Wednesday Fun #111 - Happy Turkey Day!

Happy pre-Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans!

Firstly, if you're in charge of making the turkey, make sure it's thawing! :)

Secondly, if you're an NPR listener, you might want to check to see if you can catch Lynne Rossetto Kaspar and her producer, Sally Swift, doing their "The Splendid Table: Turkey Confidential" broadcast where they do a live chat/help on Thanksgiving from 10-12. I've listened before, especially when traveling, and it's fun, funny, and helpful. I remember one year when two callers back to back really demonstrated the range of help Lynne gives & the varying experience levels of her listening audience - one had a question about a double-reduction sauce, the other was cooking a whole chicken for the first time and wanted to know how to get the packet of giblets out. Or, if you've got the technology, you could, you know, download some previous years' episodes and listen on your drive to Grandma's house.

Thirdly, what is your favorite part of the traditional Thanksgiving feast. I know everybody has different traditions, and I'm sure family-specific dishes that show up at your feasts, but let's hear about your fav of some of the (stereotypical, I'm sure) traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Leave a comment here or just click on the poll off to the right.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fettuccine with Garlic Scallops

Mr. Kluges made us this for supper the day we had the giant radiator puddle, and it was really good. I'm just typing it the way the recipe is written, since I didn't make it myself, but I liked it and I'm not, in general, a fan of seafood. It comes from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook called Low Fat Bold Flavors.

1 lb. fresh or frozen scallops (We used frozen.)
6 dried tomato halves (not oil-packed) (We used oven-dried cherry tomatoes from our garden that were frozen with some oil. I think they say not oil-packed since it's a "low-fat" cookbook.)
1/3 c. boiling water
2 tsp. cooking oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 Tbl. lemon juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
4 green onions, sliced
2 Tbl. snipped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
3 c. hot cooked spinach and/or plain fettucine
lemon wedges (optional)

1. Thaw scallops, if frozen. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl combine dried tomatoes and boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Cut tomatoes into thin bite-size strips. Set aside.

2. Pour oil into a large nonstick skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add mushrooms; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add scallops and tomatoes; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until scallops are opaque.

3. Combine lemon juice and cornstarch. Add to skillet along with reserved tomato liquid, green onions, parsley, and lemon peel. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

4. Serve the scallop mixture over hot pasta. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.


Total Fat: 4 g. Daily Value Fat: 6% Saturated Fat: 0g; Daily Value Saturated Fat: 0%
Per Serving: Calories: 263; Total Fat 4g; Saturated Fat 0g; Cholesterol 34 mg; Sodium 281 mg; Carbohydrate 36 g; Fiber 2g; Protein 21g
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 2 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable

Wednesday Fun #110 - Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word.

As we approach the Festival of Turkey Eating, otherwise known as Thanksgiving, it got me thinking about the eating of bird. Poultry. Hmmm... what sorts of birds do we ate/have people eaten. I mean, you've got your very prevalent chicken and turkey, a little more exotic duck and goose, wild birds like pheasant, birds seen as edible in other cultures... and the list goes on.

So, go to the poll off to the right and let's see what sorts of poultry the Recipeeples have eaten, okay? And if you've got a great bird-eating story or a different bird you've eaten that I didn't include, please leave a comment here.


(And, um, sorry to any strict vegetarians/vegans out there... guess WF's not really for you this week!)

Wednesday Fun 109- Kings review

Need Bibimbap, Sushi, and to sing some Karaoke? Well then you need King's. When Pusher and I got back from visiting Diplowhat and Wog in Korea we set out to find a good place in the cities to get Dolsot Bibimbap (Pusher was hooked). Well after some passable places we found King's... in a stripmall just off Central Avenue.

Now if you aren't familiar with Korean food it's largely grilled meats and stews... in Korea there are actually either gas ranges or a hole for a charcoal grill in the tables where you cook your own meat. They are rich and complex full dishes and on the side there is always a number of Kimchi. Traditional/basic Kimchi is cabbage based and fermented (like sourkraut) with red pepper, but there are all different kinds made with seaweed, sprouts, daikan, or even fish. King's doesn't let you cook your own meat at the table (I suspect the insurance here would be insane) but otherwise you get the experience quite well.

The servers were also quite impressed with Diplowhat and Wog speaking Korean.

King's also has Sushi, which I don't think is traditional but may be related to the long occupation of Korea by the Japanese (I understand this isn't a good light topic of conversation with Koreans as they, quite rightly, have some resentment about being occupied). We have other places that we go for Sushi so have only had it once or twice but it was very good.

Of course after 9pm it turns into a nightclub. From what I've heard it is one of the hip places to go for Karaoke. That's not really my scene but the set up looked impressive.

Then of course there is Dolsot Bibimbap, I'll let Pusher explain Bibimbap since she loves it so...

Pork Tenderloin with Apricots and Brie

Ok I know it's not Turkey- but we had this tonight and it was yummy and SO easy I had to tell you about it. 

Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Apricots and Brie 

1 lb Pork Tenderloin

4 oz of dried apricots, chopped

5 oz of Brie, diced

1 tsp. Olive oil 

Directions: 

Butterfly the tenderloin by cutting it down the center (without cutting all the way through). Place wax paper on top and pound to 1/2 inch thickness.  Spread the apricots and brie on the pork, leaving yourself about 1/2 inch of an edge all the way around. Roll the tenderloin back up (starting on the long side) tucking in the filling as needed. Tie up with butcher string, use toothpicks to seal the ends if necessary.  Place pork on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes (or until cooked through).  Slice to serve. 

I just eyeballed the apricot and brie amounts, but I plan to use more of both next time. 

Wednesday Fun #108 - Gimme some gravy!

I know I mentioned before (recently) about the lovely gravy that this recipe makes. But, oh, I think it's my favorite! Do you have a favorite gravy? Your mom's? Grandma's? Your mother-in-law's... but she won't share the recipe? How about gravy style? You've got beef gravy, chicken gravy, turkey gravy, pork gravy, sausage gravy, red-eye gravy... Maybe you love yourself some biscuits and gravy done right.

Tell us your gravy love!

November's Theme - Turkey

Happy November, everyone. Or, as we call it around here, try-not-to-eat-all-the-leftover-Halloween-candy month.

November's theme is, probably not surprisingly, turkey! We're talking anything turkey around here - from raw, using leftovers, or heck, even turkey-shaped things! Who knows, somebody around here (not me, thankfully) might even be hosting a Thanksgiving get-together, or just taking home a few pounds of leftover turkey from the in-laws.


So far we've got my (ok, Cooking Light's) Mahogany Turkey Breast with Vegetable Gravy. I love this recipe. In fact, I just made it again earlier this week, but subbed in baby leeks (from the CSA) instead of the onions and celery, and used maple syrup & honey instead of the molasses. I ADORE the gravy (but serve the gravy veg on the side, not in it).

This La Bamba Casserole calls for ground turkey, but you could totally sub in chopped-up leftover turkey. That also reminds me you can often substitute ground turkey in for some or all of the ground beef in many recipes. (We like to do halfsies ground turkey and ground buffalo sometimes because it still tastes red-meat-y.)

And these Chicken Chimichangas could totally be made with leftover turkey instead, and probably provide a nice change of pace for the day after Thanksgiving. Plus, if you've got people around, you could put all the toppings on the side and let people doctor up their own (maybe have some plain tacos/fixings available, too, for fussies).

For a delightful dessert or fun kid-cooking-project, you've also got Nectarine's Turkey Cookies. They are cute!

How about you? Got any turkey recipes to share? Or great ways to use the leftover turkey after the big day? (I did make a Friends-style sandwich with mine! The moist-maker made it yummy!)

Simple Roasted Turnips Extraordinaire

Ok, not an actual recipe, but SO GOOD I wanted to post. I'm totally buying turnips at the store to do this. Not that the under-10 set liked these, but too bad! More for me! (A tiny bit cabbage-y, so if you despise cabbage, you might not like.)

This is what I did:

• Take a small batch of CSA turnips; cut off both ends and peel. Cut into wedges.
• Mix in a bowl with some olive oil. Sprinkle on some thyme.
• Put in a pan; roast at 350F for like, maybe 45 minutes, shaking/stirring occasionally until both sides are kind of brown/caramalized and delicious.
• DEVOUR!
  

Wednesday Fun #107 - A rose by any other name?

Thinking about this month's theme, I'm wondering...


You know that yellow-orange stuff they put on nachos at the game? Is it cheese? Discuss.

Soft Pretzels

Thanks for the inspiration, Ms. Huis! Saturday's wine tasting was Riesling, so I made a batch of soft pretzels for the occasion. I have changed my poll response accordingly. This recipe is lifted straight from Alton Brown on The Food Network site, which probably breaks all kinds of fair use laws, but I suspect y'all won't turn me in.

My notes:
I've always heard that pretzels are difficult to make. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, these are a breeze.

I couldn't find pretzel salt, so I used coarse sea salt instead. It was maybe a little intense for my tastes, but still a serviceable substitute. I also toyed with the idea of using margarita salt, since I think of that as being softer and slightly less salty. But maybe that's just the influence of the tequila. Also, I measured my flour by weight and it came to barely 4 cups. Maybe 4-1/2 sifted? Perhaps related to that, everywhere he says to oil a surface? Oil it. This is sticky dough.

The best thing about these is how intensely buttery they taste, even though there's only 2 ounces of butter in the whole recipe.

The recipe:
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 package active dry yeast
* 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
* 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
* Vegetable oil, for pan
* 10 cups water
* 2/3 cup baking soda
* 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
* Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.