Part III will concentrate on the turkey dressing/stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

DRESSING/STUFFING 

Is there a difference between stuffing and dressing? It all comes down to inside the bird versus outside. Most people use the term stuffing when it is stuffed inside the bird and dressing when it is served alongside the bird. Again, it is just a matter of preference. Whether it is stuffing or dressing, it really does not matter as I can’t imagine a turkey meal without it. I use the term stuffing and dressing interchangeably. Southerners prefer the term dressing.  

Whether it is stuffing or dressing, the ingredients used varies from coast to coast.  The ingredients ranges from the kind of filling used to make the bulk of the stuffing to the aromatics for flavor. In the south cornbread dressing is especially popular. Oysters are popular in the coastal plains along with sausages. In the

Midwest such as

Chicago, rye bread may be used. In

New England white bread along with onions, celery, herbs, and cranberries are noticeable. Wild rice is also a popular ingredient. In

California sourdough bread is often used along with wild mushrooms, artichokes, and chestnuts. In

New Mexico, a more spicy variation using Poblano chiles, pork and even raisin are found in the stuffing.

 

When it comes to stuffing/dressing, I have done quite a few improvisations over the years.  I love wild rice dressing with cranberries and nuts, oyster dressing with sausages, cornbread with Andouille sausage. Basically I love them all! However the picky eaters of my family are traditionalist; well Steve is the traditionalist as Nick does not care for dressing at all! I usually end up making a sage dressing as that is Steve’s all time favorite.

I used to stuff the dressing in the bird but as the turkey gets bigger each year, I find it much faster to just bake it separately; however, I will at least stuff the neck cavity. Baking the stuffing/dressing in and out of the bird does make a difference as I find stuffing baked in the bird more moist and flavorful as it absorbs all the flavors from the turkey. I just make sure I add more butter and broth to the dressing if I bake it outside of the bird.

Mei’s Thanksgiving Sage Dressing 

2 loaves Italian or French bread, remove crust, cut into ½-inch cubes. “Air dry” for two days in unheated oven or toast in preheated 325ºF oven for 30 minutes

1 cup milk plus a little more

3 cups yellow onions, finely chopped

2 cups celery, ½-inch dice

3 cups button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 cups chestnuts, boiled, remove skin and roughly chopped

5 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter plus 6 tablespoon, divided

6 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon savory, dried or fresh

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth, to moisten

 

Method

Place milk in large bowl and add in the bread cubes to soak. If cubes are still too dry, add several tablespoons at a time until bread cubes are sufficiently moistened.

In large heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium high-heat. Sauté mushroom until lightly golden brown and liquid from mushrooms have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet melt butter and sauté onions until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the celery and continue to sauté for about 3 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to soften. Next add in the parsley, chestnuts, sage, thyme, and savory. Continue to sauté for another 3 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in soften bread cubes and season to taste with salt and pepper. If dressing is too dry, add in some chicken broth to moisten. If planning to stuff bird, cool stuffing completely before stuffing.

If baking in oven, place dressing in casserole dish, dot with 6 tablespoon butter. Bake covered in preheated oven at 375ºF for 30 minutes and another 15 minutes uncovered until top is golden brown.

Serves about 8

Note: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to stuff or baked in the oven.

 

Herbed Oyster Stuffing

Taken from Gourmet

2 loaves Italian or French bread (1 lb total), cut into ¾-inch cubes (12 cups)

½ pound sliced bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

2-3 tablespoon olive oil (if needed)

2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)

1-½ cups chopped celery

3 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried, crumbled

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoon dried, crumbled

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1 stick (2 cups) unsalted butter, melted

18 oysters, shucked, drained and chopped (3/4 cup)

 

Method

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Spread bread cubes in 2 shallow baking pans and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes total. Cool bread in pans on racks, and then transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet. If bacon renders less than 1/4 cup fat, add enough oil to skillet to total 1/4 cup fat.

Cook onions, celery, thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper in fat in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread cubes, then stir in bacon, parsley, butter, and oysters. Drizzle with stock, then season with salt and pepper and toss well. Transfer stuffing to a buttered 3- to 3 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until browned, about 30 minutes more.           
Note:  Stuffing can be assembled (without oysters and not baked) 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature and stir in oysters before baking.

Serves 8

Cornbread Dressing with Cranberries and Sausage

8 cups cubed homemade or store bought corn bread

2 cups pecans

6 leeks (white and pale green parts only)

4 celery ribs, diced

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

½ pound sweet Italian sausage

2 cups fresh cranberries

¼ cup sugar

½ cup packed chopped Italian parsley leaves

2 cups chicken broth

 

Method

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Place cubed corn bread on 2 large baking sheet pans and bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 20 minutes. Transfer corn bread from 1 pan to a large bowl and set the second pan aside. In emptied pan toast pecans in oven until insides are golden about 10 -15 minutes.

Remove first outer leaf off leeks. Halve lengthwise and cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Wash leeks well in cold water and lift from water into a sieve to drain. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium heat; cook leeks and celery in butter with salt and pepper to taste until leeks are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove sausage from casings and break into small pieces. Add sausage to leek mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.

Meanwhile cook cranberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until cranberries begin to burst.

To bowl of corn bread add remaining corn bread cubes, pecans, sausage mixture, cranberries, parsley, broth, salt and pepper to taste; toss together. Cool stuffing completely if planning to stuff turkey.

If planning to bake, place stuffing in shallow baking dish, bake stuffing covered in preheated 350ºF oven for 45 minutes for moist stuffing. If prefer to have a slightly crusty top of stuffing, bake stuffing covered for 30 minutes, uncover and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until top is brown.

Note: Stuffing may be made one day ahead, chilled and covered.

Serves 8

TURKEY GRAVY 

Gravy adds extra oomph to a perfectly roasted turkey. Gravy is also like the cherry on top of an ice cream in mashed potatoes. Nothing beats homemade gravy. It starts with the drippings of roasted meats, in this case turkey, thicken with added butter and flour and then combined with wine or broth (homemade best)  produces a sinfully delicious gravy. I do recommend making your own broth to get a richer flavor. I have included a quick turkey stock recipe if you do not have time.

Quick Turkey Stock 

2 tablespoon butter

8 cups chicken broth

3 unpeeled carrots, washed and cut into three

3 celery stalks, cut into chunks

1 peeled large onion, washed and quartered

1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, stems and all, rinsed

Reserved turkey neck, heart and gizzard

Method

In a large saucepan, sauté turkey neck, heart, and gizzard over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add chicken broth, carrots, celery, onion, and parsley, bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about 1 ½ -2 hours. Transfer neck, heart, and gizzard to plate. Strain stock and cool. If planning to add giblet to gravy, pull meat from turkey neck. Chop up the meat, heart and gizzard. Store in container separately from broth.

Note: Stock can be made 3 days in advance.

Makes about 3 ½ cups

 

Thyme Giblet Gravy

1 cup dry white wine

6 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 ½ cups turkey stock, homemade or store bought

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Reserved cooked chopped turkey neck meat, giblets and heart

Method

Skim all of the fat from the roasting pan juices, reserving 1/3 cup of the fat, and add the wine to the pan. Deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and boil the mixture until it is reduced by half. In a saucepan combine the reserved fat and the flour and cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking, for 3 minutes. Add the stock and the wine mixture in a stream, whisking, and simmer the gravy, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in chopped thyme and the reserved cooked giblets and neck meat, chopped, and salt and pepper to taste, simmer the gravy for 2 minutes, and transfer it to a heated sauceboat.

 

 

CRANBERRY SAUCE

There is absolutely no reason or excuse to buy canned cranberry sauce. It is so easy to make your own cranberry sauce; just add water, sugar, and cranberries to a saucepan, bring to a boil and you know it is ready when the cranberries starts to pop and the sauce thickens. To make cranberry sauce more interesting, try adding some juice, spices, and even alcohol such as bourbon or orange flavored liqueur. Fresh cranberry relish is just as delicious with addition of fruits, either dry or fresh, with some nuts, and spices.

Orange-Flavored Cranberry Sauce

Here is a simple cranberry sauce. 

1 12-ounce bag cranberries, rinsed

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup orange juice

4 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur 

Method

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Place cranberries in a glass 8×8 baking dish. Mix in sugar and orange juice. Cover mixture tightly with foil. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour. Uncover and stir in liqueur. Cool sauce and refrigerate.

Note: Sauce can be made up to one week ahead.

Makes 2 cups

Grandma Kieser’s Cranberry Relish

This is Steve’s grandmother cranberry recipe. I have taken a few liberties with this recipe to come up with my own version.

1 12 ounce bag cranberries

2 teaspoon orange zest

1 large orange, peeled, pith, and segmented

2 cups sugar

1 Fuji apple, pared and cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

2 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup raisins

 

Method

Place cranberries, orange zest and sugar in food processor and roughly chop using on/off button. Transfer chopped mixture to a bowl and mix in apples, orange, walnuts and raisins. Cover and refrigerate.

Note be made 3 days ahead.

Makes about 6 cups 

In this series, I will concentrate on appetizers, salads, root and leafy vegetables. I will also include notes, where possible, if recipes can be prepared ahead of time.

APPETIZER 

A snack before the main meal is usually out of the question with family as they want to save room for the main event. Nevertheless I have been known to make a couple of items especially if we have guests joining us. I like to prepare small bites that will temporary stave off hunger pangs while waiting for the feast. These small bites have to be easy, preferably able to be prepared in advance and if possible eaten at room temperature.

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole

A different take on regular guacamole

4 ripe avocados

1 cup finely chopped red onions

1-2 fresh jalapeno chiles, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate

¾ cup peeled and diced ripe mango

½ cup chopped cilantro

Lime wedges for garnish

Accompaniment: Tortilla chips

Method

Halve, pit and peel avocados. Coarsely mash in a bowl. Stir in onions, garlic, chiles, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add pinch of sugar. Fold in pomegranate seeds, mango and cilantro. Adjust seasonings if necessary and serve with lime wedges.

Note: Guacamole can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled. Cover surface with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Ring to room temperature and stir before serving.

Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Barbecue Spice

Recipe by Bobby Flay 

1 ½ tablespoon sweet Pimenton de la Vera (Spanish Smoked Paprika)

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 pound large shrimp, deveined but not shelled

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Method

In a large bowl, mix the paprika with the ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the shrimp and toss to coat in the spices. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in 2 large skillets until shimmering. Add the shrimp to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until curled and white throughout, about 4 minutes. Add half of the butter and scallions to each skillet and swirl them in. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.

Serves 6

SIDES

When selecting your side dishes, remember to use your kitchen efficiency to the maximum. Find recipes that enable the use of the oven, stove, and even the microwave. If there are too many dishes that require the use of one appliance, see which dishes can be cooked in advance and reheated later. I think I love the sides more than the turkey, and I do tend to go overboard even when there are just the three of us for dinner. Whatever the case may be, here are a variety of sides that you can prepare in addition to your regular repertoire.

SOUPS AND SALADS

I seldom or never serve soup for Thanksgiving; however, if you plan to have a formal or even informal dinner, a warm bowl of soup makes a great start to the feast. I am apt to serve seasonal salad (as I prefer to have lots of greens to convince myself that I am also serving something light and healthy). For soups I love using root vegetables such as winter squashes that have such a smooth earthy flavor when combine with cream and herbs. Root vegetables are great in salads too, especially roasted, cooled and later tossed with the salad. Fruits such as pomegranate add a refreshing burst of flavor and crunch along with Clementine and apples. Use a variety of ingredients to perk up your salad. There should be a balance of sweet, salty, tangy, and texture from the nuts and greens.

Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup with Thyme

3 tablespoon butter

1 2-pound butternut squash, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, cut into 8 pieces

1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, cut thick end pieces lengthwise in half

8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly smashed.

5 shallots, peeled and left whole

¼ cup water

1 onion, halved, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried

4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup half and half

Method

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Butter large roasting pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange squash pieces skin side up in prepared roasting pan. Add parsnips, garlic cloves, shallots and ¼ cup water to pan. Cover pan with foil; bake until vegetables are very tender, about 50 minuets. Cool vegetables.

Melt remaining butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and thyme. Sauté until onion is tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape squash from pulp into food processor (discard peel). Add parsnips and onions mixture. Puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to heavy large saucepan and mix in broth and cider vinegar. Whisk in half and half and bring mixture to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Note: Soup can be prepared 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.

Serves 6

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Crunchy, refreshing and colorful salad. Can substitute pomegranate juice for the cranberry juice. 

4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces Spring Mix

2 heads Belgian endive, sliced thinly crosswise

1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored and chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Method

Whisk oil, cranberry juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine Spring Mix, endive, and apples in large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to coat. Sprinkle cranberries, green onions, and walnuts on top and serve.

Serves 4

VEGETABLES

Root and winter squashes pair well together. I love the variety of root vegetables, which have a distinct earthiness of their own. Parsnips, which is slightly starchy and sweet, resembles a carrot in shape and texture with a hint of nuttiness. Seasonings used for carrots such as dill, nutmeg, orange are also great for parsnips. Winter squash, albeit its name, is actually a summer vegetable that keeps well into winter. Winter squash belongs to the gourd family. Each variety of squash has a distinct flavor, density, and sweetness that pairs well with other vegetables. Don’t be intimated by its shape and variety. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to showcase these wonderful fall bounty. To learn more about winter squashes, go to: www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t–830/all-about-winter-squash-asp  

Parsnip Puree

This recipe came from Chef Traci Jardins of Jardiniere, San Francisco. I did a little tweaking by cutting down on the amount of butter and added a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. 

10 medium parsnips (about 4 pound total) peeled, chopped into ½ inch thick slices

1 stick (8 tablespoon) unsalted butter

½ cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon fine sea salt or kosher salt

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Method

Combine parsnips and enough cold water to cover in a heavy large pot over medium high heat; cover, bring to a boil.  Continue to boil until tender; about 30-45 minutes. Drain parsnips. Working in 2 batches, puree hot parsnips, butter and chicken broth until smooth. Transfer to a large serving dish, stir in salt, pepper, and pinch of nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Serves 10

Sweet Potato with Crunchy Streusel Topping 

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 tablespoon (3/4) stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

4 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

Pinch of salt

Topping

1 ½ cups cornflakes, crushed

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup chopped pecans

6 tablespoon (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Method

Sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes and drain. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add butter. Using electric mixer beat until smooth. Next add egg, sugar, spice, and salt and beat to blend. Transfer mixture to 8×8 inch baking dish (can be made 1 day ahead). Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing. Bake potato until beginning to brown around the edges and slightly puffed, about 25 minutes.

Topping: Mix together all ingredients in medium bowl. Spoon topping evenly over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes more.

Serves 6

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, cut into 3-inch wedges

1 ½ pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into ½-inch thick wedges

1 ¼ pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes, cut into 3-inch wedges

3 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine squash, rutabagas, and sweet potatoes in large bowl. Next add oil and cayenne; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread vegetable mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are tender, stirring and turning occasionally for about 1 hour. (Vegetables can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand on baking sheet at room temperature. Rewarm in 350ºF oven until heated through, about 15-20 minuets). Transfer vegetable mixture to bowl. Add red onion, chives, vinegar; toss to blend. Season with salt, pepper and pinch of sugar.

Serves 10

Fall’s leafy greens such as cabbages, kale, turnip greens, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are a welcome sight during Thanksgiving. My sentiment is not often shared by everyone due to these vegetables’ nature to be somewhat bitter tasting and even having gaseous odors when cooked. Beside its obvious health benefits, leafy greens are a welcome break to the other rich and heavy dishes. Unless of course if you live in the South, like I do, it is not uncommon to see these vegetables hidden under globs of cream, butter, gravy, and topped with some kind of crunchy streusel or crackers to make it more appetizing. Nevertheless, there are many other healthy and delicious ways of cooking them  that everyone will be asking for seconds.

Roasted Brussels sprouts with Cranberry Brown ButterRecipe by Dean Fearing  Even Brussels sprouts haters will ask for seconds. 4 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oilSalt and pepper to taste

½ pound fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

3 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 

Method

Preheat oven to 400ºF. On 2 large rimmed baking sheets, toss Brussels sprouts with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the sprouts are tender and brown in spots.   Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, maple syrup, ginger and orange zest. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring until the cranberries break down and thicken, about 10 minutes.  In a medium skillet, cook the butter over moderately high heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add shallot and thyme; stir into the cranberry sauce. Transfer the butter to a bowl, add the Brussels sprouts and toss. Season with salt and serve.  

Note: The cranberry butter can be refrigerated up to 3 day. Gently reheat the butter before tossing with the Brussels sprouts.  Serves 12 Spicy Kale and Green Beans with Parmesan

 4 tablespoon olive oil1 yellow onion, sliced

½ pound button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 ½ pound green beans, trimmed, sliced into 1-inch pieces½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper½ cup white wine¾ teaspoon (or less) red pepper flakes

½ pound kale, rinsed, stemmed and roughly chopped

½ of a lemon, juiced

4 tablespoon parmesan cheese 

Method Blanch kale in hot boiling water with a little salt and 1 teaspoon vinegar for 3 minutes; shock in bowl of ice water; drain, dry, and set aside. Warm olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in single layer. Do not stir until mushrooms are lightly brown and exude some of its liquid, 2-3 minutes; stir and add onions. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Next add the green beans, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cook until green beans are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, lemon juice and kale; continue to cook until all vegetables are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve.  Serves 6

 Braised beef short ribs on a bed of root vegetable puree.

Weather turning cool  just the way I like it. I love this time of the year. I wish we can have Spring and Autumn all year long. I am not a fan of the heat. I know, I know, I grew up in the tropics with 100% humidity and therefore I should be accustom to the heat, right? Not! Well anyway, cool weather makes me crave comfort food. I felt like having some short ribs lately. Since I had some in the freezer, I decided to do some experimenting. I can just picture Steve sighing, rolling his eyes, and going “not again”. He hates being made a guinea pig and food critic.

So as I was saying, I had some beef short ribs and quite a bit of produce left in my refrigerator. My pantry was brimming with odds and ends that needed to be utilize. I had some dried porcini mushrooms and a bunch of herbs and spices. I thought I would grind up some of the porcini mushroom along with the spices to make a rub. I had half a bottle of Merlot, some veal demi glace and cartons of beef and chicken broth. Hmm.. perfect for making the sauce along with some fresh herbs. I had tons of root vegetables in the fridge; butternut squash, rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, and some other funky looking vege that needs to be tossed. I used these vegetables to make a root vegetable puree to compliment the ribs. I started out by making a rub for the ribs. I then brown the meaty ribs. I gathered some aromatics such as onions, leeks, garlic, carrots to add to the sauce for more depth of flavors. I simmered two cups of Merlot on the stove until rendered to about 1 1/4 cups just enough to concentrate it a little bit.  Once I got everything seared and sauteed, I braised the rib mixture in the oven for about 4 hours. Final results, fall off the bone, tender and juicy ribs.

 Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Sauce

Beef Rub

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

1 teaspoon smoked paprika      

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and sugar.

1/3 cup all purpose flour

Place ingredients except all purpose flour in coffee grinder and pulse until fine. Mix flour and grounded spices together.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of spice mixture. Massage the rest of the mixture onto ribs.

    

8-12 pieces beef short ribs

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 whole leek, outer layer removed, rinsed and thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, pared, cut in 2-inch pieces

4 celery stalks, cut in 2-inch pieces

2 cups whole mushrooms, quartered

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/4 cup rendered red wine such as Merlot

2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon veal demi glace

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2/3 cup pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon spice mixture

 Ingredients for beef short ribs  demi glace

 Porcini mushroom and smoked paprika

Method

Brown seasoned ribs in large dutch oven on high heat with 2 tablespoon olive oil. Remove ribs. In same pot, saute mushrooms until lightly golden brown and all liquid has evaoprated; remove. Next saute onions, garlic, leeks until soft, about 5 minutes on medium high heat. Add carrots and celery and continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, parsley, thyme and 1 tablespoon reserved spice blend. Add in the rendered wine, beef broth, demi glace, and pomegranate juice. Bring liquid to boil and return meat to pot.

 Brown meat    Vegetables and spice mix added   add meat back into pot 

 Bring sauce back up to a boil and turn heat off. Cover pot and place dutch oven in preheated 325 degree F oven for 4 hours or until ribs are fork tender and sauce is slightly thicken.

  Place pot in oven for 4 hours

 Remove all meat and vegetables from dutch oven. Place pot on stove and simmer sauce for another ten minutes to thicken sauce further. Arrange meat and vegetables on platter and pour sauce over.  Serve with root vegetable puree.

Makes 4 servings

Root Vegetable Puree

1/2 of medium butternut squash

1 whole medium rutabaga

2 medium parsnips

1 medium sweet potato

2 garlic cloves, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1/2 cup chicken stock

4 fresh thyme sprigs, remove leaves from stem, roughly chopped

Method

Pare butternut squash with a vegetable peeler. Cut squash into 1-inch cubes. Prep the rest of the vegetables in similar fashion. Place root vegetables and smashed garlic in large sauce pan with water, , and season with salt. Bring vegetables to boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain liquid. Place vegetables back on stove to dry residual liquid.

Place the root vegetables in a food processor along with the thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Process vegetables until smooth. If puree is too thick, add a little chicken stock to thin out. Place puree in a bowl and stir in butter. Serve.

Makes 3-4 servings.

This year’s March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction is dear to my heart as I got to help create the newly added Iron Chef Competition with Beth Smith of Hilltop House. Beth heads the Signature Chef Restaurant Chair Committee for March of Dimes. She had asked me to help her put together the Iron Chef competition and I gladly agreed. We came up with several ideas and experimented with different versions before settling on putting together mystery bags like the show “Chopped” on Food Network.  We ran a few test practices with some of the Chefs who were interested in taking part in the competition at Beth’s restaurant to the delight of her customers. Her guests were fascinated and excited at the trial runs and some had wished we would do more as it was very entertaining.

While assisting Beth put together the competition, I got involved in other aspects of the event. I became the “unofficial committee member” and help them organize their first Junior Chef Auction.  Junior Chef, which was a success, will be repeated next year and we hope to get an even bigger crowd. Junior Chefs was held at Hilltop House’s parking lot. As its namesake, the event was catered to kids of all ages. We had the bounce house, bungee pull, typhoon tycoon, sumo wrestling, all sorts of kid eating contests,  karaoke, and many more activities to keep the day fun filled for the kids. We even had a live auction. For pictures of the event, go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114384&id=626970892.

Signature Chef Auction was held at the Metropolitan room (old Citizen’s Bank building). The theme this year was old Hollywood. The area was transformed into glitzy Hollywood era with glitter and pomp. This year, 13 chefs from local restaurants, caterers and yours truly participated. We all brought our best to the table. I guarantee you not one person left hungry that night.

I, as usual, was frantic trying to get everything together; however, I had wonderful helpers to make my table and food awesome. Karen, Barbara, Steve, and April chip in to make it a success. My dishes were very well received with a touch of originality for my chocolate covered bacon as my dessert offering. Yes I covered strips of crispy bacon with Calebaut chocolate, cinnamon, and last but not least add a little color by drizzling some white chocolate over the concoction. The end result; a combination of sweet and salty with hint of cinnamon. Chocolate covered bacon is nothing new in the food world but it is here in Fayetteville. Glad I can bring a little food fad to this town.

In the end, I did not get any first place awards for my creations. We are actually still wondering who received the coveted People’s Choice award and second place for all the categories. There was a hiccup in the judging. The committee members are looking into the matter currently and apparently will announce the winner of the People’s Choice award and the second place winners in all the categories in the paper.

The Iron Chef competition went smoothly. We made mystery bags for the Chefs that consist of bacon, chicken breast, blueberries, floured tortilla, and sweet potato.  Chef Danny of Pierro and  Chef Patrick of Hilltop House were the two competitors. They both created extraordinary dishes with the ingredients by showcasing their talents and skills in what they specialized in. In the end, Chef Danny won the competition. We had random audience members to be judges and they had a ball watching and getting to taste the creations.

Overall, it was a great event. I got to show what I can create and still be competitive, in addition to letting people of Fayetteville know of my presence. Who knows maybe next year I will win an award.

 The main dining area, all glamed up.

 My table presentation.

My food presentation: top; Grilled Skirt Steak Two Ways-Kalbi Beef with Mushroom Sticky Rice and Argentinean Steak with Rice and Black Beans; bottom right: Corn and Shrimp Fritter with Sweet Chili Sauce; bottom left: Chocolate Covered Bacon.

 Circa 1800 restaurant.

 Morgan Chophouse

 Pierro with Chef Danny at the helm

 Scrub Oaks with their presentation.

 Blue Moon Cafe.

 What’s For Lunch Deli

 Chef Danny at the Iron Chef Competition.

 Judges commenting on the Chefs

 Award line up.

 My great friends and supporters of my food, Debbie and Les Belles.

This may interest some of you who would like to give their old favorite crab cake a new twist on tradition: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/dining/16mini.html?_r=1&ref=dining

It’ been quite a while since we had our last wine society gathering. I always look forward to these events as I enjoy learning about the different variety of wines from different regions and country. Nick (Luigi’s), Matt Fink (wine distributor) and Teresa Swint (Grapes and Hops) who are the co-founders of FWS  do a wonderful job at introducing great wines to us members to try.  We usually meet at one of the local restaurants in town at around 7 p.m., have some hor d’oeuvre, chat a lot, and get to the business of tasting a variety of wines. 

 A lot of times, the description of the wines, i.e, muddy, floral, rustic, full or medium body, etc, just wheezes past my palate. I know the flavors as tangy, grapey, waxy, sweet, or just plain don’t like it; however, I am learning. I have been with the society for about two years now and I am slowly but surely improving my knowledge and also learning to appreciate the characteristics of the wines. I now know that Pinot Gris, Malbec, Chardonnay, etc. are the types of grape used to produce the wine along with other blended grapes to enhance the flavor of the wine. You see, ignorant me, initially thought it was just a pretty name wine makers adopted to name their wines and the rest of the other wine makers followed suit. Nick, Matt, and Christine Miller (sommalier) our President who recently moved to Germany, have helped me learn to appreciate and understand the difference between wines that are produced from older grape vines versus those that are much younger. In addition I have learned to acquire a more “educated” palate.  This does not mean I only enjoy wines that are expensive and complex. One thing I have not become is a wine snob (at least not yet). I can be happy as a clam with Two Buck Chuck. Wine tasting is truly a personal preference. Price does not matter. I have tasted very expensive wines that to me tasted like a whole village decide to put on sweaty socks to go grape stomping! Then, there are some wines that just transports you to the vineyard itself with its floral bouquet that makes you think of fruit orchards and honey bees; weird I know…

Just remember not all good wines have to be expensive and what may taste good to you may taste disgusting to another person. So the philosophy behind drinking wine is to enjoy whatever it is you are drinking, best with company, and if the wine doesn’t taste good, keep drinking and it eventually will taste good.

Here is the website to Fayetteville’s Wine Society http://www.fayettevillewinesociety.com/cont.html. Come check us out as we would love to have your company. Who knows you may learn a thing or two.

If you are going to spend some time downtown tomorrow, stop by my booth during Fourth Friday. My booth most probably will be by the far end corner of the Arts Council building.

If you enjoy drinking wine like I do, you want to drink it right away and not have to wait to uncork, let the wine breathe for a while before being able to enjoy its fullest body. Last Christmas, while attending a friend’s Christmas party, she received a handy little wine aerator as a gift. I was so taken by it that I have been searching for one. I was shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond a couple of weeks ago and to my utter happiness I came across it. The brand name of this particular wine aerator is Vinturi. What you do is place this little gadget, shaped like a funneled wine glass, over your wine glass and pour the wine through it. Air begins to circulate making a gurgling noise as wine passes through it and voila your wine is ready to drink immediately. Aah life is good with instant bodied wine. For more information regarding Vinturi, check this website out: http://vinturi.com

It is hotter than hell today!! Every time I step outside, I feel like a crispy critter that has been singe. With weather like this I seldom have any appetite to eat. The thought of heating up my stove made me cringe. I wanted something cool but yummy at the same time. Mmm…. what can I make…oooh yes, Gazpacho. I have been meaning to make this for a while now. As I have all the ingredients in my refrigerator, it is the best solution to a no-cook, light and refreshing dish.  

Gazpacho is a chilled tomato-based raw vegetable soup that usually consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, olive oil, garlic, etc. There are many variations to making Gazpacho. I have made this soup with watermelon for a sweeter version. The secret to good Gazpacho is making it ahead of time and serving it cold. It is so refreshing on days like this. Gazpacho was popularized in Andalusia, Spain, brought by the Moors or via the Romans. Initially Gazpacho was made with stale bread, olive oil, water and garlic. Tomato was added to the soup when introduced to Europe. Today Gazpacho has become a generic term to chilled vegetable soup.

I have many Gazpacho recipes but I wanted something more traditional and a recipe that does not need me to run to the store (no more venturing out of the house into the blistering heat). I came across Jose Andres’ Gazpacho recipe that just fit the bill.  I made his version with a few changes.  Aaahh this hits a spot!

Andalusian Gazpacho

2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 cucumber (about 8 ounces), peeled and chopped

1/2 of a green bell pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 of a serrano chile (opt), minced

1 large clove garlic, peeled

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 of a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/4-inch cubes

1 slice white bread, toasted and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

3 large shallots, minced

3-4 blades of chives, sliced thinly

3 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil

Method: Cut tops off tomatoes and quarter them. Place tomatoes in blender. Add the chopped cucumbers, bell peppers, Serrano chile and garlic. Blend ingredients until smooth (you may have to do this in batches). Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and cumin to the mixture and reblend ingredients. You may need to add a little more sherry or red wine vinegar, depending on the acidity of the tomatoes, and adjust the amount of salt and pepper for balance. Sieve mixture into a pitcher and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Sprinkle bread with olive oil and toast in oven until golden brown. Cut into 1/4-inch cubes. Just before serving, pour chilled soup into four bowls and garnish each bowl with a few cubes of tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots, croutons, and chives. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the garnish and around the bowl. Enjoy!

Makes four servings.

Roasted Chicken with Plum Sauce, Pan-fried Shrimp with Soy and Chillies, Chinese Broccoli (Kai Lan) with Garlic Oyster Sauce.

Lately I have been craving dishes that I grew up with. I have been surfing local and Malaysian websites for recipes and came across many that I have forgotten. Not only did it stirred up old memories, it made me start to salivate. One recipe that caught my eye was Roasted Plum Sauce Chicken, and I thought I would give it a try. I remember having this dish at a restaurant and when my mom made it. As the chicken recipe had whet my appetite, I started to think what else would go great with this dish.  Roasted plum sauce chicken is more of a Cantonese dish, which is mild. I need to add a vegetable dish. I had bought some Chinese broccoli from the Asian grocery store called Chinatown store (?) on Raeford road next to Kimbrell Furniture a couple of days ago. Hah, broccoli with garlic oyster sauce will make a nice accompaniment.  I also had some head-on shrimp in the freezer. Needed something with a little more punch in flavor to complement the other mild dishes. I remembered my mom’s pan-fried shrimp. I remember her making pan-fried shrimp with soy sauce or tamarind paste. Mmm how about soy and chillies? Yes, that is exactly what I will make. Pleased with myself, I started to prep.

Starting with the chicken, I marinated it with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and star anise together with some bottled plum sauce. You can get plum sauce at any Asian store. Harris Teeter may carry it too. Picture of sauce is at bottom.  I marinated the chicken overnight, brought it to room temperature for an hour and roast it in the oven. The smell of the chicken while roasting brought back such happy memories of eating the chicken with my family. It’s so weird how familiar smells can trigger such memories. Chinese broccoli is pretty similar to a regular broccoli in texture but not as tough. It has sturdy long stems with leaves and sometimes with yellow flowers. Harris Teeter also does sell them. While shopping at Harris Teeter last week, they had sale on large head-on shrimp. I was so tickled that I bought 5 pounds worth.

It did not take long to prepare and create these dishes. As the chicken is already marinated, it only needed to be roasted in the oven for a little over an hour. The only prep needed was to chop up some garlic, slice a couple of chillies and green onions, and trim the shrimp. Do not remove the shrimp head as it will add flavor to the dish. If the eyes bother you, cut them off!

Roast Chicken with Plum Sauce

Marinade

4 tablespoon sugar

3 whole cloves

2 star anise

1 2-inch cinnamon stick

1/2 cup plum sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand)

5 tablespoon water

1 31/2-pound chicken, rinsed and dried thoroughly.

2 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

     Whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and star anise  I usually get this brand of sauce.

Method: Heat small heavy saucepan on medium high heat. Add sugar; stir constantly until sugar dissolves and begin to come to a boil. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise. Simmer sugar and spices until fragrant. Add water and plum sauce. Continue to simmer for 1 minute. Remove and cool sauce.

Sauce should be the consistency of honey, slightly runny and sticky.

Loosen skin from chicken. Combine salt, pepper, and sugar in small bowl. Rub salt mixture between skin and meat, inside cavity, and on skin of chicken. Rub some of the plum sauce mixture underneath skin and all over the chicken. Place in zipper-lock bag and refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight.

Make sure to rub marinate between skin and meat and inside of cavity.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with foil. Place a rack on top of foil. Place chicken breast-side down on rack. Roast chicken for 30 minutes or until skin becomes golden. Remove chicken from oven. Flip chicken over, breast-side up. Turn temperature down to 325 degrees F. Continue to roast chicken until golden brown and juice runs clear for another 30 to 40 minutes or until thermometer register 165 degrees F. Remove chicken, cover lightly with foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

 My chicken is darker that it should be as I had the temperature a little higher (425 degrees F and 350 degrees F) than mentioned. The adjusted temperature should yield a nice golden color.

To cut the chicken Chinese-style, remove thighs and drumstick in one piece and disjoint at the bone. Chop thighs into thirds and the drumsticks in half. Remove the wing and disjoint. Chop the breast in half lengthwise. Slice each breast halves into 2-inch pieces. Degrease chicken drippings from roasting pan. Mix 2 tablespoon plum sauce (from bottle) with drippings and drizzle over chicken.

 I did not cut the chicken Chinese Style as Steve does not like it that way.

Pan-fried Shrimp with Soy and Chillies

1 1/2-pound large head-on shrimp

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 Serrano or red jalapeno chili, sliced.

1 tablespoon Chinese Rice wine (Shao Shing) or dry sherry

salt and white pepper to taste

2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 green onions, thinly sliced

4 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method: Trim whiskers and sharp thorn on head. Slit along back of shrimp and remove black vein. Place trimmed shrimp in large bowl with cold water together with one tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Soak shrimp in water for 5 minutes. Drain and lightly rinse shrimp. Dry thoroughly.

Heat wok or large saute pan on high heat and add 4 tablespoon vegetable oil. Saute garlic and chillies until garlic turns light brown and aromatic. Turn heat down to medium high. Add in the shrimp.  Mix shrimp with garlic and spread out in wok in a single layer. Do not stir!  Let shrimp sit for about two minutes to sear. Next add salt and pepper to taste, soy sauce, rice wine or dry sherry, and sugar. Turn shrimp over to coat seasonings evenly. Saute for about 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp turns pinks and cooked through. Remove from wok to platter. Sprinkle green onions on top of shrimp and serve immediately.

Chinese Broccoli (Kai Lan) with Garlic Oyster Sauce

 If cannot find Chinese Broccoli, can substitute with Rapini or regular broccoli.

1 pound Chinese broccoli, washed, trim ends, and separate branches from stalks if too big

2 tablespoon chopped garlic

3 tablespoon oyster sauce

salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Method: Blanch Chinese broccoli in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold water. Drain and dry thoroughly. Place broccoli on platter. Heat wok or saute pan on high heat. When wok begins to smoke add 4 tablespoon vegetable oil. Next add garlic and saute until light golden brown and aromatic. Add oyster sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Sauce should glisten with layer of oil on top and thick sauce below. Scoop sauce and place on top of vegetables. Serve immediately.