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Remember that turkey carcass from last night’s dinner I said not to throw out? Well here’s another recipe for turkey stock that I used to make gravy and add to the dressing. This one starts with roasting the  carcass from a 10- to 15-pound roasted turkey, plus the neck, neck, wing and leg bones to produced one of the most flavorful stocks that I have ever made. Since it makes about a 3 quarts of stock. it can also be frozen for future use.

Roasted Turkey Stock

Ingredients

   1 leftover carcass from a 10- to 15-pound roasted turkey, preferably including neck, wing and leg bones

   4 or 5 onions, quartered (no need to peel; just rub off any papery skins)

   2 large or 3 small carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

   4 large or 5 small celery ribs, cut into chunks

   2 cups white wine

   2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

   4 sprigs fresh thyme

   2 bay leaves

   1 teaspoon black peppercorns

   1 whole arbol (or another small dried red) chile

   Kosher salt

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Using a sturdy knife or your hands, cut or tear turkey carcass into large pieces. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan and roast until brown and sizzling, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Remove from oven and transfer pieces to a stockpot.

3. Add onions, carrots and celery to the empty roasting pan and place over medium heat. Sauté briefly, just to loosen the crusty turkey bits from bottom of pan.

4. Return pan to oven and cook until vegetables are browned around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Remove pan from oven and place it over medium heat. Add white wine and cook, stirring, until wine is reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes.

6. Add wine-vegetable mixture to stockpot. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns and chile. Add 6 quarts water and place over medium-high heat just until mixture comes to a boil.

7. Immediately reduce heat to low, skim any foam floating on top and simmer, skimming as needed, for 3 hours. Add 1 teaspoon salt and taste. If stock tastes watery, keep simmering until stock is flavorful. Taste for salt again and add more if needed.

8. Strain stock through a sieve into a large container or containers. Discard solids. Let stock cool slightly, then refrigerate. Skim off any fat from the top of the stock. Use within 4 days or freeze.

YIELD: About 3 quarts

Stephen’s DVD allows every family to experience the joy of having him as a guest of honor at Thanksgiving.  

Stephen celebrates Thanksgiving by drawing Nancy Pelosi hand turkeys, cooking with Martha Stewart and pardoning a turkey.

Stephen celebrates Hanukkah because he has a lot of Jewish friends, and he doesn’t care who knows it.  

Have a happy, health and safe holiday, everyone.

For the more daring and adventurous cooks

Republished from November 23, 2010 for obvious timely reasons.

By now you should have defrosted that frozen turkey and it should be resting comfortably in the back of you refrigerator. If you haven’t, getteth your butt to the grocery store and buy a fresh one because even if you start defrosting today, your bird might not be defrosted in time. I discussed the how to cook your bird to perfection in a conventional oven, now for a method that’s a little daring, deep frying.

Alton Brown, is one of my favorite TV cooks. Good Eats funny and informative, plus, his recipes are easy and edible. I’ve done fried turkey and while I don’t recommend it for health reasons, once a year probably wont hurt. Alton’s “how to” videos are a must watch on safety tips, how to choose a turkey fryer, equipment and, finally, cooking directions. If you decide to try this, please follow all directions carefully and take all the safety precautions.

Below the fold are recipes and more safety tips.

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

Now that we are all geared up to cook the turkey to a turn. Forget the Saturday Evening Post pictures of Dad carving the bird at the table, that’s for magazines and movies. Trust me, it makes a mess and there is hardly enough room at the dining table, not to mention the danger of doing this on a slippery platter.

To start you need a sharp carving knife and a sturdy cutting board on a large surface. The New York Times invited Ray Venezia, master butcher and Fairway Market meat consultant, who demonstrates how to carve and plate the turkey.

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

Hanukkah starts at sundown this Wednesday evening, along with the lighting of the first candle and spinning dreidels, Potato Latkes are a must. Here is my favorite recipe Reposted from December 4, 2010

It isn’t Hanukkah without Potato Latkes, those wonderful, crispy pancakes of shredded potato and onion served with apple sauce. It’s lot easier than when I was growing up in the 50’s. Back then we had to shred them with a metal grater that often resulted in some shredded knuckles, too. Food processors have saved a lot of knuckles and teary eye from shredding the onion.

This recipe is really simple. The trick to getting latkes that hold together and aren’t “oily” is the  potato. Idaho’s win, hands down.

Traditionally, according to kosher law, when latkes are served with a fish meal they are fried in oil and served with sour cream. If they are served with meat, they are fried in chicken fat and served with apple sauce. Since, I haven’t kept a kosher kitchen in over 40 years, I fry the latkes in oil and serve both apple sauce and sour cream.

Because this recipe has no flour or egg, the latkes are more delicate and lacy. These are best served when they are fresh from the pan, so, we take turns making them all during the meal. It can actually be fun.

Pure Potato Latkes

• 4 large Idaho potatoes, about 2 1/4 lbs.
• 1 large onion, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil

In a food processor with a coarse shredding disc or o the large shredding hole of a hand grater, shred the potatoes. Squeeze them well to rid them of as much water as possible and place them in a bowl. I use a cotton dish towel to squeeze the water out. it gets them really dry. Shred the onion and add to the bowl. Add the salt and pepper. Mix well. More water will be exuded and should be squeezed and drained thoroughly.

In a large heavy frying pan (a 12 inch iron pan works best), over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons until a slight haze appears on the surace of the oil. Drop about 1/4 cup of the mixture into the oil, flattening slightly with the back of a spoon Leave a little pace between the pancakes for ease in turning. They should be about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and will flatten as they cook.

Cook about 7 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Flip and cook another 5 to 7 minutes or until the other side is golden brown. If the oil starts smoking or the latkes brown too quickly, reduce the heat and briefly remove the pan from the heat. Remove the latkes and drain on layers of paper towels Continue with remaining mixture adding 2 tablespoons of oil with each batch.

Serve with apple sauce and sour cream.

Bon Appetite and Happy Hanukkah!

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

In a rare occurrence Thanksgiving and Hanukkah converge this year, with the first night of the eight day holiday beginning Wednesday night, making Thursday the first day of Hanukkah. So in many households it will be carve the turkey and pass the latkes and light the second candle of the menorah  on Thursday night. The last time this happened was in 1888 according to the Associated Press. So in the new tradition if “Thanksgivukkah,” the New York Times some recipes for variations of the traditional potato latke with versions that will go right a long with turkey and cranberry sauce. Here’s a sample that I am adding to the menu on Thursday.

Blair Moser’s Sweet Potato Latkes

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled

2 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled (equal in weight to the sweet potatoes)

Salt

4 scallions, finely chopped, including some of the green stems

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Olive oil (or high-heat safflower oil) for frying

1. Grate or finely shred all the potatoes into a bowl of large cold, salted water (using about 1 tablespoon kosher salt) and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes in a sieve, then dump them into a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much moisture as possible.

3. In a bowl, mix the potatoes with scallions and garlic.

4. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and toss to combine, then stir in the eggs and mix well.

5. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a heavy skillet (preferably nonstick). Firmly pack a heaping tablespoon of potato mixture and flatten it on the griddle with the back of a spoon. Do not crowd the skillet, but fry each batch until lightly browned, then turn and fry the other side, maybe 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as necessary.

6. Remove the latkes to a cookie sheet lined with paper-towels and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all have been cooked.

7. Serve at once with sour cream and applesauce.

Paula Shoyer’s Apple Latkes, from “The Holiday Kosher Baker”

These pancakes look just like potato latkes. You can serve them either as a dessert or a side dish during Hanukkah.

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour, plus one tablespoon, if batter is very wet

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 apples (Fuji, Gala or Granny Smith)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Place a paper bag over a cookie sheet to use for draining the latkes after frying them. Heat 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.

2. Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder into a large bowl and stir. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Set aside. Peel and core the apples and grate them on the large holes of a box grater or the large holes of a food processor blade. Add the shredded apples to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, add the beaten eggs and mix.

3. The oil is ready for frying when it feels very hot when you place your hand two inches above the pan. Scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the apple mixture and gently drop it into the pan, using the back of the tablespoon to flatten it. Fry the latkes for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until golden. Drain them on the paper bag and let them cool for about 15 minutes.

4. If the batter gets very watery halfway through the frying, add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture and mix it in.

5. Use a sieve to dust the latkes with confectioners’ sugar. These are best eaten fresh but can be reheated in the oven. Store them in the fridge for up to three days or freeze them for up the three months. To reheat, place frozen latkes onto a cookie sheet and bake them in a 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Centigrade) oven until crisp.

Yield: 20 latkes.

I can’t believe it’s that time already.

Republished from November 20, 2010 for obvious timely reasons.

I never went to cooking school or took home economics in high school, I was too busy blowing up the attic with my chemistry set. I did like to eat and eat stuff that tasted good and looked pretty, plus my mother couldn’t cook to save her life let alone mine and Pop’s, that was her mother’s venue. So I watched learned and innovated. I also read cook books and found that cooking and baking where like chemistry and physics. I know, this is Translator’s territory, but I do have a degree in biochemistry.

Cooking a turkey is not as easy as the directions on the Butterball wrapping looks. My daughter, who is the other cook in the house (makes the greatest breads, soups and stews) is in charge of the Turkey for the big day. Since we have a house full of family and friends, there are four, yeah that many, 13 to 15 pound gobblers that get cooked in the one of the two ovens of the Viking in the kitchen and outside on the covered grill that doubles as an oven on these occasions. Her guru is Alton Brown, he of Good Eats on the Food Network. This is the method she has used with rave reviews. Alton’s Roast Turkey recipe follows below the fold. You don’t have to brine, the daughter doesn’t and you can vary the herbs, the results are the same, perfection. My daughter rubs very soft butter under the skin and places whole sage leaves under the skin in a decorative pattern, wraps the other herbs in cheese cloth and tucks it in the cavity. If you prefer, or are kosher, canola oil works, too.

Bon Appetite and Happy Thanksgiving

Republished from November 18. 2012 for obvious reasons

Over the last couple of years I’ve shared some of the recipes that I served at the annual Turkey Feast. There have also been diaries about cooking the bird, whether or not to stuff it and suggestions about what to drink that will not conflict with such an eclectic meal of many flavors. It’s not easy to please everyone and, like in my family, there are those who insist on “traditions” like Pumpkin Pie made only from the recipe on the Libby’s Pumpkin Puree can slathered with Ready Whip Whipped Cream. For my son-in-law it isn’t Thanksgiving without the green bean casserole made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. Thank the cats we have a crowd that will eat just about anything on the table that looks pretty. Rather than reprise each recipe, I’ve compiled an anthology of past diaries to help you survive the trauma of Thanksgiving Day and enjoy not just the meal but family and friends.

Health reasons why not to stuff that bird and a recipe with a clever decorative way to serve the dressing.

Suggestions on wine and beer pairings that go with everything including brussel sprouts.

A great substitute for those sticky, over sweet, marshmallow topped tubers that goes well with pork or ham and breakfast.

Hate those gritty, tasteless lima beans in succoatash? I do but this recipe using edamame change my mind

Includes a great recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake that will please even those diehard traditional pumpkin pie lovers.

Any squash can be substituted for pumpkin in this recipe. My daughter is using butternut served with a dollop of cumin flavored sour cream.

Besides making turkey soup or hash with those leftovers and the carcass, there is also some great recipes like the mushroom risotto in this essay.

May everyone have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. Please remember those who have lost so much during Hurricane Sandy with a donation to a food bank or charity that is assisting. May they all be warm and safe. Blessed Be.

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

For those of you who haven’t realized Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, snap out of it! Time to get on the road, into the grocery store and but the bird. Unless it’s fresh, that is not a frozen boulder, it’s going to take 2 – 3 days to thaw in the refrigerator. If your brining, you’ll need one that’s thawed or fresh at this stage. So. wake up, get thee to the grocery store. NOW!

For those who aren’t doing the big family bash and are spending the evening alone or with one or two others, here are a few recipes from the New York Times for a small scale Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey Cutlets Marsala

If you can’t find turkey cutlets, buy a boneless turkey breast, cut into cutlets then lightly pound them into shape beneath a sheet of plastic wrap.

TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes

Ingredients

   4 turkey cutlets, approximately 1 1/4 pounds

   Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

   Flour for dusting

   4 tablespoons unsalted butter

   1/4 cup Marsala wine

   1/4 cup chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium

Preparation

1.    Place the cutlets on a wooden board, and season them aggressively with salt and pepper, then lightly dust them with flour.

2.    Melt the butter in a large sauté or frying pan set over medium-high heat, and when it begins to foam, add the turkey cutlets to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook, gently, for 3 minutes a side, being careful not to allow the butter to blacken

3.    When the second side is just about done, pour the Marsala over the cutlets, and allow it to bubble and combine with the butter. Now do the same with a splash or two of the chicken stock. Cook in the pan for 2 or 3 minutes more.

YIELD: 2 servings

Vegetable Risotto

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

Ingredients

   1/2 ounce dried mushrooms

   6 tablespoons unsalted butter

   5 green leaf lettuce leaves, shredded

   1 leaf of a fennel bulb, finely diced

   1 small onion, finely diced

   1 cup arborio rice

   2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

   Kosher salt

   Nutmeg

Preparation

1.    Put the mushrooms in a bowl, and pour hot water over them. Allow them to steep for 20 minutes, then squeeze them out and mince. Reserve the mushroom broth for another purpose.

2.    Put four cups of water in a pot, and set it over high heat to boil. Keep it hot.

3.    In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, melt 5 tablespoons butter and when it foams, cook the lettuce and fennel until soft. Lift them out of the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of butter if necessary, and cook the onion until translucent. Add the rice, and stir until it is glistening and hot.

4.    Add a cup of the hot water to the mixture, and stir it until the liquid is absorbed, approximately 5 minutes. Add another cup of the water, and stir again until it is absorbed. Add the mushrooms, and stir again, then add a pinch of salt and another half cup of the hot water. When the liquid has been absorbed, taste the rice to see if the grains offer the slightest resistance to your teeth. If not, add the rest of the water, and stir again to combine.

5.    Stir in the lettuce, the fennel, the Parmesan and any remaining butter, then grate nutmeg generously over the mixture.

YIELD 2 servings

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

TOTAL TIME 40 minutes

Ingredients

   3/4 pound fresh brussels sprouts

   2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or bacon fat

   Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

   Red-pepper flakes to taste

Preparation

1.    Preheat oven to 400. Trim the ends of the brussels sprouts, and remove all yellowing exterior leaves. Put the sprouts in a large bowl, and toss with the oil or bacon fat, and season well with salt and pepper.

2.    Pour the sprouts onto a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to brown the vegetables evenly, until crisp on the outside and tender within. Sprinkle a little more salt on them and, if you like, red-pepper flakes.

YIELD 2 servings

All recipes are easily doubled.

Bon appétit

Republished from November 18, 2012 because it’s that time of year again.

Over the last couple of years I’ve shared some of the recipes that I served at the annual Turkey Feast. There have also been diaries about cooking the bird, whether or not to stuff it and suggestions about what to drink that will not conflict with such an eclectic meal of many flavors. It’s not easy to please everyone and, like in my family, there are those who insist on “traditions” like Pumpkin Pie made only from the recipe on the Libby’s Pumpkin Puree can slathered with Ready Whip Whipped Cream. For my son-in-law it isn’t Thanksgiving without the green bean casserole made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. Thank the cats we have a crowd that will eat just about anything on the table that looks pretty. Rather than reprise each recipe, I’ve compiled an anthology of past diaries to help you survive the trauma of Thanksgiving Day and enjoy not just the meal but family and friends.

Health reasons why not to stuff that bird and a recipe with a clever decorative way to serve the dressing.

Suggestions on wine and beer pairings that go with everything including brussel sprouts.

A great substitute for those sticky, over sweet, marshmallow topped tubers that goes well with pork or ham and breakfast.

Hate those gritty, tasteless lima beans in succoatash? I do but this recipe using edamame change my mind

Includes a great recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake that will please even those diehard traditional pumpkin pie lovers.

Any squash can be substituted for pumpkin in this recipe. My daughter is using butternut served with a dollop of cumin flavored sour cream.

Besides making turkey soup or hash with those leftovers and the carcass, there is also some great recipes like the mushroom risotto in this essay.

May everyone have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving.  

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson debunks the science behind zombies and shares a haunting tale of the universe’s eventual heat death.  

Adapted from Rant of the Week st The Stars Hollow Gazette