Brined, Bourbon Injected Smoked Turkey aka Best. Turkey. Ever!

Every year, for a number of years, the neighbors get together at Thanksgiving and cook together. Each year we would try something new.  Deep-fried Turkey.  Mojo Turkey cooked in the Caja China. Twenty-one spiced Turkey.  All good in their own right but none that really grabbed my husband, the self proclaimed, non-turkatorian.  In our house, if you are just ok with something the answer is, in veritably, fine.

In suggesting a turkey for Christmas this year I was met with, you guessed it, Fine.  Ugh.  I thought I had discovered a new fun way to try turkey.  I was psyched.  I was excited.  I had a brand new, shiny injector in hand!  Fine was not the answer I wanted so it was time to cook a test-run bird.

Below is a recipe I adapted from Food & Wine magazine.  The ingredients are true to the recipe with a few minor exceptions.  I, of course, added more than a splash of bourbon (which in the end was un-noticed), the herbs and spices were all organic and we smoked the turkey low and slow over our gas grill.  This was a first time smoking a turkey and I will say, its the easiest bird I have ever cooked.

The flavor of the bird was amazing.  The spice rub seemed intense when applying it to the bird but it gave it amazing flavor without over powering the flavor of the turkey itself.  The injection of butter and bourbon made the meat incredibly flavorful and juicy.  Even the white meat remained juicy as left-overs days later.  No dry meat.

Test run Bourbon Brined Smoked Turkey Nov 2016

Bulleit Burbon at the ready

Inject the turkey with:
1/2 C melted butter

1/2 C Chicken stock

Splash of Bourbon (my splash was more like two)

Inject the Bourbon mixture into various parts of the bird.

Ingredients for the Rub

2 Tbs Paprika

2 Tbs Ancho

1 Tbs Onion powder

1 Tbs Cayanne

1 Tbs Thyme

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 tsp ground bay leaf

1 Tbs each salt and pepper

The spices for the rub.

Mix the spices fully and distribute over the entire bird.

Our brined, injected and now freshly rubbed Turkey

Since we do not have an actual smoker, we used our Weber gas grill with smoking chips on one side with the heat, bird on the other side.  It is recommended to smoke the bird at 240 degrees.  Our grill wasn't able to maintain that low of a temp and we smoked the turkey at 300 degrees.  The timing is 30 to 40 minutes per pound.

We are making this recipe again for Thanksgiving 2017 because it was The. Best. Turkey. Ever!

The Fancy Chicken Duckumentory Part 3

Because we love our new baby duck...

Shepards Pie My Way

Somehow a comfort food dish like Shepard ' shepards pie doesn't come to mind as a dinner option in August in Florida.  Yet, the other night I was reading an article about "old time" recipes that need to make a resurgence.  Shepard's Pie was on the list and I had a hankerin'

My version will substitute the mashed potatoes with a very delicious cauliflower mash.  The texture will be the same and the flavor just as good if not better.  And, I consider it a healthier alternative to the starchy potato. 

When making the cauli-mash, if you have an immersion blender it will be done in a snap!

Shepard's Pie 

Ingredients
For the faux  potatoes:
1 head of cauliflower 
1/4 cup coconut milk 
2 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons coconut oil 

1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons almond flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 bottle of Guiness Beer
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup fresh or frozen English peas



Directions

Quarter the cauliflower head, removing the steam. Place in a medium saucepan with about an inch of water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed but not mush, I'd say about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the water from the sauce pan. Toss the coconut milk and butter in with the cauliflower and mash.  Add butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined. 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the filling. Place the coconut oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the Almond flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, Guinness, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the cauli-mash, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Gluten Free Spaghetti with Mushroom Bolognese

Every month I look forward to the arrival of my new Food & Wine magazine.  The covers are always tantalizing.  The celebrity Q&A surprises me most months as I assume all celebrities never actually do anything as mundane for themselves as cooking.  (So and So can do what?) And the Editors' Top 10 Objects. There are usually at least one or two items I'm not sure how I ever lived with out.  Really. Seriously! I DO need the "Chicken Shaped"  Food jewelry.  See March 2016 pg 18.  (A blatant hint for my dear husband)

Page 86 of the March issue.  Mushroom Bolognese!  The photo of the dish in the magazine made me warm and fuzzy and sent me back.  Transported back to a comfortable, safe haven.  Saturday dinners with Dad.  As a teen, I remember Dad and I making Kraft Italian Style Spaghetti from a box.  We always doctored up the the recipe, adding meat and more mushrooms and more spices. It was a fun bonding time of father and daughter.  Page 86 reminded me of my comfort food but without the beef.

The next best thing about this recipe is it required very little altering to fit our dietary restrictions (elimination of the sugar ingredient and the use of gluten free pasta) and some of its ingredients could, in some form, come from my very own garden!  Fresh carrots, baby eggplant and tomatoes, tomatoes. tomatoes!  Doesn't it taste better when you've grown it yourself!

Stubby raised bed carrots.  They are meant to be this short and aren't they cute!

INGREDIENTS

·         1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms

·         6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

·         2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

·         1 baby eggplant (8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

·         1 pound cremini mushrooms, one-fourth sliced, the rest cut into 1/4-inch dice (FYI, Cremini and Baby Bellas are the same thing.  I NEVER knew!)

·         8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch dice

·         Kosher salt

·         Pepper

·         5 garlic cloves, minced

·         2 tablespoons tomato paste

·         1 tablespoon white miso

·         One 2-inch chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus grated cheese for serving

·         One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

·         1 thyme sprig

·         12 ounces brown rice spaghetti

·         2 tablespoons chopped parsley

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

1.     In a small bowl, cover the porcini with 1 cup of boiling water; soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Finely chop the porcini, discarding any tough bits. Pour off and reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid.

Shitakes, creminis, porcinis, garlic, onion and carrot from my own garden

2.     In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook over moderate heat until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add the eggplant and 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes. Stir in the cremini, shiitake, chopped porcini and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste and miso and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chunk of cheese, the tomatoes and their juices, the thyme, sugar and reserved mushroom soaking liquid and bring to a simmer.


3. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig; season the sauce with salt and pepper. 


Hearty and flavorful.  One would never know it was vegetarian!

4.In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.

5.     Add the pasta, pasta water and parsley to the sauce; toss to coat. Serve in bowls, topped with grated cheese.

MAKE AHEAD

The mushroom Bolognese can be refrigerated for 2 days.

Delicious

Lamb Rogan Josh

My husband and I are both big fans of lamb protein and in various cuts, not just the pricey chops or loin.  We love ground lamb (our Lamb Ragout recipe will be coming soon to a blag near you) and lamb shoulder.  Usually we grill the lamb shoulder but then I stumbled on this Persian lamb recipe from Food & Wine. The deep, heavy spices and slow cook time make this a very rich and flavorful, hearty dish.

Forgive my blurry photo and sloppy plating...it was getting late and we were HUNGRY!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

Himalayan pink sea salt

2 onions, thinly sliced (3 cups)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

One 14-ounce can tomato puree

1 cup coconut milk

1 cups water

1 teaspoon garam masala

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Brown rice, for serving

On this third round of testing my husband picked up lamb loin chops but it words wonderfully well with lamb shoulder

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Season the lamb with salt and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is browned, about 12 minutes; using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

Browning in the lamb.

Add the onions to the casserole and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, coconut milk and water; bring to a boil. Season with salt.

The lamb returned to the casserole dish where it will cook for roughly another hour.

Return the lamb and any juices to the casserole. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, 1 hour. Stir in the garam masala; cook for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice.

Delray Beach Garlic Fest 2015

Blogging about food for my family and friends has been a fun adventure.  For months I thoroughly enjoyed the process.  Experimenting with recipes, of cooking and plating and then, doing it all over again to make sure the flavors worked or given a tweak where necessary.

Then life got in the way.  I was still cooking.  Still experimenting.  An unexpected family situation arose and I just lost the time needed to properly put my experiments down on paper.  I can't believe I let six months go by.

My place card at the Semi Finals Judging table

Garlic & Greens Spaghetti - Because Garlic Fest is just around the corner

GARLIC!!!!!!GARLIC!!!!!!!!GARLIC!!!!!!!!

Last year, by virtue of a glitch is the cosmos, I was asked to fill in as a guest judge at the Delray Beach Garlic Festival.  I suspect is was the universe pointing to one of the true lovers of all things garlic because clearly it was not pointing to a public speaker.  This year, another judge must have fallen into a black hole, as I was asked, again. to participate as a Judge.  (Someone seriously needs to do a better vetting process if I'm asked to speak with a microphone in hand)

In any event, to ready myself for the challenge I have re-invented Garlic & Greens Spaghetti from the Food Network Magazine Cookbook, Great Easy Meals. (Page 277 for those who want the original recipe)

This dish has everything my husband and I love.  GARLIC in abundance.  Fresh greens.  And, Pasta.

The modifications to this recipe were minimal.  We, of course, added more garlic than required and less EVOO.  We found adding two onions to the dish made it too sweet and lessened the recipe it to just one.  If you have followed us before, the standard pasta is replaced with brown rice pasta. (An FYI, we also tried it with linguine but much preferred the spaghetti version)

We attempted this recipe twice.  Once with grilled pork and the second time with blackened shrimp on top.  Both were delicious.  Both would be made again.

The original recipe suggests par boiling the greens, however we omitted that step.  I preferred to saute the greens in the onion/EVOO.  I hate to lose any nutritional value in the water bath and we both love sauted greens.

Ingredients
20 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onions, halved and sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
Kosher salt
12 cups torn winter greens, such as kale, chard, escarole or mustard greens (about 2 1/2 pounds)
12 ounces brown rice spaghetti 
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese


Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to over-brown the garlic or it will taste bitter.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic chips to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil into a small bowl to use as a dip for crusty bread, if desired. 

Is there any better smell than a saute pan full of garlic?

When the water is boiling, Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.  Our brand of pasta takes about 15 min.

Brown Rice Pasta has a different cooking method than traditional pasta.  Be sure to follow the instructions

Add the onions and red pepper flakes to the oil in the pan; cook, stirring, until the onions are light brown, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt. When the onions are almost done, add the greens and cook, uncovered, until just tender,stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Greens and onion mixture with Garlic waiting in the background.

When the pasta is done, remove and reserve about 1 cup cooking water; drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the cheese and toss. Add the greens and some of the reserved pasta water and toss, adding more water as necessary to keep the pasta from clumping. Top with the garlic chips and protein of choice.

Almost ready to serve

Garlic & Greens with Blackened Shrimp

Garlic & Greens with grilled pork

CSA Stuffed Bell Peppers

Most every Wednesday a magical thing happens while I'm at work.  A basket of fresh grown, fresh picked vegetables and fruits arrive.  Its magical in a number of ways for me.  First, its magical that someone, for a nominal fee, will deliver a large basket of fresh vegetables to me each week.  Next, its always a surprise as to what is in the basket.  Sometimes squash or grapefruit.  Sometimes green beans and assorted tomatoes.  Sometimes exotic things that I must question. (And with the exotics, there is always an answer/suggestion from my delivery person on how to prepare the mystery ingredient)

This week our bountiful basket arrived and contained inside (among many other goodies)  five lovely bell peppers.  My husband declared it should be stuffed pepper night.

Usually this blog is reserved for me transforming other recipes into our gluten free versions. However, growing up that dish was a family favorite made without a written recipe (as far as I know) and I want to share what we made.

Below is our version of Stuffed Bell Peppers and we want to thank The Fancy Chicken and Solace Farms for providing almost ALL of the ingredients.  (The meat, garlic, wine and wild rice were store bought)

Please enjoy our version of Stuffed Bell Peppers by Felicia Marquart.  (Hope I was close in guessing this mom)

Ingredients
Filling:
1 lb ground meat of your choice (we used a mix of beef and pork)
5 Bell Peppers, tops sliced off. (save tops which will be chopped and added to the meat mixture)
1/2 Onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves minced
1 C chopped tomato
1 C Wild Rice
Salt  Pepper

Sauce:
6 C grape or cherry tomatoes chopped (any tomato variety will do)
1 box crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs coconut sugar
1/2 C white wine
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Prepare one cup of wild rice according to package directions.  (it will probably need to cook for about 50 min)

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat cook the 6 cups of chopped tomatoes along with boxed tomatoes.  This will need to cook down significantly.  If you have an immersion blender, even better for breaking down the tomatoes for sauce consistency.  For the record, I didn't remove the seeds, everything into the pool.  After the sauce has cooked down and thickened, add the coconut sugar and wine and continue to simmer.

For the filling: Saute onions, pepper tops until soft.  Add garlic and one cup tomatoes and cook down. Add ground meat and cook until meat is browned.  While this is browning, blanch the peppers (with tops and seed pods removed) for about 5 min and then remove from boiling water and immerse in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

After the meat has browned, add about 1 cup of the sauce and mix.  Next, stand the peppers upright in a dutch oven or oven safe pan.  Fill the peppers with the meat mixture until full.  Pour sauce over peppers and into dish until about 1/2 full.  Bake the pepper at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  We topped the peppers with a wee bit of Pecorino Romano. (Yeah, I know we are trying to be dairy free but I'm from Wisconsin.  I can't give up cheese completely)

Enjoy!