November 21, 2011: The Secret to the Best, Juiciest Turkey Recipe

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post with my mother’s stuffing recipe, I’ve been in charge of making the Thanksgiving dinner for quite some time. It was back in 1986 that I was first pressed into service and I’ve been doing it alone ever since (which I love, by the way – cooking is the best part of Thanksgiving as far as I’m concerned!). Over the years I’ve experimented with different ways of roasting the turkey so it would come out both flavorful and moist. By far, the secret I’m about to share with you is the best way I have ever roasted a turkey.

The secret? Brining.

Just as brining chicken makes it melt-in-your-mouth moist, so does it work for turkey. The only difference is that you’re working with a bigger bird so you have to start the day before to ensure that all those wonderful flavors in the brine are incorporated in your turkey.

There are no exact measurements to this recipe; just try throwing in a handful of herbs and spices at a time, adding a bit more for a large (16 lbs. or more) turkey or less for a small (12 lbs. or under) one.

Roasted Brined Turkey

The day before roasting, clean the turkey and remove giblets. Cook and save for dressing (see stuffing recipe) or as a treat for your dogs.

Brine

Enough water to cover your turkey in brining container (at least 2 gallons)

1 ½ cups kosher salt

1/3 cup sugar

Juniper berries

Black peppercorns

Allspice berries

Whole cloves

Fresh thyme and rosemary leaves

Garlic cloves

Bay leaves

Mix together the brining solution in a large container, big enough to hold your turkey. If you can, store it in your refrigerator overnight; otherwise, if it’s cold enough (38 degrees or less), you can store the covered container outside. An ice chest works really well for this because it’s insulated and won’t allow the turkey to refreeze if left outdoors overnight.

Roasting the Turkey

The next day, remove the turkey from the brining solution (discard - I usually dump it in the yard) and pat dry. Stuff the inside cavity with slices of orange and lemon, along with smashed garlic cloves and fresh sage leaves. Place the turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Take softened butter and rub it all over the skin. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and cover loosely with foil. Place in low oven, about 275 degrees. Roast one half hour for every pound, removing each hour and basting with pan juices.

When drumsticks move freely and meat begins to pull away from the bone, the turkey is done. Remove it from the oven and let sit on a platter, tented with foil, for up to half an hour.

September 8, 2011: Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe

This is a wonderfully light but very flavor-packed vinaigrette that is great on any salad. I used it as a marinade for thinly sliced raw mushrooms and yellow squash, adding a bit of finely chopped jalapenos (as pictured) and it was delicious!

Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette

2 T. finely minced shallot (about 1 small bulb section)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T. fresh parsley, minced (or 1 T. dried/dehydrated parsley)

5 T. olive oil

1 ½ T. Dijon mustard

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. coarsely ground black peppercorns

Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Shake before using.

August 22, 2011: Crunchy Kosher Style Dill Pickle Recipe

I just learned how to can foods last year. My dear friend Margaret patiently showed me how to do it. That one time was all it took for me to become passionate about canning fresh foods. I made pickles from some big, fat cucumbers our friend Darrell shared with us but they turned out awful! The flavor was good, but they weren’t crisp and the skin was tough.

So this year I decided I’d try again. Armed with the knowledge of what went wrong last time, I bought the proper type of cucumbers from the farmer’s market, and made sure that I processed the cans for the minimal amount of time in a boiling water bath. It’s going to be a few weeks before all the flavors are absorbed into the cukes, so I can’t tell you for sure whether these are better than last year’s batch, but they already look better and I’m sure they’re going to be flavorful thanks to all the extra spices I added.

Crunchy Kosher Style Dill Pickles

2 ½ pounds pickle cucumbers (the kind with spiny knobs on the skin)

3 cups water

2 ½ cups vinegar

2 ½ ounces kosher dill pickle spice mix (I used Ball brand and it contains salt so you don't need to add extra)

10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

20 black peppercorns

10 sprigs dill weed

10 small sprigs fennel

Clean and slice cucumbers into spears or chips. Place in a large bowl and cover with ice water. Put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, sterilize 10 pint-sized jars. Place the water, vinegar, dill pickle mix, and garlic cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

In each jar, place as many of the cold cucumber spears as will fit. Add one garlic clove (strained from the vinegar mixture), two peppercorns, one sprig dill and one tiny sprig fennel. Pour in the boiled vinegar mixture to one-half inch from the top of the jars.

Prepare a large canning pot with bottom tray by adding water to the halfway mark and bringing to a boil.

Clean the rims of each jar and top with a lid; screw a band on each to finger tightness.

Using a jar vice, carefully place the jars of pickles in your canning pot. Make sure the boiling water covers the lids by half an inch; if necessary add more boiling water. Cover the pot and process for 10 to 20 minutes (10 minutes at low altitudes, 20 minutes for altitudes above 6,000 feet). When processing is complete, turn off the heat and uncover the canning pot. Use your jar vice to remove the pickle jars. Set them on a cloth on a table and let rest for at least 12 hours before moving.

Allow 3 to 4 weeks for flavors to penetrate the cucumbers before eating.

August 9, 2011: Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad Recipe

As we suffer through the hot “Dog Days of Summer” in August, the last thing we want to do is heat up the oven or eat a “heavy” dish. So here’s a very quick, light and refreshing dish you can serve as an appetizer, a salad, or just a side dish. Be sure to use the freshest ingredients you can find, such as tomatoes picked right from the vine in your garden, for the tastiest combination of flavors.

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella (also known as Caprese) Salad 

1 heirloom or other fresh, meaty tomato
1 bunch large basil leaves
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
Balsamic vinegar
Black peppercorns

Thinly slice the tomato and the mozzarella. If the tomato is very large, cut the slices in half. On a small plate, arrange a tomato slice, topped with a slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf. Repeat until one third of all ingredients are used. Continue with remaining ingredients to make a total of three individual salad plates. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Tip: For an artful flair, use a squeeze bottle for the balsamic vinegar and make a design on the plate with it, then stack the tomato, basil and cheese in the middle.

July 19, 2011: Grilled Asian Tuna Recipe

Here’s another way I came up with to make tuna steaks on the grill using a quickly concocted Asian seasoning blend similar to 5 spice powder. This tuna was a big hit with my picky husband! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

My husband has perfected his technique for grilling tuna - it should always be bright pink in the center when you serve tuna.

Grilled Asian Tuna

2 fresh tuna steaks, about 1/3 pound each
1 t. chopped ginger (jarred)
2 T. soy sauce

Asian Seasoning Blend
1 teaspoon each Coriander seeds, Fennel seeds, Sesame seeds, Black peppercorns
1/3 stick cinnamon
1 t. dehydrated garlic
½ t. cumin powder
1 t. citrus peel seasoning blend
1 t. kosher salt

Combine seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium and stir frequently, just until toasted and fragrant (5 – 10 minutes). Remove from heat and crush with a mortar and pestle or whirl in a coffee grinder.

Add remaining spices. You will have more than you need for this recipe; store the remainder in tightly sealed jar.

To prepare tuna:
Rub both sides of tuna steaks with ginger and pour soy sauce over. Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with a total of 2 teaspoons of the spice blend. Let the tuna marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Grill over medium high heat for a few minutes per side.

Serve with pineapple salsa, if desired.

June 21, 2011: Asian Spiced Pork with Sugar Snap Peas Recipe

I was looking for something new to do with pork chops the other day… Yes, I enjoy grilling them in these hot summer months but that gets old, particularly when I’m feeding a very picky husband and niece. So I decided to take four pork chops and slice them to make a Chinese main dish. But I wanted something new so I consulted my Hot, Hotter, Hottest chile cookbook. I took the basics of a Thai-style sauce and gave it my Candy spin to come up with this recipe.

Asian Spiced Pork with Sugar Snap Peas

1 ½ lbs. pork chops, trimmed of fat and bones and thinly sliced
One 2” piece of cinnamon stick
1 t. fennel seeds
1 T. coriander seeds
1 T. black peppercorns
1 T. minced garlic
1 t. minced ginger
2 t. Hunan red chili sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
One 1 lb. package sugar snap peas

Sauce:
1 T. cornstarch
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce
2/3 cups chicken stock

Combine the cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat to toast the spices until fragrant. Remove from heat and crush finely.

Combine one teaspoon of the crushed spice mixture (save the rest to use in place of Chinese five spice powder) with remaining ingredients up to soy sauce; add pork slices. Marinate for at least half an hour.

Heat a wok or large skillet to medium high heat. Coat the bottom with about one tablespoon of vegetable or peanut oil. Slowly add the pork, being careful not to splash oil on yourself. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the pork is browned on all sides. Add the sugar snap peas, stirring constantly. Cook for a couple minutes, until the peas are bright but not soft.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Reduce skillet or wok heat to medium low and slowly pour in the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for a couple more minutes until sauce is thickened.

Serve over rice.

Serves four.

May 17, 2011: Drunken Chicken Recipe

Here’s another grilling recipe that might be just the thing for your Memorial Day barbecue. It’s best to marinate chicken in this liquid overnight so that it really soaks up all the great flavors. When you grill it up, the skin will get incredibly crispy on the outside but leave the meat on the inside really tender and juicy.

For accompaniments, consider guacamole, salsa and chips, a tossed green salad, quesadillas, and black beans tossed with red bell peppers, green onions, and jalapeno slices.

Drunken Chicken Marinade

2 cups tequila (a cheap variety is just fine)
Juice and zest of one large or two small limes
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 T. black peppercorns
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 T. red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a large, nonmetallic container. Add the chicken (whole or in pieces) and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

An hour before eating, heat the grill to medium. Place the chicken on the grill, indirectly over the heat so it doesn’t flame up. Cook for 45 minutes to one hour.

May 6, 2011: Roasted Pork Loin with Shallots and Apples Recipe

Even though it’s a bit heavier than what I consider a “spring dish”, I just had to share this recipe with you because it came out so delish! I adapted this recipe from one I found some time again in Relish Magazine, which called for pears instead of apples. But I looked around my kitchen and only had apples, which I substituted – and I think it was an excellent stand-in! Try this dish and tell me what you think.

Roasted Pork Loin with Shallots and Apples

3 T. olive oil, divided
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. black peppercorns
2 t. kosher salt
Half of a fresh lemon
1 pork loin roast, 2 – 3 pounds
2 – 3 large shallots, peeled and quartered
1 large apple (any variety), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
2 cups chicken broth
Coarsely ground black pepper
Garlic salt

Marinate the pork in a mixture of 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice and finely shredded peel of the half lemon, the peppercorns, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and soy sauce. Let it marinate at room temperature for about half an hour (a full hour if the meat is somewhat frozen).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a roasting pan, toss shallots, garlic, and apple slices with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and kosher salt. Remove meat from marinade; reserve marinade liquid. Make a bed of this mixture on which to place the pork loin. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and cook until meat reaches 145 to 150 degrees, about 40 minutes.

While meat roasts, melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour. Cover over medium heat until golden brown (a couple minutes or so). Slowly pour in broth and reserved marinade, whisking to break up lumps. Cook about 10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Add pepper and garlic salt to taste.

Remove pork loin roast from pan and let sit, covered with foil, for about five minutes before slicing. Serve with roasted veggie mixture and gravy.