Tofu with Ginger Scallion Sauce

May 21, 2013

  Ginger Scallion Tofu 8 of 8 3 500x733 Tofu with Ginger Scallion Sauce

My great aunt Bayla was cooler than I will ever be, and when she was still alive she would take me on food adventures in NYC. She was a bombshell, and the fact she was in her seventies didn’t stop her from being a flirt. She was really, really fun and  knew good food. We would sometimes go to Yummy Noodle in Chinatown together  in what seemed like a back alley almost 15 years ago. We would order their fried tofu and soy sauce chicken with ginger scallion sauce and a casserole of some sort. It was rustic and fun, and when I think of ginger scallion sauce I miss her.

I made this dish last week because we had nothing but tofu,scallions and garlic in the house, and it combines two of my favorite dishes from Yummy Noodle. Organic tofu is not only inexpensive, but  keeps for months in the fridge.  Scallions, garlic and ginger keep well too, so if you don’t have anything to make, this dish is grand and will make a satisfying meal served  with a stir fried vegetable, and steamed rice or noodles. You can add less soy sauce and more broth if you don’t want a dark sauce like the one pictured here; it’s pretty flexible and very addictive.

 

 

Ginger Scallion Tofu 1 of 8 2 500x333 Tofu with Ginger Scallion Sauce   I was more of a fan of soft tofu (and still am in Chinese braises) but after I learned this trick I have also begun to love firm tofu. The secret is to slice it lengthwise in fours, cover it with paper towels on both sides, and press it with something heavy (pot or cast iron skillet). Ginger Scallion Tofu 3 of 8 500x333 Tofu with Ginger Scallion Sauce

This is how my husband chopped the scallions when we first made it. I thought it looked lovely when cooked, so elegant (this is what I mean by elegantly).Ginger Scallion Tofu 7 of 8 3 500x717 Tofu with Ginger Scallion Sauce

Stir Fried Tofu with Ginger and Scallion Sauce

 

 Ingredients:

  • 1-16 ounce firm tofu, cut in  four sheets, then placed between paper towels on a butcher block and pressed with something heavy to reduce the water in the tofu
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 bunch scallions, elegantly sliced (refer to picture above)
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • a chunk of garlic, minced (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
  • a squirt of sriracha sauce
  • 3 tablespoons of soy sauce (I used gluten free tamari)
  • 2 tablespoons of water or broth
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed in two teaspoons of water

Preparation:

  1. Cut the tofu lengthwise in four slices. On a cutting board place a sheet or two of paper towels and place the tofu pieces, then cover with another paper towel. Cover with a somewhat heavy pot for about 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, thinly cut the scallions into elegant slices (example pictured above).
  3. Mince the garlic and ginger
  4. In a bowl mix and whisk the sriracha sauce, soy sauce, broth or water, and sugar
  5. In another bowl combine cornstarch in water
  6. When the tofu is drained, cut into cubes and toss with about a tablespoon of cornstarch
  7. Heat a wok to very high and stir fry the tofu in three batches until it is golden
  8. Place on a dish in a warm place
  9. Proceed to stir fry the garlic and ginger, then add the scallion and mix, making sure not to burn the garlic (you want to do this step quickly)
  10. Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil.  Add the corn starch mixture and let it thicken
  11. Re-add all of the fried tofu and combine
  12. Serve with rice or noodles and enjoy!

 

 

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Written By Ulla on May 21, 2013 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Uncategorized |

Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

May 16, 2013

Turmeric Wings with Soy Sauce Vinegar Dipping Sauce 1 of 1 2 500x333 Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

Turmeric, cumin and coriander with soy sauce has become one of my favorite flavor combinations. A few years ago a friend introduced to me to the Indian-Chinese food that has become very popular in her native India and I have been smitten since. It combines the Chinese art of stir-fry with Indian spices and was created in India by Chinese immigrants over a hundred years ago. It’s tantalizing.

Turmeric deep fried wings are more of a Malaysian street food, but when paired with a vinegary soy sauce dip they create the magical unity of spice and soy sauce. Turmeric is a natural antibiotic that makes these wings a health food!  I kid, but if you use organic chicken wings and pastured lard I consider them to be a nutrient dense food and a welcome treat once in awhile.

 

 I once heard a southern woman say: “I like my food deep fried and my men with broad shoulders.” Sometimes I think I am southern.

 

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The raw wings.   Turmeric Wings with Soy Sauce Vinegar Dipping Sauce 1 of 1 6 500x595 Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

Turmeric, flours and salt and pepper. I used the same teaspoon to measure the salt as I did the turmeric. Look at how strong the colors are! Turmeric Wings with Soy Sauce Vinegar Dipping Sauce 1 of 1 7 500x333 Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

I like to coat the wings by shaking them in a bag. Turmeric Wings with Soy Sauce Vinegar Dipping Sauce 1 of 1 4 500x333 Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

The wings covered. Turmeric Wings with Soy Sauce Vinegar Dipping Sauce 1 of 1 3 500x333 Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

I cooked about 4 wings at a time, for around 10 minutes, flipping once.

 

Turmeric Wings with Soy Sauce Vinegar Dipping Sauce 1 of 1 500x480 Deep Fried Turmeric Wings with a Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

Turmeric Deep Fried Wings with Vinegar Soy Dipping Sauce

Serves 4 as an appetizer and 2 as a main coarse

 Ingredients:

  • 2.5 pounds whole chicken wings
  • 1-tablespoon tapioca starch
  • 1-tablespoon white rice flour
  • 1-tablespoon sweet rice flour
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1-teaspoon sea salt
  • Oil for deep-frying, like peanut, rice bran or pastured lard

 Preparation:

  1. Combine the flours with the salt, pepper and turmeric.
  2. Heat oil in a pot
  3. Place flour mixture in a plastic or paper bag with whole chicken wings and shake.
  4. Fry the wings until they are golden, flipping once (about 10 minutes total)
  5. Place on rack in a warm place while you assemble the dipping sauce.
  6. Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!

For dipping sauce:

  • 1-tablespoon soy sauce
  •  1-tablespoon balsamic vinegar or black rice vinegar
  • 1 scallion (white part only minced)
  • Grated garlic and ginger to taste

Preparation:

  1. Mix all the ingredients together.  If you prefer a bit of sweetness you can add honey, but balsamic vinegar has sweetness to it.

 

 

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Written By Ulla on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Uncategorized |

Orange, Avocado, Arugula and Sweet Onion Salad

May 1, 2013

Orange Arugula Avocado and Sweet Onion Salad 1 of 4 2 500x750 Orange, Avocado, Arugula and Sweet Onion Salad

Yesterday I had the most productive of days! I hadn’t had time to think of what to make for dinner so I threw this salad together to compliment a pasta dish. I’m a fan of using citrus in salad when tomatoes aren’t in season.  Navel oranges have been so sweet lately that I will take any opportunity to incorporate them into a salad, or fruit plate for lunch and this salad is no exception.

Orange Arugula Avocado and Sweet Onion Salad 4 of 4 2 500x750 Orange, Avocado, Arugula and Sweet Onion SaladOrange Arugula Avocado and Sweet Onion Salad 2 of 4 2 500x532 Orange, Avocado, Arugula and Sweet Onion Salad

 

Orange, Avocado, Arugula and Sweet Onion Salad

Ingredients:

dressing (all to taste)

  • lime juice
  • maple syrup
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil

Preparation:

  1. Cut the oranges into skinless slices (For tips on how to cut the navel oranges check out this pictural)
  2. peel and cut the avocado and slice the onions
  3. assemble the dressing to your taste ( i like it tangy and salty)
  4. assemble on a plate and pour dressing over the salad! Enjoy!

 

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Written By Ulla on May 1, 2013 | 2 Comments | Posted in: Californian, Onions |

Roasted Cockerel and Musings from the Suburban Homestead

April 29, 2013

photo81 500x500 Roasted Cockerel and Musings from the Suburban HomesteadI haven’t been blogging that much since we closed on our very own home! I have yet to set up a surface where I can photograph yet.  It’s been so wonderful building a home together: picking paint colors, scouring Craigslist for vintage pieces and antiques, and planning our new kitchen. We have a lot to be grateful for. We were able to pull together a down payment all by ourselves, which is a feat when one of us is a teacher and the other (me) a freelancer that no one seems to want to pay. For some reason, I thought writing about local food would be more practical than farming or being an artist ( I know, how naive).  But I’m so proud of us.

Our home is a fixer upper, an elegant 1926 bungalow  only 30 minutes by train to Penn Station. My husband was a   carpenter in his last career and our house has solid bones and gorgeous original detailing, so I think we can make it lovely without too much work. It came without a working stove or fridge, but it’s already gorgeous (to us) and we can’t get over the fact that we own a home together. It’s been very romantic and we feel so grateful to be homeowners.

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If any entrepreneurs or freelancers need advice on the mortgage process please feel free to contact me. I would love to give advice and/or a pep talk. Credit is pretty tight right now and when you are self-employed or have your own small business it is easy to be discouraged by bankers.  One important thing is to make sure your clients pay you on time so they don’t mess up your record keeping, especially around the turn of the year. It can be hard to get clients to pay you on-time but it is important to think of this if you are looking to buy a home. If a client pays you after the new year, be mindful of how it will look to creditors. If you are paying a bill or a person on your project and your client doesn’t pay you until the next fiscal year, it will look like you didn’t make a profit that year, even if you have a lot of money in the bank and were expecting payment.

Cooking was by far the best way to save money for a down payment ourselves. We tried to communicate to our friends that we were saving and  couldn’t afford nights out on the town. Most of them were very understanding and cooked for us, and we then cooked for them. We ate meats from my family’s farm and vegetables from our CSA. It was incredible how much we were able to save this way. We made soup twice a week, and I became a pro at sauteing onions, leeks or shallots, then adding chicken stock and a vegetable from our CSA either cubed or roasted, before combining in an immersion blender. It became our routine. It was delicious and never monotonous because we had new vegetables each week.photo71 500x500 Roasted Cockerel and Musings from the Suburban Homestead

Roasting a chicken over the weekend was part of this cost saving plan, and bone broth always helps to settle my nervous stomach, which was thrown through the ringer during the whole house buying process. Our chickens this year were mostly young cockerels; we had a lot of heritage breeds like the white australorp, jersey giant, Delaware (a slow food arc of taste designee) and the barred rock. Most of these are egg laying breeds, but the young roosters or cockerels were surprisingly good, with delicious crispy skin and a deeply flavored, juicy meat when roasted well. There’s a healthy debate in my family about the best way to roast these cockerels, and we noticed that once the temperature began to dip they were using up their fat reserves, so we had to cook them differently. It’s so important to be an intuitive cook when you are dealing with nature and what is happening on the farm because of the seasonal changes. I was listening to NPR the other day and the barefoot contessa was saying that cooking should be like driving. You learn to drive so that you can handle all sorts of conditions. Cooking should be like this too, so if you get a steak or chop that is unevenly chopped from your butcher you know what to do. When you are cooking off your farm this is even more true.. Nothing on a small farm is standardized, which is what makes every season so special.

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My husband’s Irish family reads aloud to each other in the evenings, or during tea breaks. It’s delightful; sometimes it’s poetry but more often than not it is an editorial or an article they want to share with each other. It’s a tradition we have brought to our new home and the other night he read to me the Michael Pollan interview in New York Magazine, where Pollan talks about how the practice of cooking is so important and why he isn’t a big devotee of restaurant culture. He is a man after my own heart.

“I really like simpler food, and I really like restaurants that leave you alone. What satisfies me is simple food really well prepared—and prepared with conviction. I’m a little tired of restaurant culture, and I really like to cook. And, this sounds weird, but I sort of feel we’re being deprived of the pleasure of cooking.”

I feel as if I cooked my way into our beautiful new home.

photo111 500x500 Roasted Cockerel and Musings from the Suburban Homestead

Roasted Spring Lake Farm Cockerel

Ingredients:

  • One cockerel, defeathered. I like to leave it in the fridge chilled for a day or two. You can also freeze it after you have chilled it and enjoy it all year, which is great because the quality of the cockerels decreases with age and over the cold winter. (which is what we had last night).
  • salt and pepper (if desired)
  • olive oil or shmaltz

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450
  2. Place bird on a roasting pan.  You can season  with salt and pepper, and olive oil or even schmaltz if you have it
  3. Roast for about 15 minutes
  4. Decrease the temperature to 350 and roast for another hour and 15 minutes or so
  5. I like to add a bit of water halfway through to capture some of the delicious drippings to serve with the bird
  6. Enjoy!
  7. Don’t forget the delicious skin

 

 

 

 

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Written By Ulla on April 29, 2013 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Cooking the Whole Animal, Cooking The Whole Beast, Farm Essays, Food Writing, Frugal, Uncategorized |

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

April 3, 2013

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My idea of a great date with my husband is visiting vintage bookstores.  It’s been a while since we went book shopping and it was a welcome change to go out in our old stomping grounds of Greenpoint and Sunnyside last Friday. I picked up a delightfully fussy cookbook entitled  The Four Seasons Cookbook from 1971 for only 3 dollars!! It’s a beautiful book divided into seasons and it’s very French. All the recipes call for broths and complex sauces that require one to search other parts of the book to complete the recipes, but one spring recipe intrigued me because of its simplicity.  It called for beef, not chicken broth, in this cream of asparagus soup. I tried it and was pleasantly surprised by how the  beef broth complemented the asparagus and cream. It was frothy and light, but heady and satisfying. Perfect as we flirt with spring.  Cream of Asperugus soup 1 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

a small onion ready to be choppedCream of Asperugus soup 2 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

the trinity: Icelandic butter, celery and onion

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sauteing it in butter

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I cut the ends off (but not too much)Cream of Asperugus soup 4 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

I then chopped up the asparagus.Cream of Asperugus soup 6 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

putting the asparagus in the brothCream of Asperugus soup 7 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

after the immersion blender I added the creamCream of Asperugus soup 8 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

and I whisked itCream of Asperugus soup 9 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

and whisked itCream of Asperugus soup 10 of 10 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

finished product. it will be really frothy, but that is the point!

Cream of Asperugus soup 1 of 1 2 500x333 Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

 

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Beef Broth

Adapted from the four seasons cookbook

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 small onion (finely chopped) about 2/3 cup
  • 1 small celery stalk preferably from the heart with leaves, about 1/3 cup, finely chopped
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 pound small spring asparagus
  • 2/3 cup fresh cream

special equipment

  • an immersion blender or blender

Preparation:

  1. Finely chop the onion and celery.
  2. Melt butter in a pot over a medium heat.
  3. Add onion and celery and saute until translucent and tender. (5-10 minutes).
  4. Meanwhile clean and cut the asparagus ends off. you only want to cut off a small amount of the end then chop them up.
  5. Add beef broth to the sauteed onions and celery, bring to a boil and add chopped asparagus.
  6. Cover and simmer for five minutes.
  7. Blend with immersion blender or blender.
  8. Add cream and whisk together and serve!(serves 6)

 

Other asparagus recipes:

Jersey Asparagus with Champagne Orange Vinaigrette

Perfectly Roasted Chicken with Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus

 

 

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Written By Ulla on April 3, 2013 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Asparagus, Season, Spring, Uncategorized |

Grass-Fed Beef Carpaccio

January 26, 2013

Beef Carpacio 1 of 5 2 500x711 Grass Fed Beef Carpaccio
One of my favorite beef cuts is the often forgotten and maligned bottom round. It’s a tough, deliciously flavorful cut that seems to always find its way into my freezer. Because of its tough reputation many believe that braising it for a long time is best, but unlike the brisket, chuck or short rib it doesn’t become meltingly tender when braised. I admit that it is quite good cut up and braised in a beef stew with lots of homemade broth and seasonal vegetables,but it’s never going to be as sumptuous as a short rib.  The bottom round will never become tender and moist when braised because the cut is lean, lacking inter-muscular fat and sinew.  My favorite method is to roast it quickly at a high heat, as in this recipe that features garlic and thyme.  Because it is so lean and beefy, it is an ideal cut for homemade beef jerky. These qualities also make it ideal to serve raw, garnished with freshly squeezed lemons, truffle oil, diced onion, capers, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

 

 

Beef Carpaccio with Bottom Round

Ingredients:

  • 1 grassfed bottom round (about 2 to 3 lbs)
  • lemons
  • truffle or olive oil
  • red onions, minced
  • capers
  • sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preparation:

  1. defrost the frozen bottom round until it is slightly thawed (having it partially frozen helps with thinly slicing the beef)
  2. using a sharpened knife, slice the beef as thinly as you can, and remove any fat or sinew.
  3. place the thin slices between plastic wrap and pound the beef using a mallet’s flat side.
  4. when you have tenderized and flattened the slices, arrange them on a plate and garnish with freshly squeezed lemon, truffle or olive oil, minced onions, capers, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
  5. Enjoy! And don’t forget the steak knives!

 

 

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Slicing the bottom round is much easier if the meat is partially frozen.

Pounding the meat with the flat side of a mallet helps to tenderize and make it thinner. Just be careful to not over due it. You want the beef to be still in attractive pieces when you are done pounding.

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Written By Ulla on January 26, 2013 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Cooking the Whole Animal, Cooking The Whole Beast |

Winter Sunrise

January 6, 2013

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Sometimes the most beautiful things happen when you  least expect them. This morning I woke early to an intense orange sun peeking out from the mountain tops and a soft pink taffeta-like sky.  Here in the Western Catskills our winter months can feel like they are continually shroud in a blanket of snow clouds and sun is always a welcome treat.

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Written By Ulla on January 6, 2013 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Winter |

Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

December 20, 2012

Steak Tartare 7 of 12 500x750 Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

My mom was the only child of Manhattan-based painters. During her childhood they all spent a lot of time in Paris, where my grandparents’ painted and later my grandfather taught painting. She attended elementary and high school there—one of my favorite stories is how she was the only 1st grader in her school to bring milk, not wine and water like the rest of the elementary students for lunch—Ha!

Classic French cuisine has always been part of my mother’s cooking repertoire, with carrot salad starters, quiche and cheeses with intense aromas making up my childhood tableaux. Outside of France, French cuisine has a reputation as high class and fussy, but at its core are frugal ingredients waxed into art with technique. When I think back about how little money we had growing up and how my mother always made dinner seem wonderful with a limited budget, I am truly grateful. I am never surprised when we break for lunch or dinner on the farm and my mom has created something truly sophisticated from what she has on hand. This happened just the other day when she prepared steak tartare using our top round.

Steak Tartare 1 of 12 500x750 Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

Steak Tartare 3 of 12 2 500x333 Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

French food is highly pleasurable, and steak tartare is just that. It plays on one’s senses.  It’s a bit dangerous, savory, robust, satisfyingly beefy with briny capers and juicy onions. My mother hand chops top round (London broil) and tosses it with olive oil, good French Dijon, capers, chopped onions (which we put on the side because my father is sensitive to them), salt and pepper. We also omitted the raw egg because our hens aren’t laying, as it’s the darkest part of the year, and we don’t trust other raw eggs. Instead we added a tad more olive oil.  She placed it in a small mold, garnished it with chopped parsley and served it for lunch.

Steak Tartare 5 of 12 500x750 Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

My Danish grandfather loved beef tartar, but his version included a raw egg on top of a mound of freshly chopped raw beef, with small bowls of onion, pepper, salt, capers, and minced onion as garnishes, which ensured that each bite would be different depending on your garnish. I saw a similar version in a German cookbook and once ordered a similar steak tartar presentation at a Polish restaurant. The French method is to pre-mix the tartar, which is delightful, but either way you will want to use a lean beef (that isn’t well marbled) like a top round or even a tenderloin.

Steak Tartare 8 of 12 2 500x333 Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

Knowing where your beef comes from and the farmer that raised it is key to this dish because raw beef can be dangerous. One should never use ground beef for beoffe tartare that hasn’t been hand ground yourself.  If you are nervous about parasites you can freeze the beef before you chop. Freezing beef or pork also kills potentially harmful parasites.

Steak Tartare 12 of 12 2 500x333 Grass Fed Boeuf Tartare with Top Round

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Written By Ulla on December 20, 2012 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Uncategorized |

Guinea Hog Boar Chops

December 1, 2012

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Before they go into the oven

My family has been farming for over 30 years now. This fact has made me think a bit about my family and my role at the farm. This much I know: 1. I’m getting older. 2. We are completely nuts.

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the final result: meltingly tender sage pork chops

Last night my mother made guinea hog boar chops for dinner. She seared them in lard,  then slow roasted them in the oven at 250 degrees for an hour and a half. The only seasoning was sage leaves from our garden. It was hands down one the best meals I have ever eaten.

Guinea hogs are an American heritage pig breed that were used primarily as a homesteading pig, and were a dual propose breed, providing pork and lard for small farmers. When you think about it, having a pig that produces excellent meat and lard would have been indispensable for pioneers and subsistence farmers who lived far away from towns and local stores. Lard is not only nutritious, it’s an indispensable cooking aid (try to cook without any fat or oil).  The Guinea hog makes one appreciate all the industrious farmers who came before us who recognized the small west African pig for it’s frugality and excellent meat and helped to created the Guinea hog.

Heritage breeds tie us to indigenous knowledge and a tradition where working with nature was key. Guinea hogs are so prodigious at converting poor forage and waste into meat and fat that our boar, Cosmo, had become so fat we didn’t think he could breed.  He almost had fat blindness, and our ration is almost 70 percent home grown hay. We put him with our best “super sow” and hoped for the best. My father was convinced the love match had failed and we had Cosmo processed. To our surprise, the sow just gave birth to a litter of piglets with the telltale ears of a guinea hog, so it seems Cosmo got the job done.

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Cosmo’s pork chops were highly marbled and so tender it’s almost criminal. The fat is also delicious and reminds one of butter. We are just astounded by how good they were, not to mention that there was little to no boar taint. During dinner,  the conversation veered to our history with farming and our trials and successes as a family. There have been a lot of both, but these pork chops were definitely a success. Thank you, Cosmo.

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Written By Ulla on December 1, 2012 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Farm Essays, Uncategorized |

Much To Do About Turkey

November 21, 2012

Turkey 1 of 1 2 500x750 Much To Do About Turkey

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, probably because it is focused on food. I recently learned that when the pilgrims came to New England and saw turkeys they weren’t surprised by them. Turkey had already become popular in England because they had been imported from the new world at around 1550. I had no idea that Turkey had been popular in Europe before the first Thanksgiving actually took place in the “New World.” I guess good food travels fast. It’s remarkable how many wonderful foods the native people of America have given the world.

There is always a lot of stress involved with Thanksgiving.  Being with family can make some fragile, some have to travel long distances and for those that are responsible for cooking there is another level of stress. I love to cook, and am happiest at the stove, feeding people I love, but for many the whole process can be daunting. This is why being an appreciative guest is so important. It’s important to encourage new cooks, and the only way to become a good cook is to actually cook–so keep that in mind if you are a guest to a nervous cook.

I am so grateful that I can celebrate Thanksgiving twice, once with my husband’s family(which has vegetarians) and then on Friday with my family. It’s going to be wonderful! We have already finalized the menu for both days and it’s going to be a fun collaborative effort with both of my families! Menu for 1st Thanksgiving: pumpkin soup, creamed spinach, corn bread stuffing, roasted turkey, vegetarian and turkey gravy, shredded Brussel sprouts with hazelnuts, mashed roasted butternut squash with cinnamon, baked mushroom risotto, mashed potatoes, butter pecan sweet potatoes. Second Thanksgiving on Friday: 3 of our own ducks and 2 chickens from our farm slaughtered by my dad, port and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, butter pecan sweet potatoes, wild rice casserole, stuffing, creamed kale, turnip casserole, curried brussel sprouts. Also dessert for both Thanksgivings: pies and cranberry souffle. Can’t wait!!! What do you have planned?

To brine or not to brine? That’s the question. Most experts say not to a brine if you are using a heritage pastured bird and I agree.  Shannon Hayes says it better than me in this post.  If you are roasting a heritage or (real) pastured turkey it is best not to brine because the turkey is already going to be far more flavorful than a commodity bird and will be far juicier. The secret is relying on your thermometer because they cook quicker. I love Alton Brown’s turkey recipe which I have blogged about before, starting out the oven at a hot temperature and then lowering it always results in a juicy bird that doesn’t take too long. I have also blogged about it here.  To complicate matters, I have heard from friends who have complained that a pastured heritage bird was dry and tough. This might be partially do to with it being harvested too early, if your turkey doesn’t look finished(really skinny looking even for a heritage turkey) braising it might be best.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

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Written By Ulla on November 21, 2012 | Leave a comment | Posted in: Fall, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Uncategorized |