tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43190138555218770082024-03-18T00:20:56.083-07:00Men Who Like to Cook - David LattInspired by California-Mediterranean cuisines and farmers markets, I cook healthy, flavorful dishes that are easy-to-prepare yet elegant. I write for Zester Daily, One for the Table, Luxury Travel Magazine, Huffington Post & New York Daily News. My latest Amazon eCookbook is 10 Delicious Holiday Recipes. My handcrafted chocolates are available at www.dchocolates.com.
"Subscribe via email" and you'll get an email whenever I post a new recipe.David Latthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968230906831748773noreply@blogger.comBlogger49713tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319013855521877008.post-86580025901704738142023-11-21T10:43:00.000-08:002023-11-21T10:46:27.713-08:00Pickle Me Up! It's Thanksgiving!<p>Pickles are delicious anytime of the year. For Thanksgiving they are especially good. Their crunch and acidity counterbalances the deliciousness of gravy, mashed potatoes and roast turkey. </p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01RSBkEkTvs_UYOnr9bQ9u8sErdvxjgkatqOy8S6xfZ-Fpfawns8-u8OW7LzWS7yJsYuZM9ZfF4Wj6sbOIty0PkezGHjHtVndZuEmGJFPJ-ncFg4Yk33gtrn7RtlvyVMzQk8EjWNc3XqzlZy0c_BOrfEuX9xuh_rS1PJa51WETXLXILUM3xtkWYwSt83H/s5459/IMG_6652.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4094" data-original-width="5459" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01RSBkEkTvs_UYOnr9bQ9u8sErdvxjgkatqOy8S6xfZ-Fpfawns8-u8OW7LzWS7yJsYuZM9ZfF4Wj6sbOIty0PkezGHjHtVndZuEmGJFPJ-ncFg4Yk33gtrn7RtlvyVMzQk8EjWNc3XqzlZy0c_BOrfEuX9xuh_rS1PJa51WETXLXILUM3xtkWYwSt83H/w400-h300/IMG_6652.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For years I used <b>cukes</b>, the choice of traditional kosher pickles. One year when cukes weren't available, I "made due" with Persian cucumbers. Longer, more dense and thiner than Jewish style cukes, I discovered that Persian cucumbers kept their crispy crunch longer than the cukes I was used to. Ever since then, I use Persian cucumbers when I make kosher pickles.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #8d8d8d; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vczr13Fltxc/WhMWK7nlcdI/AAAAAAAAHGY/8yr232JNOtY5hqh1uqhW1EguZGip7gwGgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0032.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vczr13Fltxc/WhMWK7nlcdI/AAAAAAAAHGY/8yr232JNOtY5hqh1uqhW1EguZGip7gwGgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0032.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="edgtf-column-inner" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 20px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="edgtf-blog-holder edgtf-blog-single" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 603.9375px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">In the 1920s, my great-grandfather made pickles on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Grandmother Caroline used to tell stories about working in their little grocery store as a child. When customers would want pickles, she would hop off the counter and go out front to the pickle barrels and fish out the ones they wanted.</span><br /><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">I never knew my great-grandparents. I never ate their pickles, but I must have brine in my veins because wherever I shop or travel, I am always on the look out for </span><strong style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pickles</strong><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">.</span><br /></span><article class="post-17754 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-cooking category-cuisine category-recipe category-vegetable category-vegetables category-world tag-cucumbers tag-kosher-pickles tag-moroccan-food tag-morocco tag-pickled-vegetables tag-pickles" id="post-17754" style="display: inline-block; margin: 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 603.9375px;"><div class="edgtf-post-content" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 603.9375px;"><div class="edgtf-post-text" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="edgtf-post-text-inner clearfix" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 25px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><strong style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lower East Side Kosher Dill Pickles</strong></span></h3><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><em style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When making kosher dill pickles keep in mind four very important steps:</em></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><em style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Select Persian cakes or pickling cukes, not salad cucumbers, and pick ones without blemishes or soft spots.</em></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><em style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Use only Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt with no additives. Taste the brine to confirm you like the balance of salt-to-vinegar. The flavor of the brine will approximate the flavor of the pickles.</em></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><em style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Once the cukes are in the brine, they must be kept submerged in a refrigerated, sealed container.</em></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><em style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Store the pickles submerged in the brine, seal and keep in a refrigerator where they will last for several weeks.</em></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><strong style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients</strong></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">8 cups water</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1-2 tablespoons kosher salt (to taste) only use Diamond Crystal Kosher </span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1 cup white wine vinegar or yellow Iranian vinegar (my preference)</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5 dried bay leaves</div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">10 whole black peppercorns</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">10 whole mustard seeds</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">¼ teaspoon pepper flakes or 1 dried Sichuan pepper, split open</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">5 sprigs of fresh dill</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">5 pounds cakes or small pickling cucumbers, washed, stems removed, dried</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1 medium sized carrot, ends removed, peeled, washed, cut into thin rounds</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><strong style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Directions</strong></span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1. In a sterilized glass jar(s) or plastic container(s), add the salt, water and vinegar and stir to dissolve. </span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">2. Dip your finger in the brine, taste and adjust the flavor with a bit more salt, water or vinegar.</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">3. Place the aromatics in the bottom of the container. Arrange the cucumbers and carrot rounds inside.</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">4. Pour in the brine being careful to cover the cucumbers. Reserve 1 cup of brine.</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">5. To keep the cucumbers submerged in the brine, cut out the bottom of a plastic cup the size of the opening and lay on top of the cucumbers.</span></div><div style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #232323; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">6. The cucumbers have become pickles within 24 hours and will keep refrigerated for several weeks. If you like your pickles crisp, enjoy them within a week of pickling.</span></div><h3 style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 25px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></h3></div></div></div></article></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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She loved the chance to have her family and friends seated around the table, catching up, telling stories, and eating favorite treats.</p>Most of the time I do the cooking since I work at home and because we have a kitchen the size of a New York closet. Thanksgiving is my wife's day and I happily step to the side, working as a sous chef, assisting her in executing a meal that usually serves between 15-20.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4vwITqkLwQ/SSc8SrDyc4I/AAAAAAAABmo/a_rox8BpnSU/s1600-h/Thanksgiving+dinner+2004.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271248180354380674" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4vwITqkLwQ/SSc8SrDyc4I/AAAAAAAABmo/a_rox8BpnSU/s200/Thanksgiving+dinner+2004.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></div><br />Even though Thanksgiving is a lot of work, the key is organization. Writing up a menu is the first step, then a shopping list, and finally a time-line for the day before Thanksgiving and the day of the meal.<br /><br />Along with those first steps, we cover the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil so clean up after the meal is easier. Cleaning out the refrigerator makes room for the turkey after we pick it up from the grocery store and so there's space for all those delicious left-overs after the meal.<br /><br />Besides shopping at the grocery store we visit our local farmers' market to pick up fresh <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4vwITqkLwQ/SwrS4NfsceI/AAAAAAAACfY/fBRZ1AcD6sc/s1600/Thanksgiving+Michelle+%26+David+%26+turkey.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407366165748806114" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4vwITqkLwQ/SwrS4NfsceI/AAAAAAAACfY/fBRZ1AcD6sc/s200/Thanksgiving+Michelle+%26+David+%26+turkey.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 156px;" /></a>vegetables for the sides dishes: beets, sweet potatoes, lettuce, celery, carrots, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, corn, leeks, and onions.<br /><br />But the most important part of the meal is the turkey and no turkey is complete without a great stuffing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corn Bread Stuffing with Sausages, Dried Apricots, and Pecans</span><br /><br />Over the years my wife has developed a crowd-pleasing stuffing with a contrast of textures: soft (corn bread), spicy (sausage), chewy (dried apricots), and crunchy (pecans).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yield</span>: 15-20 servings<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Time</span>: 30 minutes<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />2 boxes corn bread mix<br />3 celery stalks, washed, ends trimmed, leaves discarded<br />1 pound mushrooms, brown, shiitake, or portabella, washed, pat dried, finely chopped<br />2 medium yellow onions, peeled, ends removed, finely chopped<br />4 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped<br />1 stick sweet butter<br />1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock<br />4 Italian style sweet sausages<br />1 cup dried apricots, finely chopped<br />1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped<br />Sea salt and pepper<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Method</span><br /><br />Make the corn bread the night before and leave the pan on the counter so the corn bread dries out. Use any cornbread mix you like. My wife uses Jiffy. It's inexpensive and tastes great. The instructions are on the box.<br /><br />Saute the sausages whole in a frying pan with a little olive oil until browned, remove, cut into bite-sized pieces, and set aside. Pour off the excess fat. Add the celery, mushrooms, onion, and garlic into the pan with the stick of butter and saute. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, then add stock and summer 15 minutes.<br /><br />Cut the cornbread into chunks and crumble into a large mixing bowl. Add the apricots, pecans, and the saute. Stir well and set aside until you're ready to stuff the turkey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Roast Turkey</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4vwITqkLwQ/SwrTeIT3xWI/AAAAAAAACfg/npWVnSddNSI/s1600/Thanksgiving+Turkey+%233.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407366817192068450" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4vwITqkLwQ/SwrTeIT3xWI/AAAAAAAACfg/npWVnSddNSI/s200/Thanksgiving+Turkey+%233.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />The most difficult part about cooking a turkey is size. Even a 15 pound turkey is larger than any roast you'll ever cook, so it's important to have somebody around to help strong-arm the turkey.<br /><br />The rule of thumb about cooking time is 15-20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees but there are so many variables, you can also use a roasting thermometer and, our preferred method, jiggle-the-leg and if it almost comes off, the turkey's done.<br /><br />There's a lot of talk about whether to brine or not to brine. In the Los Angeles Times, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/theguide/holiday-guide/food/la-fo-calcook18-2009nov18,0,4954438.story">Russ Parsons</a> argued for what he calls a "dry" brine, which means salting the turkey inside and out, then wrapping it in a sealable bag and refrigerating it for one to two days.<div><br /></div><div>To prepare your turkey, in addition to the roasting pan, you'll also need pliers. I'm amazed at the work it takes to remove the heavy plastic gizmo that holds the legs neatly in place. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yield</span>: 20-25 servings<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Time</span>: 7-8 hours<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />1 turkey, 23-25 pounds<br />Olive oil<br />Sea salt and pepper<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Method</span><br /><br />Unwrap the turkey. Remove the packet with the liver, neck, heart, and giblet. Use a pair of pliers to remove the piece of wire that holds the legs. It can be a real pain to get the wire off. Wash the turkey inside and out. Pat dry on the outside.<br /><br />Reserve the liver to make a turkey chopped liver. Put the neck, heart, and giblet into a large saucepan with a lot of water, at least five inches higher than the turkey pieces. Replenish whatever water boils off. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat on the neck falls off if you touch it with a fork. Strain the stock and reserve to use for gravy. Pull the meat off the neck and save to make turkey soup. Use the giblets in the gravy.<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px;">Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.</div><br />The next step is easier with a friend. Drizzle olive oil on the outside of the turkey. Using your hands spread the oil over the entire bird, front and back. Sprinkle sea salt and black pepper inside the cavity and on the outside.<br /><br />To put in the stuffing, either my wife or I holds the turkey upright and steady while the other loosely packs the stuffing inside the large cavity, one handful at a time.<br /><br />Use 8-12 metal skewers and kitchen string to close the large cavity. Carefully turn the turkey over so you can put stuffing into the top area. Use 6-8 skewers and string to close that cavity.<br /><br />Use any kind of roasting pan. Whether you use a disposable aluminum foil pan or an expensive stainless steel roasting pan from William Sonoma, the result will be the same. The important thing to remember is the pan must be at least 2" wider than the turkey, otherwise as the bird cooks, its juices will drip onto the bottom of your stove and make a mess. To insure that the turkey browns evenly, you'll need a wire rack.<br /><br />Place the turkey on the rack, breast down and put into the oven. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.<br /><br />After that, every 30 minutes, baste the turkey with the fat that drips down into the pan. If the skin starts to brown too quickly, put an aluminum tent over the top.<br /><br />After 3 hours, turn the turkey over. With a large bird this is easier said than done because now the turkey is not only heavy, it's very hot.<br /><br />Another set of hands is a big help here. My wife and I have choreographed this crucial moment. I lift the roasting pan with the turkey out of the oven, placing it on the cutting board. Michelle stands at the ready with a pot holder in each hand. As I lift the rack with the turkey, she removes the pan. I flip the rack with the turkey onto the cutting board, having first put a kitchen towel along the edge to prevent juices from falling to the floor.<br /><br />We pour all the juices and fat from the pan into a basting bowl, scrapping off the flavor bits on the bottom of the pan to make gravy.<br /><br />The rack goes back into the pan. The turkey goes onto the rack, breast side up. After a good basting, the turkey goes back in the oven, covered with an aluminum foil tent.<br /><br />As the turkey continues to cook, if the wing tips and drumstick ends brown too quickly, wrap them in aluminum foil.<br /><br />Continue basting every 30 minutes. When the turkey is finished, remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes.<br /><br />Carve the turkey on a cutting board, removing the wings first, then the legs, thighs, and the breasts. Either place the pieces on the platter whole, to be carved at the table, or sliced for easy serving. Open the cavities and spoon out the stuffing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mushroom-Giblet Gravy</span><br /><br />While the turkey is cooking, start the gravy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yield</span>: 15-20 servings<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Time:</span> 30 minutes<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />2 medium yellow onions, peeled, ends removed, finely chopped<br />4 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped<br />1 turkey giblet, cooked, grizzle removed, finely chopped<br />2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, tarragon, or Italian parsley<br />1/2 pound mushrooms, brown, shiitake, or portabella, washed, finely chopped or sliced<br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />2 cups turkey stock<br />Sea salt and pepper<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Method</span><br /><br />Saute the giblet, onions, garlic, fresh herbs, and mushrooms until lightly browned. Add turkey stock and the flavor bits you scraped off the roasting pan, simmer and reduce by 1/3. Taste and adjust the flavors. If too salty, add more stock and a pat of sweet (unsalted) butter.<br /><br />Reheat before serving.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Turkey Stock</span><br /><br />When you're eating Thanksgiving dinner, odds are you aren't thinking about your next meal, but I am. Admittedly, it's a bit obsessive, but before I sit down to join the dinner, all the bones and scraps go into a large pot filled with water. By the time we're clearing the table, the stock is finished.<br /><br />Turkey stock is rich and flavorful. Perfect for making soups, stews, and pasta sauce, and like chicken stock, freezes beautifully.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yield</span>: 15-20 servings<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Time</span>: 1 hour<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />1 turkey carcass, skin, scraps<br />Water<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Method</span><br /><br />Put the carcass into a large pot. If any of stuffing makes it into the pot, all the better for flavor and richness. Cover the bones with water. Simmer 1 hour. Strain and refrigerate. Pick the meat off the bones to use in a soup or stew.<br /><br />The stock keeps in the freezer for six months.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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For the sausages, you can use any kind of sausage you like. I prefer pork suasages with fennel made by Monte Carlo (3103 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burbank CA 91505), an Italian deli in the San Fernando Valley. That's a long drive from where we live in Pacific Palisades, but when I am already in the Valley, I'll stock up and buy five pounds. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to eat five pounds of sausages all at once. Freezing keeps them "fresh" and available. To freeze the sausages, I dredge each sausage in olive oil, then I wrap each sausage in plastic wrap before placing the wrapped sausages into a sealable plastic bag. Even months later, the sausages taste fresh and delicious. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are many ways to saute the sausage. My preference is to first remove the casing, then using my fingers, I create quarter sized chunks of sausage. That way each piece of sausage has a crisp outside.
Use a carbon steel or cast iron frying pan for best results. </div><div><br /></div><div>The recipe is for one. If you want to make the dish for two, double the ingredients and so on for as many people as you like. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pasta with Italian Sausage</b> </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Serves </i>one</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Time to cook </i>25 minutes</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Ingredients</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>1 Italian sausage or any sausage you enjoy </div><div><br /></div><div>1/4 package of pasta, any shape you enjoy </div><div><br /></div><div>2 tablespoons chopped yellow onions, washed, peel removed </div><div><br /></div><div>2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, washed, leaves only </div><div><br /></div><div>2 large shiitake mushrooms or a mushroom you enjoy, washed, end of the stem removed, thin sliced </div><div><br /></div><div>4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, a good quality brand, preferably from Italy </div><div><br /></div><div>1 teaspoon kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, do not use any salt that has iodine </div><div><br /></div><div>1 garlic clove, washed, peeled, finely chopped (optional) </div><div><br /></div><div>1/4 cup pasta water, reserved from cooking the pasta</div><div><br /></div><div>1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Directions</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>Place a large carbon steel or cast iron frying pan on a medium flame. </div><div><br /></div><div>Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sauté the chunks of sausage without the casing until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan. Drain on a paper towel on a plate. </div><div><br /></div><div>Discard the oil in the pan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat on a medium flame. </div><div><br /></div><div>Add the vegetables. Sauté until lightly browned. </div><div><br /></div><div>Return the cooked sausages to the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fill a large pot with water. Season with kosher salt. Place on the stove on high heat. Bring to a boil. </div><div><br /></div><div>Add pasta and stir well to prevent the pieces of pasta sticking together. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cook 10 minutes or until al dente. </div><div><br /></div><div>As you drain the pasta in the sink, capture 1/4 cup of pasta water. </div><div><br /></div><div>Add the pasta water and cooked pasta to the sautéed vegetables. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the pasta and vegetables.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heat on a medium flame. </div><div><br /></div><div>Toss well and reduce the liquid so the sauce coats the pasta.
Plate the pasta and top with freshly grated cheese.
Serve hot.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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