Spatchcocked Turkey with Cloves and Orange

 

Photo by Heather Hanson

We should draw our attention to the turkey before the big day arrives. 

I loved this bird more than any other turkey I've ever made. I've taken to brining most turkeys, but the time and room in the fridge can be prohibitive. This bird does need to spend the night before hand in the fridge, but the fear of brine leaking everywhere is no longer a concern. 

This is a smaller turkey, only 10-12 pounds which will still feed a fair number of people. 

The true beauty of this turkey is the cooking time. Spatchcocking...cutting out the spine and spreading it flat, breast side up, cuts down the roasting time to about 90 minutes. The breast remained unbelieveably moist, the dark meat still has time to cook through, and because the bird was flayed open far more of the skin roasted to that perfect crispy golden brown.

So what beer to pair?

Pair with a Belgian Tripel.  Again, as a collaboration with Boom Island, we opted for their Brimsone Tripel. Tripels are a farily common Belgian style. Often corked and caged, these big bottles make quite the presentation at the dinner table. If you can't find Brimstone try Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde, Westmalle's Trappist Tripel, Chimay White or Tripel Karmeliet.

"The centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner needs an equally impressive beer to join at the table. Brimstone's higher alcohol and effervescent carbonation holds its own against the richness of the turkey, while the hints of clove and honey from the beer help pick up the spices and citrus used in the basting oil."

recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

serves 10-12

Ingredients:
• 4 tsp ground coriander
• ½ cup kosher salt
• ¼ cup finely grated orange zest
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 10–12 lb. turkey
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 4 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise
• 4 celery stalks, halved crosswise
• 2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 wide strips orange zest
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• ½ cup Belgian Pale Ale

Preparation:
• Combine coriander, salt, orange zest, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, and pepper in a small bowl.
• Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp kitchen shears and some muscle power, cut along both sides of the spine and remove. Flip the turkey breast side up, spreading open as much as possible. Press down on breastbone to flatten. You should hear a crack and feel the bones give way. Rub the entire turkey with salt mixture. Place turkey, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill, uncovered, overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a roasting pan. Rinse turkey, pat dry, and place, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil, orange zest strips and cloves in a small saucepan until oil is sizzling, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
• Brush turkey with oil, and add ½ cup of Silvius to the pan. Roast turkey, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to roast, rushing with oil every 20 minutes, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°, about 1 hour longer. Transfer to a platter; tent
with foil and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

Turkey and Red Bean Soup with Rainbow Chard

The peak of summer is upon us, with all of its muggy, hot glory.  So why does my mind drift to soups and chili?  I suppose the fixation has a lot to do with a small test batch of red chili beans that found its way into our CSA box last week.  The farm included a great recipe for a radish and bean salad, but I couldn't shake that thought of chili...

This dish didn't end up nearly as thick as most chilies I prepare, and I'm okay with that.  The addition of chard makes if far more reminiscent of a minestrone anyway.  But the flavors are all tex-mex.  If you'd rather not hover over the stove on a hot summer's day, this soup can be prepared in the crock pot as well.  Just plan on adding the chopped chard leaves right before serving.

The recipe is my own

Serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup dry red chili beans
1 Tbsp oil
20 oz ground turkey
2-3 bulbs green garlic
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 bunch rainbow chard, leaves and stems separated
1 - 8oz can tomato sauce
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

The Process:
Remove any pebbles or grit from the beans.  Rinse.  Place in a large bowl and cover with cool water.  Soak overnight.

Drain the beans.  In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring about 5 cups of water to a boil.  Add beans, reduce to a simmer and cook about 45 minutes or until beans are tender.  Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the turkey, onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently until the turkey is cooked through and crumbled.  Add the cumin, chili powder and oregano.  Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Coarsely chop the chard stems and add to the pot along with the broth, beans, salt, bay leaf and tomato sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Coarsely chop the chard leaves.  Add to the soup and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the chard has wilted.  Remove bay leaf and serve immediately

Honey-Spiced Roast Turkey with Apple Pecan Stuffing

How to prepare the bird is usually the first challenge to any Thanksgiving feast.  If you are even having turkey that is...

A few years back, when the holiday looked as though it was just to included Ross and myself, we opted to try pheasant.  That was an interesting experiment.

This year we were blessed with a visit from my mother and brother, as well as a dear friend of ours from Hawaii who has been spending the last few months in Michigan.  Along with our roommate, we created quite the hodge podge group.  Turkey was a must.  And as word of my cooking enthusiasm has spread, the ante was upped slightly.  All of the classics needed to be present, but a twist was needed.

So back to the bird.  I've brined before with much success.  In fact it may be my favorite way to prep a turkey, but it does require a little more fore thought than simple defrosting the bird usually entails.  So no brine this year.

I love the combination of nuts and fruit in my stuffing.  That is what caused the recipe to first catch my eye.  Once I read through and discovered the sweet and spice glaze on the bird, I was sold.  Most ingredients were staples in my pantry and no fancy culinary tricks or techniques would be needed.

Do keep an eye on the turkey during the last two hours.  The honey causes the skin to brown very quickly, even when loosely covered.  In the end, never uncovered ours and it was still finished nearly an hour earlier than estimated.

It was surprisingly moist and tender, throughout.

adapted from pillsbury.com

serves 12

The Ingredients:
for the turkey
12- to 15-lb turkey, thawed
1/3 cup honey
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground allspice
3/4 tsp ground cumin

for the stuffing:
1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs fresh sage
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1 medium apple, chopped (1 cup)
4-5 cups dried bread cubes
1 1/3 cups apple juice

The Process:
Heat oven to 325°F. 

In a small bowl, combine the honey, butter and spices until well blended.  Starting at back opening of turkey, gently separate skin from turkey breast, using fingers. Try not to puncture the skin over the breast.   Brush half of the honey mixture over turkey breast under skin.  Reserve remaining honey mixture for later.

In large heavy bottomed pot , melt 1/4 cup butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery, thyme and sage. Saute until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the apple and pecans, cooking another 2-3 minutes.Add the bread crumbs and stir in the apple juice until the stuffing is just moistened.  Remove from heat.  Remove the sage and thyme sprigs.  Allow the stuffing to cool before stuffing the turkey.
  

Gently stuff the neck area.  Pull the neck skin over the opening and secure with a skewer or toothpick.   Loosely pack the stuffing into the cavity, do not over stuff...the stuffing will expand during cooking.  Twist the wing tip back under the bird and secure the legs, if desired.  Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan.  Loosely tent foil over the turkey.

Roast for 4 to 5 hours (or about 20 minutes per pound).   Uncover the turkey and brush with the remaining honey mixture.   Roast for an addition 30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180°F and juices run clear. Drumsticks should move easily when lifted or twisted.

Place turkey on warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Let stand at least 15 minutes for juices to set.  Carve.

Spoon out the stuffing and serve separately.

 

Minced Meat Curry Samosas

My first attempt at samosas happened very early on in this blog's history. While the end result was tasty and quite filling (though not at all photogenic), this first attempt was far from an ideal filled pastry. So a few weeks back when I concocted a curried mince meat for stuffed eggplant, I set some filling aside and froze it in anticipation of a samosas take two.

From the stuffed eggplant experience I knew that the filling was stellar. I need only nail the pastry. After the lackluster baked samosas back in February I opted to fry these savory little suckers. It was the right choice. Deep frying makes everything tastier...

the filling recipe is my own
pastry recipe and samosa frying tips adapted from samosa-recipe.com

makes about 24 samosas

The Ingredients:
filling:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 lb ground meat (lamb, beef or turkey)
1/4 onion, minced
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
pinch of turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

pastry:
1 - 2/3 cups flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water

The Process:
For the pastry:
Mix flour and salt into a medium bowl. Make a well into the center and add the oil and enough water to make a firm dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes. Roll into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the filling:
Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Saute over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes more.

Add the ground meat, and cook until no longer pink, 10-12 minutes. Break up any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add the tomato paste, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes more. Stir in peas and rice until well combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the samosas:
Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep remaining dough covered) form piece into a ball and roll the ball out into a circle about 6" in diameter. Divide circle into two equal pieces with a knife.Brush the straight edge of the semi-circle with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge.

Fill the cone with 1 Tbsp of the minced meat curry. Dampen the open edges of the cone with a little water and press firmly together to seal the cone. Set aside on a parchment lined baking sheet and prep the remaining samosas.

In a deep skillet heat about 1/2" of vegetable oil. Working in small batches fry the samosas until crisp and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve warm with yogurt and chutney.

The review:

These samosas kicked my initial attempt out to the water. I was leery of the pastry at first, mostly because of the tediousness and frustration of filling all 24 little pockets of goodness. For the easily thwarted, I highly recommend purchasing a puff pastry in lieu of making your own. Though the end result of the struggle with a home-made dough is well worth it, I promise.

The pastries bubbled and blistered in deep fried glory. The dough had just enough salt to enhance the curry filling. While in most situations these would be served up as a tasty starter, paired with a fresh green salad ours made for an incredibly satisfying summer dinner.

Eggplant Stuffed with Minced Meat Curry

I am finally becoming comfortable enough with my stash of Indian spices to foray into the world of curries without a cookbook as a guide. This curry is fairly mild when paired with eggplant. And the combination is a nice twist on a typically Italian dish.

The recipe is my own

serves 4-6

The Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1" stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp whole cloves
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 black cardamom pods
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 clove garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and finely minced
1 1/4 lb ground meat (lamb, turkey of beef)
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 cup peas

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the tops of the eggplants and halve lengthwise. Prick the skins and place the eggplants face down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large skillet and add the bay leaves, cinanamon, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom. When the spices begin to sizzle, add the onions. Saute over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes more.

Add the ground meat, and cook until no longer pink, 10-12 minutes. Break up any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add the tomato paste, cover and simmer.

Once the eggplants are cool enough to handle, spoon out the flesh from the center, leaving a 1/2" wall around the skin. Finely chop the flesh and add to the meat mixture. Stir in the garam masala, chili powder, turmeric and salt. Add peas and stir until combined. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.

Spoon the minced meat curry into the eggplant halved=s, mounding slightly. Bake at 350 for an 20-25 minutes.

Serve with rice.

The Review:
My former Indian neighbors would have been proud.