German-style Turkey Soup

So, it's the weekend after Thanksgiving, you've eaten all the turkey sandwiches and turkey leftovers that you can manage, but you still have a carcass with some meat and don't want to just throw it out. What to do? Take the dregs and make some turkey soup!

My German great-grandmother, Johanna (I took her name when I was confirmed -- she was very special to me), is the genius behind this recipe and method of not just making delicious soup, but cleaning out a lot of your leftovers at the same time!

In a large soup pot, place the following:

The remaining turkey and carcass, including the leftover skin, neck, and anything else remaining
Any leftover stuffing
Any leftover veggies that you would like in your soup, especially things like carrots
Any leftover gravy

If you are missing any of these ingredients, don't despair -- they are optional or you can put in substitutes.

To round out the pot, add the following:

1 large onion, cut into quarters (no need to peel or core it)
5 large garlic cloves, smashed (again, no need to peel)
5 stalks of celery, chopped into quarters (include the leaves on the celery -- they add flavor too!)
3 large carrots, cut in half length-wise, and then cut in half through the middle
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns

In a piece of cheesecloth, wrap the following:

If using dried herbs:

1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon sage, preferably not ground for it will seep out and muddy your soup

If using fresh herbs:

1 sprig of rosemary
5-6 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of sage

Pour COLD water over this until it just covers all the carcass and veggies. Turn the burner on medium, and let it go just until the water is thoroughly heated, but not boiling -- should take about 15-20 minutes. Once it's warn, turn it down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Then place a large colander on top of a large bowl and drain out the liquid. Arrange all the meat, bones and veggies in the colander in a large cookie sheet and let it cool.

Let the liquid sit until the grease from the gravy and skin float to the top and skim it off with a large spoon. Then line a fine seive with cheesecloth and strain the broth one more time to get our remaining bits of fat, herbs, veggies, or anything else that mucks it up. NOTE: this broth will not be clear -- it's not intended to be.

Once the veggies and carcass are cool enough to handle, pull off all the edible meat from the bones, shred it into bite sized pieces and add to the soup. If the carrots still look cook, slice them into the broth -- otherwise, get some fresh carrots, peel, slice and add to the broth. You can also add any other veggies you'd like at this point.

Cook the whole thing until any new veggies are soft enough to eat, and serve the soup. I do NOT recommend adding noodles to this soup -- it's going to be very thick because of the stuffing and gravy, and really stands on its own --but if you're crazy about noodles, go ahead -- it's your soup after all!

This can also be frozen quite nicely in case you need a turkey moratorium.

Enjoy!

Venison Roast

So, you may not know it, but my husband is an avid hunter. He just hunts birds (dove, pheasant, goose and duck), but has friends who get us some delicious venison from time to time. I've discovered a great marinade, that I've altered slightly, that helps to tenderize the meat, draw out the gaminess, and leave a great flavor.

Take 1 part red wine, 1 part black coffee, and 1/3 part soy sauce, and mix together. Chop up 3 scallions and smash 4 large cloves of garlic, and add to the liquid.

Marinate the meat for 24 hours, and then roast as you would beef.

If you're "game" to eat game, you'll love this marinade.

White Pizza

One of my favorite comfort foods . . . and I take a shortcut . . I use pre-made dough. Trader Joe's is fabulous, but if you're in an area with lots of good pizza parlors (ie, NYC), they will often sell you their dough as well.

For the toppings:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced finely
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Mix all this together, and slather over the pizza dough.

Then take 4 ounces of ricotta cheese, that you drain in a sieve for about 30 minutes to get rid of extra moisture, and dot it all over the dough.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and then cover with at least 8 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes, cut and serve!

Feel free to add whatever toppings you like to this -- ones I really love are pine nuts, artichoke hearts and broccoli.

Stuffing

1 large onion, diced
3 large stalks of celery, diced
1 stick of butter
1 16 oz. can of low-sodium chicken broth
2 loaves of potato bread (or whatever your favorite is for making stuffing)
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6-8 oz. of roasted chestnuts, chopped into large-ish pieces (optional -- you can buy this at Trader Joes, Williams-Sonoma, or most other gourmet grocery stores).

The night before you want to make your stuffing, tear the bread up into small pieces and spread out in a large baking dish or over a few cookie sheets so that it gets a bit dry and stale.

The next morning, saute the onion, celery, herbs and spices in the stick of butter. Do not let the veggies brown -- just cook them for a good 10 minutes so they're really soft.

Pour the veggie/herb/butter mixture over the bread and mix thoroughly. Add just enough broth to make all the stuffing barely moist to the touch, but not wet or drippy.

Add the chestnuts, if desired.

Stuff as much of this into both cavities of the turkey as you can and put the rest in a lightly greased baking dish to heat in the oven.

If you don't like your stuffing cooked inside the turkey, you can cook it all in a baking dish -- will take about 30 minutes at 350 degrees to fully heat through and get a little crisp on top.

Enjoy!

Mashed Turnips

This is a Thanksgiving tradition from the German side of my family (Mom's side) -- I must admit that as a kid, I never tried these but when I finally did, I was SO sad about all the years I missed. I've made these for many people over the years, and while they weren't happy about having to try turnips, they became converts.

Here goes -- this recipe is enough for at least 8 servings:

Get three large turnips -- get the round ones that are light orange and purple-ish on the outside. Peel them, cut in to 1 inch cubes, and put them into a large pot, cover with water (there should be at least 3 inches of water over the top of the turnips, but more is fine too), and throw in 1 tablespoon of salt.

Take 3 medium sized potatoes (I like yukon gold best, but anything is fine), peel them, and throw them into the pot whole.

Bring this up to a boil, and boil on low heat for a full hour.

Drain the turnips and potatoes and shake out as much water as you can.

If you want REALLY smooth turnips, put the mixture through a ricer. If you don't mind a bit of texture, you can use a hand masher, or even better, a stand-mixer.

Add 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper, and blend or mash until you are happy with the texture.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed -- but don't add salt at first -- the turnips and potatoes will have absorbed a good deal from the salted water. You may not need any more.

These can be made a day or two in advance and reheated either in a pot or microwave. If reheating in a pot, add a little bit of milk; if reheating in the microwave, stir after each minute to distribute heat throughout the whole dish.

Enjoy!

How to cook a perfect and juicy turkey

OK -- some purists are going to hate me for this . . . I know there are many who are devoted to fresh, not frozen, turkeys . . . many like to do their own brines . . I get it and there are MANY great ways to make a turkey. But for my money, this way is foolproof and the bird is just delicious! I learned this method from my Aunt Betty, who always does a perfect Thanksgiving feast.

Here goes . . .

Buy a Butterball turkey -- either fresh or previously frozen. Follow the directions exactly.

Viola!!!!

The only other thing I do is to sprinkle the skin with some olive oil, salt, and herbs de provence before cooking.

It never fails . . . .

Thanksgiving menu

My favorite holiday is fast approaching -- no need to dress up; no need to shop for presents; no need to do anything but cook a great meal, gather wonderful people around your table, and eat until you are so full all you can do is sleep it off :) AND, watch lots of football!! What could be better?

I'm still deciding on what appetizers/antipasto I will serve, but the rest of the meal is set -- here it is:

Roast Turkey
Chestnut stuffing
Garlic mashed potatoes
Mashed turnips
Garlicky green beans
Ginger/garlic carrots

For dessert, apple pie and pumpkin pie!!!!

I'll post recipes one at a time, but trust me, it's a pretty easy dinner to pull together!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

OK -- I know that a lot of you are thinking that I'm nuts -- a recipe for brussel sprouts -- but trust me, make them this way and even a lot of people who don't like them, will like these! And my toddlers just love them . . . .

First, you MUST use fresh brussel sprouts, never frozen. I can't stress this enough! Serve about 6-7 sprouts per person.

Wash them, trim off the bottoms, pull off withered or dirty leaves on the top, and cut in half.

Arrange on a non-stick baking sheet, with the cut side up.

Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until they get lightly brown on the top and bottom.

They will still be firm on the inside, and slightly carmelized on the outside, making them taste a little sweet and a little nutty.

Go ahead -- give them a try -- you might be surprised!