Brined Christmas Turkey (or Chicken)

Originally this was our chosen recipe for Thanksgiving turkey.  Even though it would just be me, my husband and his mother, I wanted to go all out and make a traditional Thanksgiving feast which would include a Turkey bigger than necessary.  Left overs?  YES PLEASE!

Our fabulous brined bird just out of the oven

Over the years I have experimented with several brine recipes and they all left me feeling under-whelmed.  All the time and effort in brining a bird and they all tasted the same and a bit boring.  Then I stumbled on to Alton Brown's recipe on Food Network website.  The tables have turned.

This recipe to me screams Christmas and we will be doing this again and again.  My husband has proclaimed it his new favorite way to prepare chicken.  Everything about this recipe has a very homey, comfort food aroma and taste.  One word of caution:  cut way back on all ingredients when brining a chicken vs a turkey.  Our first chicken brined this way was a wee bit heavy on the aromatics but delicious non-the-less.

I must also throw a shout out to the fabulous guys who provided us with the amazing roasting hens. Solace Farms, Home of The Fancy Chicken is a remarkable CSA program offering organic veggies and farm fresh eggs and poultry.  Every time we get a roasting hen from the guys I take extra care in preparing it in healthy, delicious way.  Mark Harrison and Michael Meilak, this recipe is for you guys.  

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen or fresh young turkey (remember, when using a chicken, cut back on the brine and aromatics ingredients accordingly)

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar (was brown sugar)
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water


For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Coconut oil (was canola oil)


Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, coconut sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Aromatics (minus the allspice berries.  I only had ground allspice on hand)

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat (we let both birds (turkey & chicken) brine for over 24 hrs:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey or chicken (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Our Big Bird taking a dip

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's or chicken's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with coconut oil.

Aromatics being prepared

Aromatics ready for the bird

Our "Fancy Chicken" being stuffed with aromatics

The next set of instructions is for the TURKEY ONLY.  The chicken requires much less time but follow the rule of 161 degrees F.  Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

A beautifully roasted and brined bird

Fresh from our garden green beans and assorted greens from Solace Farms CSA.

Braised Short Ribs

My version of Braised Short Ribs as adapted from Food & Wine "Chef Recipes Made Easy"

Magnificent.  Total and compete deliciousness. Awe-inspiring.  And, I must admit to never before really buying into the "depth of flavor" catch phrase, until now.  There is depth, width, height, multidimensional flavor coursing through this dish.  Try it now.  Don't wait.  Run to the butcher.

That said, before trying this recipe, do not do what I did.  Do not go to the store without a plan, discover short ribs behind the meat counter and then think you will be making them for dinner.  You will be sad.  Very, very sad.  This recipe requires forethought and planning.  It requires patience and time.  Lots of time. Like days of time (Don't panic.  It will all be so worth it)

The beautiful short ribs I thought I would be whipping up for dinner one night.

 Ingredients (six servings)
2 Tbs Coconut Oil
6 short ribs cut about 2 inches thick
Himalayan Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion chopped
2 sliced carrots
5 thickly sliced garlic cloves
One 750 Mil bottle dry red wine (We used a Malbec)
4 thyme sprigs
3 C chicken stock

Active time One hour  Total 3 hours 15 min + overnight marinating.

The sizzling ribs browning in my favorite pan.

In a large skillet, heat the oil.  Season the ribs with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned and crusty. (Patience is key) Transfer the ribs to a shallow baking dish.  (See photo below which includes marinade)

Almost ready to move to the shallow baking dish.

 On to the marinade (where I got so involved in chopping and cooking that I forgot to photo document).  Add the onion, carrots, and garlic to the same skillet used for cooking the ribs.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly browned.  Add the wine and thyme and bring to a boil over high heat.  Pour hot marinade over the ribs and let cool.  Next, cover and  pop in the fridge overnight, turning the ribs once.

Our marinade boiling before pouring over the ribs.

End of day one of cooking frenzy.  The smell in the kitchen is heavenly and these babies are ready for the fridge.

 Day Two
Preheat the oven to 350.  Transfer the ribs and marinade to a large enameled cast-iron casserole.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook in the lower third of the over for 90 min or until the meet is tender but not falling apart.  Uncover and braise for 45 minutes longer.  Turn the ribs once or twice until the sauce is reduced by half

Almost done!

 Transfer the meat to a clean shallow baking dish and discard any bones if they fall off. Strain the sauce into a a heat proof measuring cup and skim off as much fat as possible.  Pour the sauce over the meat. Quite frankly, this is where I transferred the meat directly to my plate.  (I skipped the next broiler section.  It was late.  We were hungry and the dish smelled so divine we couldn't wait any longer)  If you chose to continue on....Preheat the broiler.  Broil the meat, turning once or twice, until glazed and sizzling, about ten minutes.  Now you patient chefs can transfer the meat to plates and spoon the sauce on top and serve.  Enjoy!

Enjoy the flavors, the aroma and the experience.  Fun and over the top delicious!

Served over grilled Non Gmo sweet corn.

I'm making it all up in my head again....Smoked Thai Garlic Rub

Every now and again I get an idea for a rub.  Sometimes the idea has spawned from another rub recipe I've found.  Sometimes the idea comes to when I see an ingredient in the fridge or pantry that I haven't used in a while and miss.

We first tried this rub on a lovely flank steak.  I was a bit "over" the our "go-to" rub and wanted something different.  Looking in the pantry we had an over abundance of Green Chile paste.  (Green Chile paste can, at times, be a hard to find item in my area so when I find it, I stock up.  At my last trip to the store, I STOCKED UP.)

Below is the rub recipe which we have tried, as I mentioned, on Flank Steak and chicken, as well as country style pork ribs.

Smoked Thai Garlic Rub

1 TBS Smoked Paprika
1 TBS granulated Garlic
1/4 Tsp Clove
1 Tsp Onion powder
2 TBS Walnut oil
1 Tsp Green Chile paste
Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients and spread over meat of choice like a paste.  Allow to marinate for several hours or overnight.  ( I prefer over night)

Flank steak with Smoked Thai Garlic Rub ready for the grill.

Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Wings

Yikes,  I have been holding on to this recipe since March without posting.  Shame on me.  This is just too good not to share.

Sometime in March my hubby found a great Chicken Wing recipe video on YouTube.  (I would love to give credit to the author but I can't find the video now.)  So, let it be said this is not my recipe, just me making a few "healthier" changes to what we saw.  I cut back on the amount of coconut oil because we like our wings drier and I did substitute Almond flour for regular flour.  Other than those changes, we kept the recipe pretty much in tact.

The recipe is simple and completely delicious and I'm sure when we make it this evening for the photo shoot, my hubby and I will plow through the entire batch.

Ingredients

2lbs chicken wings

2 tbs Almond flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Coriander

¼ C Coconut Oil

2 ½ Tbs Red Chili Hot Sauce (like Chohula)

½ Tsp Fish sauce

1 Tsp Red Curry Paste

2 Tbs Cilanto

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500.

Toss the wings in the flour, salt and coriander.  Bake on a flat cookie sheet for 45 min.  Do not over crowd the pan.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a dish to form the sauce.  When the wings are done, coat them sauce and serve.  Completely delicious...

Thai Chicken Wings served with Roasted Balsamic Beets

Lemongrass Chicken

Chicken from Solace Farm, Home of The Fancy Chicken

Lemongrass Chicken

(Chef Recipes Made Easy, Food & Wine pg 146)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Asian fish sauce

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 Tbsp. mild curry powder

½ Tbsp. plush 1 ½ tsp Xylitol

1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

3 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 fresh lemon grass stalks (I substituted squeeze tube lemongrass.  Shame on me but it was handy)

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

3 serrano chilies, seeded and minced (I used guajillo chilies since I had them on hand)

5 cilantro springs

Steamed rice for serving

Total:  30 min

1.      In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic curry powder, salt and 1 ½ tsp of the xylitol (or coconut sugar).  Add the chicken to coat.

2.      In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 Tbsp. of xylitol with 1 Tbsp. of water and cook over high heat, stirring, until the xylitol dissolves.  Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms, 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp. of water.  Transfer the caramel to a very small heatproof bowl.

3.      Heat a wok over high heat.  Add the oil and heat until shimmering.  Add the lemongrass, shallot and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and top with the cilantro.  Serve with rice.

The Fancy Chicken Marbella

Sometimes things just come together.

Chicken Marbella served with fresh veggies from Solace Farms, home of The Fancy Chicken

A few years back, when I was in the beginning stages of chicken farming, I got to know two lovely gentlemen who were owners of The Fancy Chicken.  Over the years they have helped me immensely by dispersing their chicken knowledge, sharing a few chicks, kindly giving me fertilized eggs to attempt to hatch.  Most recently, we have purchased several of their fresh, free range broiler hens.  (Heaven forbid I eat one of my own Ladies!)

The recipe below came to me through a dear friend, Sherry Haddox who gifted me with the lovely Austin Jr League cookbook.  This is how we chose to prepare one of those fresh Fancy Chickens and it was DELICIOUS!

Chicken Marbella
(Courtesy of the Austin Jr League cookbook with a few modifications for our dietary lifestyle)

3 large chickens, cut into quarters
1/2 C coconut sugar
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1 C prunes, pitted
1/2 C chopped fresh basil
1/2 C pitted green olives
1/2 C capers
1 T minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 C dry white wine
1/2 C chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place the chicken quarters in the seal-able plastic bags.  Combine the coconut sugar, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and mix well.  Stir in the prunes, basil, green olives, capers, garlic, salt and pepper.  Pour over the chicken and seal tightly.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 10 hours, turning bags occasionally.

Arrange the undrained chicken quarters in a single layer in the large baking pan.  Drizzle with the wine.  Bake at 350 for one hour, basting frequently.  Remove the chicken and sauce to a serving platter.  Sprinkle with the parsley.

Chicken Marbella ready for the oven