Brent Nyitray
Fairlington Blade
Let the mutherfuker burn!
jnc4p
Kevin S. Willis
Michigoose
lmsinca
markinaustin
Arcanaut
novahockey
quarterback
ScottC
yellojktEveryone has their favorite way of doing their bird for the Big Day (and, really, it’s kind of too close to the holiday to think about changing turkey recipes at this point. . . but if you ask very, very nicely I’ll let you in on the secret of how the world’s Best Damn Turkey gets fixed at Chez Michigoose most years) but side dishes are something that we can play around with–or, to be grammatically correct, something with which we can play around.
Have I mentioned that my mother was an English teacher?
At any rate, here is my twist on one of the classics:
Better Than Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 cups Fried onions (about a 6 oz can)
2 lb Green beans, trimmed and halved
3 T Unsalted butter
1 lb Button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and broken into pieces
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 T All-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Heavy cream
Toss the bread crumbs and fried onions together in a bowl, set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the beans. Cook beans about 6 minutes until just barely tender; plunge beans into the ice water for a minute or two, then spread them on some paper towels to drain.
Place butter in a saute pan and melt over medium heat; add muchrooms, garlic, and some salt and pepper and cook for 6 minutes (mushrooms should release their moisture and the liquid should evaporate). Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add the cream, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 3 1/2 cups (about 12 minutes). Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Add the green beans to the sauce and stir to coat; arrange in a baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb/onion topping. Bake for 15 minutes and serve.
And I really, really don’t like sweet Sweet Potatoes–those things with little marshmallows in them were the bane of my existence as a kid at Thanksgiving. So I was very happy to find this recipe in Gourmet magazine’s cook book one year:
Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Peppers
4 – 5 Sweet potatoes
1 T Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (processed)
3 T Unsalted butter
Process the chipotle peppers in their sauce in a food processor to make a paste. The leftover processed peppers last several months in the refrigerator (mine don’t last that long, but only because I love cooking with them and use them in just about everything except ice cream)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes and prick the skins with a fork. Roast for 1 – 2 hours until very soft and set aside to cool. Lower oven to 350 degrees.
Scrape the meat out of the potatoes and add the chipotles and butter; beat with a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the potatoes in a baking dish and dot with more butter if desired; bake until warmed through.
Another take on green beans from okie:
Ingredients
Apple, Cranberry, Currant Pie from MarkInAustin
Mike, Brian, BB, and Dave! I know y’all have seen this from me twice, so I apologize to you in advance.
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours, plus at least 1 hour to cool
MAKES: 8 [adult male or teenager] servings
1/4 cup Gran Marnier [or brandy, if you are short on the good stuff]
1/4 cup currants [look like tiny raisins – you could use raisins in a pinch but they are not the same]
1 cup fresh [or thawed frozen] cranberries [I find fresh make a tarter pie – I am OK with tart]
About 3/4 cup granulated FRUCTOSE [a lot of apple pie recipes call for a cup or more of sugar – fructose is sweeter and way lower on the glycemic index]
1/2 cup tapioca flour [I never use cornstarch in a fruit pie]
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 oz 1/2+1/2
6 cups sliced/chopped Granny Smith apples [about 2 1/4 lb]. I like the skin on for this pie – it’s more “rustic”. Think of Pilgrims and Indians.
2×9-inch pie pastry shells – I either make my own or buy really great shells at Central Market. When I make my own they are in no way unusual.
1. In a small bowl, combine Gran Marnier and currants. Cover and let stand until currants are plump, at least 1 hour. [Sometimes I cheat and do not soak this long. No biggie. The plumpness of currants is mainly a texture deal]
2. Chop/slice apples, skin on, using a mix of techniques for slices and chunks. If there will be a delay between prep and oven, put the 6 cups of apples in a big bowl and add a little OJ to keep them from browning. LATER YOU MUST THOROUGHLY DRAIN AND PAT DRY THE APPLES! My grandmother taught me the OJ instead of lemon juice trick about 55 years ago.
3. Sort cranberries and discard any that are bruised or decayed. Rinse and drain berries.
4. In a large bowl, mix fructose, tapioca flour, nutmeg, and salt. With a slotted spoon, lift currants from Gran Marnier; reserve Gran Marnier. Add currants, cranberries, and chopped apples to fructose mixture and mix well. Taste and add more fructose if desired. Pour filling into unbaked pie pastry in pan. Cut hole pattern in top crust. Mix 1/2+1/2 with reserved Gran Marnier and cinnamon and brush liberally on pie crust. Carefully braid foil around pie’s edge to keep pie from from crisping-burning on crust edge that overlaps the pan during baking. [Later, pass off the tiny pieces of foil that some guest finds in the crust edge as “healthy mineral”. 🙂]
5. Bake on the bottom rack of a 375° oven until juices bubble around edges and through top holes, 55 to 65 minutes. If pie browns too quickly – check after 30 minutes – cover loosely with foil.
6. Set pie, uncovered, on a rack until cool to touch, at least 1 hour.
Lulu’s mashed potatoes au gratin
8 – 10 potatoes peeled and cut in half, then boiled until tender
Mash potatoes with butter, milk, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper
While potatoes are boiling saute 2-3 onions (sliced) until really really carmelized, I do this over medium heat so they don’t burn
Put potatoes into baking dish, dot with butter and bake until heated through
Add onion to top and cover with either Gruyere or Havarti cheese and broil until cheese is nice and bubbly and golden
FABULOUS PUMPKIN BREAD
from MsJS
Makes three loaves.
Ingredients:
15 oz. pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil, preferably canola
2/3 cup water
3 cups sugar
3.5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground gloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8x3x2 loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together the first five ingredients until blended. In a separate bowl, sift together everything else. Mix the dry ingredients into the first bowl until just blended. Don’t overmix.
Pour into the prepared loaf pans and bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from the pans and slicing.
Turkey Enchiladas
by Victoria Topham, owner and chef, Piñon Market and Cafe (and friend of Michigoose’s)
1 ea onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can roasted green chilis, peeled
2 cups chicken stock
Sauté the onion and garlic. Add the chilis and stock, cook down and puree. Add salt if needed.
2 lb Turkey, cooked and shredded
2 cups Sour cream
1+ cup Pepper jack cheese, shredded (or salsa jack, if you can find it)
1+ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp Red pepper flakes
1 T Cilantro, chopped
1 T Scallion, chopped
Flour tortillas
Tomatillo salsa, for serving
Combine the enchilada filling ingredients together in a mixing bowl; mix well. Place about 1/2 cup of filling into a tortilla and roll up. Place the enchilada in a baking dish and repeat until dish is full.
Pour the green chili sauce over the top, cover with more cheese and chopped tomatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Serve with tomatillo salsa on the side.
NOTE: this is a very free-form recipe, as Vic adapted it for me from the amounts that she uses in her restaurant. The most important thing is to use plenty of green chili sauce, so that the enchiladas don’t dry out while cooking. . . so supplement if needed–either with more sauce or more tomatillo salsa–and have fun! I usually use more green onion than Vic does, and half the red pepper flakes since I use Penzey’s “very hot” ones.
Who’s next??
Filed under: food, recipes, Thanksgiving |
All Things in Moderation 
Michi:You should try the chipotles in vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Just getting our T-Day menu together right now … looks like my wife wants to have a traditional T-Day dinner because she thinks our guests aren't too adventurous in their palates. SIgh. One of these years, we'll get to my Mexican-themed T-Day menu.
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I'm not terribly fond of either vanilla or chocolate ice cream (mint chocolate chip or butter pecan for me), but the chipotles might just change my mind! :-)I've got a recipe for turkey enchiladas for the leftovers, if you'd like to try a Mexican-themed leftover day menu. . .
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I'll post a great pumpkin bread recipe later.Mike, I've never been a fan of the traditional T-day meal. There was a period when MrJS and I met another couple at a local restaurant for the meal. Only MrJS had turkey.
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Mmmmmm, pumpkin bread. Can't wait, MsJS!I'm a big fan of T-day, but most of the recipes I've changed up over the years. With the one exception of the stuffing: my favorite is still the one from the Betty Crocker cookbook that my Mom got at a wedding shower eons ago. The only really useful thing to ever do with Wonder Bread, AFAIC! 🙂
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Wow, Mark, I just noticed your pie addition to the post! I'm going to have to give that one a whirl–I don't like apple pie all that much (maybe because of the overuse of cinnamon that you mention, hadn't thought of that) but this one sounds fabulous! How can you go wrong with currants soaked in Grand Marnier???Where do you find the fructose? Baking aisle of the mega-mart?Thanks for the recipe!!
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I have a couple of great mashed potato recipes we alternate at Thanksgiving. Here's one of the newer ones:8 – 10 potatoes peeled and cut in half, then boiled until tenderMash potatoes with butter, milk, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepperWhile potatoes are boiling saute 2-3 onions (sliced) until really really carmelized, I do this over medium heat so they don't burnPut potatoes into baking dish, dot with butter and bake until heated throughAdd onion to top and cover with either Gruyere or Havarti cheese and broil until cheese is nice and bubbly and golden
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Mike, chipotles in sweet stuff couldn't be bad – 'Goose's sweet potato recipe sounds great. Rosanne, Jen, the twins and I are driving a rented Tahoe to Santa Fe to be with Hannah and James, but also with my old law partner who lives and ranches in west TX and his wife and their daughter and son-in-law who live in SFe, too, as well as my X#1 and her brother.I am passing the chipotle sweet potato recipe onto Hannah tonight! MsJS, just add the pumpkin bread recipe to this Post – if we add to this post it will always be available to relocate in one place.I added Apple-Cranberry-Currant Pie, btw.
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Glad to hear you're going to try the sweet potatoes, Mark, and I'm jealous–Santa Fe is one of my favorite towns on earth! Spent many a trip in La Fonda in February (scientific meetings) and just love that part of town.lms, I'm going to add your potato recipe to my list of ones to try. Mm, mm–damn, we're a bunch of good cooks!
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At the Nyitray house, we always do the turkey on the Weber kettle. Always comes out perfect, and opens up the oven for sides. Have to buy gravy though.
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How much charcoal do you end up going through, Brent? And how long does it take??That's a method of doing a turkey I'd never thought of. . .
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My bro-in-law deep fries the turkey in peanut oil and it is great. Use a winch type rig to raise and lower the turkey from the fryer. He and my sis are in Durham, NC.
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I got the recipe from the Weber website. I believe it is also in the little paper booklet they give you when you buy one. Put a foil pan in the grill and put 25 briquettes on each side. Open the vents. Position the grate so that the holes are over the coals – you are going to need to add 8 briquettes per side every 45 minutes. I find it takes about the same time as it does in the oven, and I am doing this in the Northeast in winter. If you are someplace warm, it might be faster. Take the giblets and neck out of the bird, brush with olive oil and add some salt / pepper if you like. Light the coals, wait about 1/2 an hour or so, then put on the bird and cover. Add 8 coals a side every 45 minutes to maintain heat. Use a thermometer to tell when it is done. Pretty simple, and you get a nice smokey flavor. I have never had a dry turkey ever from this method. I do buy gravy. I suppose you could in theory use the drippings from the pan, but I invariably have a charcoal briquette or two fall in the pan, so I wouldn't count on it.
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Michi:I'm not a fan of the plain vanilla or chocolate ice creams either, but chocolate and chipotle is a really good combo, IMO. I've got masa and corn husks for some turkey tamales post T-Day, but turkey enchiladas sound yummy. Can you add the recipe to the end of the post, please?Brent/Mark:I did the fried turkey one year, then did a smoked turkey then next. Every year since then has been smoked turkey on my wife's orders.I will vouch for Mark's pie recipe — I gave it a whirl a couple of years ago and it was great. But I used sugar instead of fructose.
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Thanks all for the terrific recipes. Our internet has been out most of the day so I'm having trouble working in a comment between that and cleaning. Mark, that pie sounds absolutely superb. I cook a lot of apples in all sorts of interesting ways so I'll try that one for Christmas. If I don't do my dutch apple for Thanksgiving, I'll be in the dog house.I have another great recipe for left over turkey that's real comfort food with a surprise ingredient. I'll post it next week sometime.
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"I'm not terribly fond of either vanilla or chocolate ice cream…"Vanilla ice cream is one of the top three achievements of our civilization, and I am not sure what the other two are.I was away all day at my college alma mater as a moot court judge. Can't catch up with all the posts, but will have to look over the recipes.
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Mike: added the enchilada recipe. . . although I'm thinking that we may need to do a whole separate post for leftovers! :-)qb:Vanilla ice cream is one of the top three achievements of our civilization, and I am not sure what the other two are.Clearly you and I have been eating different vanilla ice cream over the years. . . 😉
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Wow, these all look too yummy to be true! I am forwarding them to my niece, who is in charge of our T-Day menu.Sorry, michi, I'm with qb on the vanilla ice cream. I'm not much of a sweets eater, but vanilla ice cream is the one thing I cannot resist. Especially with some in-season, juicy fresh peaches sliced on top. But all by itself works too.I think a separate post for leftovers is a good idea. We typically have 20-25 people for turkey dinner, so there are no leftovers. We cook a separate turkey just to have "leftovers."
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OK, I have created a post for leftovers that's scheduled to go up next Saturday–I figure that way we'll have a day to recover from L-tryptophan, bad football (Turkey Day games are almost as reliably bad games as the Super Bowl) and crazy Uncle Ralph. Just add your recipes and click the orange "publish" button (and don't change the scheduled date/time). . . if you do publish ahead of time I'll just go in and edit it to get it back into the "scheduled" queue. :-)Well, okie, if a good liberal like you and an avowed conservative like qb both agree on an ice cream flavor. . . OMG!!! Mass hysteria!!
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QB:Vanilla ice cream is one of the top three achievements of our civilization, and I am not sure what the other two are.I amend my previous statement to say that the vanilla bean ice cream from the Penn State Creamery is an excellent accompaniment to any dessert.
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BTW, Mike: glad to see you've stopped tilting at windmills! 🙂
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Michi:Maybe I'll change my handle to Don Quixote. :-)Thanks for the enchilada recipe. I'll give that a whirl this coming weekend.
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Heh!Enjoy the enchiladas–it's such a fly by the seat of your pants recipe, but it always turns out well!
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Isn't vanilla an aphrodisiac?
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Well. . . . you would know, lms! 😉
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mikeYou can be Don Quixote and I'll be Pollyanna. And I'm just going to throw this out there because it seems obvious to me, I find it so fascinating when men discuss women's reproductive issues.
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michi, "I know nothing"……..
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Yeah, right!
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lolGlad you talked to Taroya, I like her and she seemed like she was enjoying it here. Also thanks for the Thanksgivin leftovers post. I'll add mine in soon. And I'm still going to do the beet soup recipe, with and without meat, but will wait until after Thanksgiving.
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And I uncovered a Beet Green Gratin recipe today while looking up the ones posted above, so we'll be able to use the whole veggie!I like taroya a lot, too. Hopefully she'll be back soon.
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