4 C stock or water or orange juice in the pan.
- 1/2 hour before the end, you can add 1 C warm white wine or orange juice in the bottom of the pan.
- if not crisp, put the heat back up high (425/400) for ten minutes at the end.
That's it - consult a real cook book about tying the bird up, letting it sit, carving, etc.
STUFFING
In England, it is traditional to do two stuffings for the Christmas turkey (obviously, they don't have Thanksgiving, since the Puritans were the ones who left England...) - one in the front cavity, then a smaller one in the back. I love to make stuffing, so I sometimes do this. I always make a traditional sausage stuffing. For the other, I might do a chestnut stuffing, or a sweeter stuffing with dried fruit and nuts. Stuffings give a lot of opportunity for creativity - the amounts are not exact, the flavorings optional. Adjust any recipe for your own personal taste, knowing that the flavors will become richer and more complex as they cook inside the bird.
Sausage Stuffing
2 oz butter (or more as needed)
1 lb onions, finely chopped
6 oz breadcrumbs
8-12 oz ground sausage meat, or breakfast sausages chopped into small pieces
liver from the turkey, chopped fine
fresh sage and thyme
A note on breadcrumbs: You can buy 'stuffing mix' breadcrumbs, but I never do. Here's what I do - I take a nice bread and chop it up or tear it up into small pieces and leave it to dry out a while. This is one time when I really do prefer white bread to whole wheat, although I might put a bit of whole grain bread in. I usually take off most, if not all of the crust. A nice sourdough works well. Don't skimp on the bread - commercial bread is too soft to make a nice stuffing. I don't spend too much time drying the breadcrumbs, although you can stick them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes. I just tear it up a few hours before (the night before, if I remember) - the air will dry it out. Dry, stale bread absorbs more juices than fresh soft bread.
Cook onions gently in butter, on medium low heat, in a cast iron or stainless steel frying pan. Add the sausage and liver and fry until the meat is nice browned. Put the onion/meat mix in a large bowl, and add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, sage and thyme to taste.
All these amounts are approximate - feel free to add more or less of anything. In addition, here are some ideas for optional extras: 1 egg (added at the very end), 3-4 T cream or stock (added at the end, if the mixture looks very dry), 1-2 apples, chopped fine and sauteed separately in butter. If your don't have fresh herbs, dry will do. Feel free to add more herbs - parsley, small amounts or rosemary, chives all mix well with the sausage.
Stuff in the bird just before roasting. Fill the cavity, but don't pack it in too tight. If there's extra, put it in the back cavity, or bake separately in a baking dish, adding some stock or wine to the mix (it'll take about 45 minutes)
Apricot and Almond Stuffing
2C/8 oz dried apricots
1 onion, finely chopped
2 oz butter
1/2 C/2 oz chopped almonds
1C/4 oz raisins, dried cranberries or a mix of the two
4 oz breadcrumbs (prepared as in sausage stuffing recipe)
grated rind of one orange
1 t allspice
2 T sherry
1 t brown sugar (optional)
salt & pepper
Soak the apricots overnight. Try to get preservative-free apricots - they will look harder and darker and perhaps less appealing, but have much better taste (and no preservatives, of course). After soaking, drain them and chop finely
Fry the onions gently in the butter, and transfer to large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients except the sugar. If you're using dried cranberries, which are sweetened, don't add the sugar, otherwise add according to personal taste. Then add just enough sherry to moisten the mix. If it's too wet, you just have mushy stuffing.
Options: orange juice instead of sherry; different spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and star anise are all nice possibilities); some chopped dates or prunes instead of some of the apricots...pecans instead of almonds...like with all stuffing, play with the proportions - feel free to add more bread if it's too densely fruit-y, or more liquid if it's too dry. If you want to experiment with changes, just don't make it too complicated - too many flavors or ingredients can overwhelm your senses!
Enjoy your turkey!
12 November 2009
ADIEUX TO APPLES
Another snowstorm is headed towards Colorado (the 6th snow of the winter, here in mid-November). To be fair, it was 70 degrees today...the fun of Colorado fall. In any case, early frosts mean that apple season is truly over. I can't resist another post, using the last of my local Honeycrisps. They are slightly wrinkled, but still sweet and great for baking.
I love apples...
I've carried around my favorite apple cake recipe with me since I was a teenager. It's named after my grandfather, although I have no memories of him ever baking. I've modified and updated this recipe over the years. It's simple and delicious.
KAPPY'S APPLE CAKE
1 C sugar
1/2 C oil
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2C whole wheat pastry flour
2t cinnamon
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 C diced apples
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C raisins
2 loaf tins, or 1 tube pan, greased and floured.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, oil and sugar together with a whisk until frothy. Lots of beating!
Sift all the dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
Mix in apples, nuts and raisins.
Pour into tins
Bake: 40 minutes for loaf tins, 1 hour for the tube tin
GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP
I invented this for my many friends who eat gluten-free. The extra nuts make it very rich. It is perhaps more delicious than the original!
5-6 apples (1 1/2 lbs)
1 orange (rind and juice)
2 T brown sugar (optional)
1 1/2 C (2 oz) rolled oats
1/2 C (2 oz) oat flour
1 C (5 oz) almond flour
1 1/4 C (2 oz) organic cane sugar
8T/1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
3/4 C (3 oz) chopped almonds
Preheat the oven to 375 (350 convection)
Crumble:
Mix together the oats, oat flour, almond flour, sugar and spices. If you don't have almond flour, take 5 oz of almonds and process them to a course flour in a food processor. Rub in the butter, then add the chopped nuts. (see the 'normal' recipe, in the previous apple blog entry, for technique details). The nut flour makes the mixture a little difficult to work - if it gets too sticky, put it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes - the ingredients, when cold, are easier to mix. After mixing, keep the crumble cold while you prepare the apples.
Apples: Slice the apples thinly, mix them with the orange juice and rind. Add the sugar if the apples are tart. Pile into a small baking dish.
Pour the crumble evenly over the apples. Don't press the mixture down. This recipe makes a lot of crumble - if you have too much, just put it in a bag in the freezer for later use. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples are soft and the crumble is brown.
I love apples...
I've carried around my favorite apple cake recipe with me since I was a teenager. It's named after my grandfather, although I have no memories of him ever baking. I've modified and updated this recipe over the years. It's simple and delicious.
KAPPY'S APPLE CAKE
1 C sugar
1/2 C oil
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2C whole wheat pastry flour
2t cinnamon
2t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 C diced apples
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C raisins
2 loaf tins, or 1 tube pan, greased and floured.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, oil and sugar together with a whisk until frothy. Lots of beating!
Sift all the dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
Mix in apples, nuts and raisins.
Pour into tins
Bake: 40 minutes for loaf tins, 1 hour for the tube tin
GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP
I invented this for my many friends who eat gluten-free. The extra nuts make it very rich. It is perhaps more delicious than the original!
5-6 apples (1 1/2 lbs)
1 orange (rind and juice)
2 T brown sugar (optional)
1 1/2 C (2 oz) rolled oats
1/2 C (2 oz) oat flour
1 C (5 oz) almond flour
1 1/4 C (2 oz) organic cane sugar
8T/1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
3/4 C (3 oz) chopped almonds
Preheat the oven to 375 (350 convection)
Crumble:
Mix together the oats, oat flour, almond flour, sugar and spices. If you don't have almond flour, take 5 oz of almonds and process them to a course flour in a food processor. Rub in the butter, then add the chopped nuts. (see the 'normal' recipe, in the previous apple blog entry, for technique details). The nut flour makes the mixture a little difficult to work - if it gets too sticky, put it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes - the ingredients, when cold, are easier to mix. After mixing, keep the crumble cold while you prepare the apples.
Apples: Slice the apples thinly, mix them with the orange juice and rind. Add the sugar if the apples are tart. Pile into a small baking dish.
Pour the crumble evenly over the apples. Don't press the mixture down. This recipe makes a lot of crumble - if you have too much, just put it in a bag in the freezer for later use. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples are soft and the crumble is brown.
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