turkey breast and roasted vegetables

Thanksgiving dispatch #2

I also made turkey breast and roasted vegetables. The turkey wasn't great. The flavor was excellent, I did the smoked paprika rub again (although this time with butter), with garlic, thyme, and rosemary in the pan, but I think the middle was still frozen when it went in the oven, so it took over an hour longer than it should have, but then it still ended up super dry, drier than how Chris likes it, and he likes it pretty dry. I think part of it may also be quality. I've never cooked just a turkey breast before, and there's an unpleasant something (piece of skin? cartilage?) running through the middle of it, which I'm guessing was the outside of part of the breast which they sort of wrapped around to make the breast into a roast shape. So, if you think about it, a turkey breast isn't a cylinder, but this was wrapped and tied into a cylinder shape, so something's going on there. Anyway, I think that's something you would normally eat around, but because of the wrapping it go folded into the roast, and I didn't like it.

The vegetables (potatoes, butternut squash, onions, parsnips) were, frankly, fabulous. They were in the pan with the turkey, thyme, and rosemary, and I also finished them off with smoked salt, feta, and sliced almonds. The boys didn't like those as much, but I thought they were great.

Cranberry sauce, a la me

Report on Thanksgiving #1:

I was going back and forth between a few different cranberry sauce recipes. The problem was there was a relish, which seemed pretty good because it had interesting additions like oranges and ginger, but it wasn't a real sauce (just chopped up ingredients), which I didn't want. And then there's the traditional sauce, which is just water, sugar, and cranberries. Didn't want that either.

Finally I said, the heck with it, and combined the two. Smelled amazing as it cooked, and it tastes not too shabby, either. I was tempted to have some for breakfast, but thought I should save it for the turkey.

2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
2/3 c sugar (or more if you want it to be less runny)
zest from one orange
1 orange segmented
a bit of grated fresh ginger (whatever looks good)
1 cup water

Put all of the above in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cover and cooks, stirring occasionally, until berries are broken, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cool, and refrigerate. Will keep, covered, for a week.

You can also add just a teensy splash of bourbon, which I did. :)

Indian Lentil Stew

Good for a cold, fall rainy day.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (can find on a grocery store, or google for a recipe online)

1 cup chopped plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon minces peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium eggplant (1 #), peeled and chopped

1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed

2 cups chicken or veggie broth

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 bay leaves

2 cups chopped fresh portabello mushroom caps

salt and pepper to taste

Over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Saute onion until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, ginger, and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the lentils, broth, water, salt, and bay leaves to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Results:

Pretty darn good, but I added more garam masala for an extra kick. This is the recipe I used: http://www.ochef.com/r75.htm It was a nice, light but hearty soup to prepare oneself for the Thanksgiving onslaught. I could also conceive some leftover turkey making its way into the leftover stew....

For lunch yesterday I had sauteed onions, leftover roasted butternut squash, and salty sundried tomatoes tossed with penne pasta and a little of the pasta water (to pull it all together--you put the water and the cooked pasta into the pan that you're sauteeing the onions in. Also add the squash and tomatoes then to warm through, and toss until the water is mostly absorbed. I saw that on Emeril.). I topped that with some pungent blue cheese and slivered almonds. Really really good.

Tentative Thanksgiving Menu

In case you're curious, here's the tentative Thanksgiving menu. It's going to be Chris, Duane, and me, so we don't need a big turkey. I had initially decided to protest turkeys altogether, but as the time draws near it's getting harder to resist. Lots of words that start with P in there, I wonder if that means anything.

• Roast Turkey Breast with Paprika
• Parsnip and potato rosti (from How to Cook Everything)
• Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash (with bacon) (from Epicurious)
• Popovers (from How to Cook Everything)
• Cranberry relish with orange and ginger (from How to Cook Everything)
• Dessert ?? something simple.

Simplest Roast Chicken

I roasted a chicken! I know, amazing. And it turned out fabulously. It was juicy, but cooked all the way through, and the meat was practically falling off the bone. Here's a helpful tip: A roaster chicken is about twice as big as a fryer chicken, which is the size that this recipe calls for. Confusing, but true. This recipe is from How to Cook Everything, and it's actually part of recipe with more variations. I'm just going to tell you what I did, and if you want the other variations, tell me, and I'll know what to get you for Christmas.

Makes 4 servings
Time: About 1 hour

We justifiably associate roast chicken with elegance, but it can also be super weeknight food, cooked in just about an hour. This method works because the high heat provided by the heated skillet cooks the thighs faster than the breasts, which are exposed only to the heat of the oven. It gives you nice browning without drying out the breast meat, and it's easily varied. If at any point during the cooking the pan juices begin to smoke, just add a little water or wine (white or red, your choice) to the pan. This will reduce browning, however, so don't do it unless you must. I suggest serving the pan juices with the chicken (you can call it sauce naturel if you like).

• 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon good smoked or sweet paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A few sprigs fresh tarragon, rosemary, or thyme (optional)
• 5 or 6 cloves garlic, peeled (optional)
• Chopped fresh herbs for garnish

[this is Katie here: before starting this process, I decided I wanted to brine the chicken. Bittman doesn't actually recommend brining smaller poultry, so a few hours before I rubbed it down pretty well with a combo of coarse salt (it has to be coarse), minced garlic, and some herb or another, I can't remember. Tarragon maybe. Then I put it back in the fridge on a plate. When I was ready to cook, I rinsed the chicken off really well and patted it dry. Now this is important: if you do this, do not salt the chicken when you put it in the oven. Wait until you cut it up to serve it and see if it needs salt then, or just put some salt on the table. I didn't think it needed any more salt.]

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Five minutes after turning on the oven, put a cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet on a rack set low in the oven. Rub the chicken with the olive oil mixed with the paprika, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and put the herb sprigs on it if you're using them. [KV: I didn't]

2. When both oven and pan are hot, 10 or 15 minutes later, carefully put the chicken, breast side up, in the hot skillet; if you're using garlic, scatter it around the bird. Roast, undisturbed, for 40 to 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh registers 155–165°F. 3. Tip the pan to let the juices from the bird's cavity flow into the pan (if they are red, cook for another 5 minutes). Transfer the bird to a platter and let it rest; if you like, pour the pan juices into a clear measuring cup, then pour or spoon off some of the fat. Reheat the juices if necessary, quarter the bird, garnish, and serve with the pan juices.

Results: 
The only problem, it turns out, is that neither of us like drumsticks. Well, actually, I thought they were delicious right out of the oven, but dark meat leftovers are pretty meh, at best. So I don't know how often I'll roast a chicken, unless it's for a crowd of more than two people, and some of those people are happy to pass on white meat in favor of dark.

Cannellini and Kale Ragout

From Epicurious:
The oversize croutons add a nice crunch to this warming dish, which is a cross between a soup and a stew. Serve with: Romaine salad with sliced oranges, black olives, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 1 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian bread, crusts removed, each slice quartered
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
5 cups (packed) thinly sliced kale (about 1 large bunch)
1 14 1/2-ounce can vegetable broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion in juice
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) or Great Northerns, drained

Preparation:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread and 1 teaspoon thyme; cook until bread is golden on both sides, turning with tongs, about 2 minutes total. Transfer croutons to bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add remaining 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper to same pot; sauté over medium heat 30 seconds. Add kale and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle ragout into shallow bowls. Top with croutons and serve.

Results:
So easy and great for our first snowy weekend. I had to simmer it for a while without the cover because it was a little too soupy for my taste. I think it would also be good with other herbs than thyme, like oregano. So, I had this ragout with the crouton for lunch today, and I plan on mixing it with some pasta to take to work for lunch sometime this week. If you want to turn it into a soup, I would say your could just add more broth.