The gravy or sauce is cold in my photo and does look better warm. Just before Thanksgiving I got this beautiful bag of cipolini onions. In case you don’t know cipolini onions are small flat onions that you have to boil to peel. They are very special and are usually served with balsamic vinegar…..So I got the idea in my head that they would be great with cranberries and they are. My husband usually hates cranberry sauce but when he tasted this he said it was very good. This might be my usual cranberry sauce now. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. Leftovers can be frozen.
Ingredients for around 12 servings
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons water
4 Tablespoons turkey or chicken fat (or butter)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 lbs cipollini onions (boiled 2 minutes, cool, peel. Small ones I leave whole and bigger ones I chop)
1 orange (just the grated zest)
18 oz cranberries
4 bay leaves
3 cups turkey stock – preferably home made (or vegetable stock)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
sea salt – to taste
ground black peppers – to taste
balsamic vinegar – to taste
Directions
The sugar and water go in a pot on medium heat. Do not stir. You take its off the heat in about 5 minutes when it starts to turn brown. Then stir in the fat till melted and then the vinegar.
Add onions, cranberries, bay leaves and stock and bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.
Reduce to desired consistency and add thyme. (I reduced to around half…this took a long time)
Add salt, pepper, balsamic to taste.
Balsamic Cipollini Onion and Cranberry Gravy Sauce
Turkey legs always come out crazy great when you stew them. This is a two for one because you also get a great stew too. You need to make my home made stock for this stew. My home made stock is also used for many of my stuffing recipes and my gravy recipe. Two large leg quarters made me 25 ounces of meat and two large bowls of stew.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
2 turkey leg quarters
1 lb parsnips – peeled, diced
1/2 large sweet onion – peeled diced
2 carrots – peeled diced
2 celery ribs – diced
13 cloves garlic – fine chopped
1 cup turkey stock
1 heaping teaspoon bomba (Italian hot pepper paste) ( I used Coluccio Brand Stuzzichino Hot Pepper Paste this has really great flavors to it)
2 bay leaves
3 good branches of parsley (hard ends cut off)
12 small sprigs thyme
6 sprigs rosemary
3 branches of sage
kosher salt – sprinkle legs well
granulated garlic – sprinkle legs well
ground black pepper – sprinkle legs well
paprika – sprinkle legs well
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and have a rack in the middle of the oven for the pan.
Fill the pan with the stock, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.
Add the leg quarters and season the tops well with kosher salt, granulated garlic, black pepper and paprika. (I used to season all over and found that the stew got too salty…but it comes out just right if I only do the top)
This gets wrapped tight with foil and goes on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree F oven. Ovens do differ…..so timing will differ some……In my oven this was perfect in 2 1/2 hours.
Turkey Leg Stew
You need to remove the legs and let them cool an hour. Remove the skin and clean the meat off the bones. The stock cools on the counter till room temperature and then can go in the refrigerator to chill over night. The next day you came scrap off the fat that floats to the top. Use this flavorful fat to make your gravy.
I’ve been making tweaking my pastrami recipes but this one so FORKING AMAZING that I was told not to tweak or change things ever again. I do note that this is the first thing I ever smoked….some how I did incredible. I recommend my rye rolls recipe, my garlic dill pickle recipe and my beer mustard recipe to go with the pastrami. My idea of portion size may differ from your idea of portion size. I’m thinking 3oz portions are perfect and I think I got around ten portions. I do note that this recipe takes about a week to prepare. 6 days in brine. One day to smoke and finish in the oven. I like to make the brine the day before so it’s cool enough to use and I don’t water mine down with ice to use. I can brag here because my pastrami is way better than from the stores or certain deli restaurants. BRAG BRAG BRAG!
Ingredients for around 10 portions
1/2 a brisket trimmed up (around 3 1/2 pounds)
1 Tablespoon prague powder (you need to order it one line I got mine from Olive Nation)
4 oz Crystal kosher salt (this can not be substituted) (Crystal brand salt has a different salt content and different shape crystal that penetrates the meat in a different way)
4 Tablespoons coriander seeds (ground up in spice grinder for the rub)
1 Tablespoon black tellicherry peppercorns (ground up in spice grinder for the rub)
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika (add this to rub for more flavor)
Directions
In your sauce pot add the prague powder, Crystal brand kosher salt, sugar, honey, juniper berries, coriander seeds, allspice berries, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, ginger, granulated garlic, dried peppers, smoked paper and water. Bring to a boil. Let it boil about ten minutes and simmer it for about 20 minutes. This needs to cool before you use it. I leave it out till it’s room temperature and then I but it in the refrigerator and use the next day.
When your brine is cool …….. Pierce your brisket all over with a fork. Place brisket in turkey bag with the garlic and brine. You need a pan to support the bag.
The brisket gets turned every day. This stays in the refrigerator for 6 days.
After 6 days you take the brisket out and rinse it off. It only takes a few seconds to make the rub. Put the coriander seeds and peppercorns in your spice grinder. Till it’s broken down and a little chunky. Mix in the smoked paprika. Rub it all over the brisket.
Now you are ready to smoke it.
I used pecan wood and changed it a few times for around 5 hours. (it’s not done yet)
Set you oven to 185 degrees F.
Wrap your brisket TIGHT with foil.
The brisket stays in the oven till it’s tender. (maybe 4-5 hours)
Then let the pastrami cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate the pastrami so you can slice it up.
You MUST make my beer mustard recipe to go with this.
I thought I’d make a different stuffing this year. This one is mushroom chestnut and fig bread stuffing. It’s laced with home made turkey stock. I didn’t have the turkey fat yet so I used chicken fat from the last chicken I roasted instead of using oil or butter like most people do. You take your Thanksgiving food up to the next level when you use bird fat instead of oil or butter. This stuffing comes out with a great depth of flavor. It’s also comes out moist, fluffy and a little crisp on the ends. It makes half a buffet pan of food. For me this is about 20 servings….but I try to make my stuffing portions very small. So I will guesstimate 10 – 20 servings. Mine came out like this.
Ingredients for around 15 portions
6 oz mushrooms – chopped or sliced thin
1 red onion – small diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves + plus extra to sprinkle on at serving
5 oz saved fat (This is the type of fat that you skim off a from a stew – I used chicken but would have preferred turkey.) (You can use butter but I didn’t)
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Optional – 4 Tablespoons mushroom powder (100% mushrooms) (I used from www.sunvalleyharvest.com from the local person known as the mushroom lady) (it depends on your mushrooms if you want to use mushroom powder)
5 oz dried figs – chopped
11 oz roasted chestnuts – chopped
4 cups home made turkey stock (I have a recipe here for turkey stock)
1 loaf dried sourdough bread (you buy the bread a week before you need it and place it in slices or all chopped up in a single layer on sheet pans to dry out in your oven. This takes a week. My loaf of sour dough weighed one pound three ounces when all dried out. – cubed
3 eggs – beaten
1/2 cup scallions – sliced thin
non stick spray
Directions
Set your oven to 350 degrees F and spray either a large baking dish or a half buffet pan with non stick cooking spray and set the pan to the side.
In a large fry pan melt one ounce of the fat. Add the mushrooms and onions and stir a little let it go about 5 minutes till it’s soft and add the thyme, salt, peppers, figs and chestnuts. Let that cook together about 5 more minutes and then add the stock. Let it go till it boils. Take off heat and let the remaining fat melt into it. Keep to the side.
In a big bowl add the stale bread that was cut into cubes. Add the scallions.
In a medium bowl beat your eggs. Add the mushroom powder to the eggs. Add a cup of the pan contents to mix into the eggs. Add this and the remaining pan contents to the big bowl of stuffing and mix it all up. Let this sit out for about 30 minutes so the bread can absorb the liquid and flavors. You will need to mix again.
After around 30 minutes when everything looks nice and absorbed put the mixture into the non stick sprayed pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Place in the pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 75 minutes. Uncover and put it back in the oven for no longer than 15 minutes to crisp it up a little.
Mushroom Chestnut and Fig Bread Stuffing
Sprinkle with some more fresh thyme. Serve with Turkey gravy.
I’ve been growing DELICIOUS Ultra Flavorful Thai Basil from my indoor Aero-garden and Fry’s just had buy one get one free on ground turkey so that is how this recipe got started. I also had leftover take out rice in my freezer so I thought it would be great as filler for my meatballs. I have to brag because these meatballs came out FORKING AWESOME! I gave my husband half a meatball to taste after I made them. He kept running in all day to eat more and couldn’t stop. This recipe should make around 4 servings for two but can’t say for sure.
Ingredients for around 8 servings
1 lb ground meat (I used 99% lean ground turkey breast…(different meats might give slightly different results)
1 Tablespoon (heaping) vegetable soup base (this is instead of salt…you get more flavor and less sodium)
1 cup fresh Thai Basil – chopped
4 Thai peppers – fine chopped
4 garlic cloves – ground to paste
2 Tablespoons Golden Mountain Soy Based Seasoning
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons fish sauce (I highly recommend Red Boat Brand)
2 small shallots – grated
2 eggs – lightly beaten
3 cups – packed – white or brown prepared rice – (I used leftover take out rice)
1 cup whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
non stick spray
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking sheets with non stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl mix together all the above ingredients – the ground meat, soup base, Thai Basil, garlic, Golden Mountain sauce, sugar, fish sauce, shallots, eggs, rice, and panko.
Use a small scoop or spoon and roll the meatballs and space them well one non stick sprayed baking sheets. When the meatballs are all set up on the pan they go on middle racks in the oven till cooked threw. Timing may differ. I got 39 meatballs and mine needed about 17 minutes in the oven.
I think these meatballs are amazing plain. Tonight I’m going to serve them in a chicken stock with spinach and some of the Thai Basil sauce I made on the side. I thought my sauce was too salty but using a small amount to flavor things is good. It’s only equal amounts of Golden Mountain Sauce, Fish Sauce, brown sugar, honey, one garlic clove, 1 Thai Chili and a few scallions.*****update I figured out a very good sauce since. 1 cup basil, 2 Thai Chilies, 2 garlic clove,1 Tablespoon Golden Mountain soy based sauce, 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar, 1 large shallot, (optional or to taste up to 1 Tablespoon honey)
I don’t use a lot of bread and mini loaves stay better in my freezer. Here are delicious easy to make mini rye loaves. This makes 8 mini loaves so depending on your appetite this is somewhere between 8-16 servings.
Ingredients for 8 servings
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons bread flour + plus extra for kneading and resting the dough in
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons dark rye flour
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon (heaping slightly) kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
2 Tablespoons caraway seeds + plus extra to top loaves
1 1/2 cups warm water (to temperature recommend on yeast package)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup semolina flour or corn meal (this is for resting your dough balls on)
1 egg white – lightly beaten to brush loaves with two times each)
French Salt flakes (to finish loaves with)
caraway seeds (to finish loaves with)
Directions
In a large bowl add the sugar, yeast and water to the temperature recommended on your yeast package and mix. Wait about 30 minutes for a foam to appear so you know your yeast is active. Mix in the flours, salt, caraway seeds, and oil. Transfer this dough to a stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Do it at medium high for about 10 minutes and until dough pulls away from bowl. Knead it and make a dough ball. Set in in a large bowl with some flour to rest on. Cover with plastic wrap. Leave this on the counter for at least 4 hours.
Set oven to 425 degrees F.
Sprinkle parchment lined sheet pans with semolina flour or corn meal.
The dough get divided into eight pieces that you knead into balls. Give the balls room for rising on the sheet pan(s). If desired slash each dough ball the three slashes across the top. Paint each dough ball two times with the egg white. Sprinkle each dough ball with salt and caraway. seeds. They go in the oven for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
Brisket was on sale for around $2.50 a pound so I thought I’d make some things with brisket. I haven’t made a pastrami in a while so I was thinking I’d make a pastrami again. I’ve been to a few of celebrity chef Richard Blais’s restaurants that were really great. I also thought a few of his recipes I followed were really great so I wondered how he would make a pastrami. I did a search for Richard Blais Pastrami on the internet and it lead me to a Richard Blais Brisket Recipe from www.seriouseats.com . It’s very different from the way I’d typically make a brisket so I wanted to give it a try. Half of my brisket will be a pastrami and my other half will be a Richard Blais Style Brisket. I love the aggressive spices and how easy this recipe is. I didn’t have the correct mustard at home for this recipe so I substituted something different that I thought would work. The recipe calls for yellow mustard but I thought Pommery Mustard Royal Cognac might be tasty and I added a dollop of Amora Extra Forte. These are both exceptional mustards. The Amora has this horseradish sort of twang to it and the Pommery is just delicious. They have a completely different taste than yellow mustard so the results will differ. The recipe makes 6-10 portions.
Ingredients for around 8 portions
One 3-4 lb brisket – preferably fatty end
1/4 cup coriander seeds – cracked (I put in spice mill and stopped before powder)
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar – packed (I used dark brown)
1/3 cup yellow mustard (I used Pommery Mustard Royal Cognac and a dollop of Amora Extra Forte)
Directions
In a small mixing bowl mix together the coriander, salt, black pepper, paprika and cayenne and set to the side.
Rinse brisket with cold water and blot dry with towels. Season the brisket with the spices from the small mixing bowl.
Heat the oil in a big fry pan on medium high heat.
Sear the brisket on all sides till brown. When done put the brisket on a pan to cool and rest and lightly cover it. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
Set oven to 300 degrees F and have a middle rack ready for the brisket.
Make the brisket paste. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar with the mustard.
Make an extra large aluminum blanket out of two large aluminum sheets. (you put one sheet on top of the other and fold up the long bottom end slightly and open to seal up the brisket (once it is slathered up with mustard paste).
Slather up the brisket with the mustard paste. You are suppose to use all the paste.
Seal up brisket with the foil….Make sure that it won’t leek. (somehow I screwed up and mine did leek some….)
This goes on a roasting rack in a pan on the middle rack of your oven for up to 10 hours in your pre-heated 300 degree F oven.
Richard Blais Style Brisket
I couldn’t see what way the grain goes and I accidentally cut it the wrong way but it still was good. The rest I cut better.
It is suggested to serve with mashed potatoes. Tightly wrapped leftovers should stay fresh for about a week.
Here is mine cold.
Richard Blais Style Brisket
Above is a cold piece that was re-heated in a 350 degree F oven with some water and the cauliflower on a covered baking sheet on the lower rack for around 30 minutes. Came out really great that way. The water with all the flavoring on the meat made a nice juice for the brisket.
Enjoy!
A special THANKS! to Richard Blais for another amazing recipe and also to www.SeriousEats.com for posting this great recipe.
No story here. Well not really. I almost always have a cabbage around and I almost always have carrots around. I’ve learned that vegetables always taste even better if you whip up some sort of vinaigrette for them. I learned that carrots tossed in a spiced sauce and then roasted come out amazing too. So I always have many southwest style ingredients at home and this is how it came out. I don’t mean to brag but this really did come out amazing!!!!! Actually FORKING AMAZING! This will make around 6-8 smaller side servings. My idea of serving size may differ from your idea of serving size. This comes out really super great so maybe you will get even less servings.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
2 whole pickled jalapeño peppers – chopped (I recommend my home made jalapeño pickle recipe found here on www.TheForkingTruth.com ) (Vinaigrette )
1/4 cup scallions – chopped (vinaigrette )
3 garlic cloves – ground to paste (vinaigrette )
1/2 cup canola oil (vinaigrette )
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (vinaigrette )
1 orange – just the fresh squeezed juice (vinaigrette )
1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice (vinaigrette )
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (vinaigrette )
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (vinaigrette )
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (vinaigrette)
1 teaspoon honey (vinaigrette )
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (vinaigrette)
1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems) – chopped (vinaigrette )
1 lb carrots – peeled – cut into chunks – most no lunger than an inch
1 small cabbage – remove core – rough cut one inch cubes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fine shredded cotija cheese
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped
Directions
Set your oven to 450 degrees F.
Make the vinaigrette. The first thirteen ingredients get blended together. (pickled jalapeños, scallions, garlic cloves, canola oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, 1 teaspoon honey, black pepper and one cup of fresh cilantro. After blended put to the side. (4 Tablespoons get removed to go on carrots latter)
Your cauliflower gets spread out in a single layer on baking sheet(s) Spray or drizzle with olive oil.
In a medium sized mixing bowl add the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons sea salt, chili powder, oregano, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground annatto, fennel seeds, ground mustard, sweet paprika, granulated garlic, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 4 Tablespoons jalapeño cilantro vinaigrette. Mix well and add carrots and mix well. Add to a baking sheet in a single layer.
Put the carrots on the middle rack of the oven and the cabbage just below the carrots. Cook till the carrots are soft and the cabbage has crisp dark ends. (In my oven this took 20 minutes but as we all know ovens do differ)
The vegetables go either in a dish or a bowl and drizzle the remaining jalapeño cilantro vinaigrette all oven the vegetables. Add the cotija cheese, fresh cilantro and pomegranate seeds.
Enjoy!
Roasted Cabbage and Carrots with Cotija Cheese, Pomegranate and Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette
I was reading a lot of recipes. I wanted to do something with tuna and avocado because that is what I had to use. A long time back I have heard that many caterers add curry to tuna and I have done that before. But it was only this week I read about frying curry leaves so I gave it a try. This recipe is slightly based on Yotam Ottolenghi’s Avocado and Curried Prawns and Lime Recipe. I used his flavors so it came out really great… but mine is less creamy and a little different. My husband said it tasted like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant. This recipe only makes two servings.
Ingredients for around two servings
canola oil to fry with (about 1/2 in high in a smaller pan) (infused oil gets used for dressing and to sprinkle on salad. You will have leftover infused oil)
1 shallot – sliced thin
1 pepper – hot or mild – sliced thin
20 fresh curry leaves
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 lime – the fresh squeezed juice (maybe more if your lime isn’t too juicy) Zest sliced off to infuse oil. (this juice gets squeezed on avocados)
pinch sea salt
3 Tablespoons mayonaise
1 1/2 teaspoon curry
1 1/2 teaspoon pure honey
2 Tablespoons infused oil
1 lime – the fresh squeezed juice (this juice goes in dressing)
1 avocado cut in slices
6 oz tuna – drained
1 oz dried mulberries
2 Tablespoon fresh parsley – chopped
2 Tablespoons scallions – sliced thin or chopped
sea salt – to taste
ground black pepper – to taste
two handfuls of mixed greens or sprouts to put under tuna
Instructions
In a smaller fry pan add oil and put on medium high heat. When oil is hot add the sliced shallots and pepper. Fry until golden. Remove and place on a lined cooling rack or sheet tray lined with paper towels. Turn heat down slightly to medium. Add curry leaves. They fry up very fast. Remove curry leaves when crisp (20-30 seconds) and place on lined cooling rack or sheet tray lined with paper towels. Take pan off the heat and add coriander and mustard seeds and lime skin. Let this sit at least 20 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, curry powder, honey, infused oil and lime juice and mix well.
Spread out the avocado on your serving plates. Dot the avocado slices with a small amount of dressing. Make a few dressing dots on the plates.
To this bowl add the tuna, mulberries, parsley, scallions (salt and pepper to taste) Mix well.
Finish dressing up the plate and use all the shallots and pepper and arrange on the plates.
To the middle of the plate add a handful of salad. On top of the salad add a mound of tuna.
Sprinkle the plate with a small amount of the infused oil.
lately top with curry leaves.
Curried Tuna Salad with Dried Mulberries, Avocado, Shallots and Crisp Curry Leaves
This is something very special. A SPECIAL THANKS!!! To Yotam Ottolenghi for inspiring this amazing FORKING DELICIOUS recipe.
Did you ever follow a recipe from a magazine and discovered that it taste terrible? That is how I started to developing my recipes. When I come across one I don’t like I do my best to make it taste good. I thought this one looked good and seemed ok…but the taste was not for me so I fixed it and it came out good in the end. Depending on the size of squash you use the servings may differ. I used a medium small butternut squash. It looks like four side servings to me. Your idea of serving size might differ from my idea of serving size.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
neutral non stick cooking spray
1 butternut squash (whatever size you want)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
fresh crushed sea salt – to taste
fresh ground black pepper – to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
chili paste – to taste (all brands differ..you might want only a little or a lot….I used Calabrian Chili Paste that is delicious and only medium hot…I think I used a little more than a Tablespoon)
2 teaspoons mustard – I used Pommery Mustard Royal Cognac ….It’s like a combo of grain and dijon but laced with cognac
brine from jarred hot peppers to taste (I didn’t measure….I think I used about a quarter of a cup)
8 dried bay leaves
1/3 cup jarred sweet or sweet/hot peppers for garnish
Directions
Set oven to 425 degrees F. Set up a rack for the top third of the oven.
Spray baking sheet or a baking dish with non stick spray and set to the side.
Peel squash, cut in half (long ways) and scoop out seeds and membrane.
The squash go in the oven for only 15 minutes to get softer so you can cut it up easier.
While the squash is getting soft heat up the sauce.
In a small fry pan on medium high heat add the brine, mustard, maple syrup, butter and vinegar. Mix it up and let sit thicken some till it coats a spoon around 7 minutes. Take it off the heat.
Either cut in slices or be fancy like me and hasselback the squash.
I used chopsticks to hasselback the squash so I wouldn’t cut all the way threw.
Then each half of squash gets 4 bay leaves stuck into it.
Spray or rub the squash with oil and generously add salt and pepper to it.
Brush it with the sauce you just made.
Put it in the oven for only 10 minutes.
Repeat with brushing the sauce on the squash.
Leave it in for another 10 minutes.
You might want to do this a third time.
You want the squash to be soft and cooked.
Sprinkle some jarred peppers for serving.
Chili Mustard Glazed Butternut Squash with Bay Leaves
