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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

And All the Trimmings

Although I had guests to dinner for both Christmas and Boxing Day, the turkey event was on Boxing Day. I had ordered a free-range bronze turkey of almost 4 kilos and dry-brined it for three days before cooking. Since I discovered this technique several years ago, it's my go-to method of roasting poultry. The result was the best turkey I've ever eaten—moist, well-seasoned meat with lots of flavour.

But this blog is about a couple of the trimmings, specifically the gravy and the cranberry sauce. I stumbled upon Jamie Oliver's recipe for Get-Ahead Gravy and thought "that's a good idea"—less palaver before serving and knowing there is enough. I didn't have bacon and forgot about finishing with cranberry sauce, but even then, it was terrific. When making turkey gravy just before serving, it never gets to cook long enough and it doesn't get the extra vegetable flavour that this gravy gets. The recipe makes lots and there are leftovers that I'm going to freeze in small containers for those times I want a bit of gravy with the mashed potatoes.

The cranberry sauce was another hit. I made it last year too but made no notes about it. I paid special attention this year and I now declare my search for the perfect cranberry sauce at an end. This is lovely stuff, not too sweet, with a fairly pronounced citrus component, which I really like. In fact, it's actually a cranberry cumberland sauce.


Make-Ahead Poultry Gravy
This is slightly adapted from the original recipe. Based on comments and my own gut feeling, I reduced the amount of star anise. I also added a couple of garlic cloves. I think it was a good call. The resulting gravy has a hint of fennel/anise flavour but more would be overpowering. An alternative might be to include a quartered fennel bulb, but I didn't try this.

2 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
2 carrots,coarsely sliced
2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
5 bay leaves
5 sage leaves
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 star anise
2 rashers of bacon (I didn't have any, but I'm sure it would be great)
8 chicken wings
2-4 tablespoons olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons flour
2 liters hot water
60ml sherry optional:
2 heaped tablespoons cranberry sauce, for finishing

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F)
  2. Break the chicken wings open and pound them with a meat hammer or rolling pin to crack the bones open. (I put them in a plastic bag and used a rubber mallet.)
  3. Put the chopped vegetables, herbs, star anise,  bacon (if using)  and chicken wings in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil, and stir it around to coat. 
  4. Bake for an hour until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
  5. Put the roasting pan on low heat on top of the stove.
  6. Use a potato masher to mash everything up, squeezing as much flavour and juice out of everything as you can.
  7. Gradually add the flour, and continue to mash, stir and brown for 5-10 minutes.
  8. Add 2 liters of hot water to deglaze the pan, scraping all the browned bits up.
  9. Transfer everything to a large pot, bring to a boil for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened, and then simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid will reduce by about half. 
  10. When it has reached the desired consistency, add the sherry, check and adjust the seasoning, then strain through a sieve into a large bowl. Mash as much stuff through the sieves as you can, then discard what remains.
  11. Let the gravy cool, pour into plastic containers or freezer bags, and freeze until the day you need it. 
  12. You can heat it and use it as is, or if you have roasted a bird, remove as much fat as you can from the roasting pan, and use the pre-made gravy to deglaze the pan. 
  13. Optionally, add some cranberry sauce and transfer to a pot to keep warm on low heat until use.

Cranberry Cumberland Sauce


  1. Grate the peel of a large orange and juice the orange.
  2. Combine the cranberries, port, orange juice, and sugar in a pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the berries burst.
  3. Mix the cornstarch, mustard powder, and ground cloves with a small amount of the cranberry liquid to create a paste. Stir into the cranberries.
  4. Add the dried cranberries or raisins, almonds, orange and lemon rind
  5. Simmer for five minutes, season, and then chill. 

Monday, December 12, 2011

Golden Beet Salad

My Turkish greengrocer often has some surprising vegetables, and last week he was carrying something I had heard of but never seen locally—yellow beets. They look yellowy brown and indescript on the outside, but cut them open and they reveal gorgeous golden yellow flesh. The taste of the beets is, I think, less earthy and more subtle than the normal red variety.

I used a few of them to make beet soup, which was very tasty, but the yellow color faded and turned somewhat brownish. Maybe I cooked it too long.

The raw beet salad, however, was vibrant, fresh, and golden. It's super easy to make and could even turn beet haters into beet lovers.

Golden Beet Salad

This is inspired by a salad on Nigella Lawson's web site, made with red beets and dill (which I admit would be a great combo). However, I didn't have fresh dill on hand so I used parsley, and of course, my beets were yellow. The toasted mustard seeds add a slightly bitter note to the salad, balancing the sweetness of the beets, and the sour of the lemon juice. 

For an Asian-influenced variation, consider using cilantro (coriander leaf) and sweet wine vinegar to replace the parsley and lemon juice, with a bit of pickled ginger to garnish.

This serves two as an appetizer.

200 grams yellow beets (about 1 large beet)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves, minced
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (However, I think a more neutral oil, or even no oil at all would make this salad even better.  )

  1. Use the julienne disc of your food processor to grate the beets, or you can just grate the beets using a box grater.
  2. Scoop it into a bowl and mix with the parsley, lemon juice, and oil.
  3. Toast the mustard seeds until they begin to pop, then add to the salad.
  4. Optionally, finish with a bit of flaky sea salt (like Maldon)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Squash Stuffed with Couscous and Feta



Fall and winter bring lovely little squashes into the market. Most popular are orange-skinned ones with orange flesh, but there are green ones with yellow flesh too. I love them both, and in the past week have used them both. Their small size makes them perfect as a meal for two, especially when stuffed.  And when stuffed whole, there is a definite wow factor when they are brought to the table.

You can stuff them with anything—rice, bulgar, bread, vegetables, a bit of cheese. My choice this week was a couscous pilaf, flavoured with mushrooms and sage, with some feta cheese. It's a keeper.

Feta and Couscous Stuffed Squash

2 servings

This makes a stuffed squash with extra couscous pilaf to serve on the side. It is easy to prepare this dish ahead of time and then finish baking it just before serving.

1 small globe squash
1/2 cup couscous
3/4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 leaves sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 medium onion
1 celery stalk
1/2 sweet red or yellow pepper
150 grams mushrooms
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
50 grams feta cheese
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
  2. Cut the top off the squash, and a small slice off the bottom so that it sits straight.
  3. Cut a hole in the top and scoop out all the seeds, then rub the insides with a bit of salt and pepper.
  4. Bake the squash (including its top) for 30-40 minutes until the flesh is cooked but the squash still retains it shape. This can be done a day in advance (in which case, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in a cool place).
  5. Place the couscous in a bowl, pour boiling water over it, and cover with a lid or plate. Let sit for 15 minutes, then uncover and fluff it with a fork.
  6. While the couscous cooks, mince the onion, celery, pepper, mushrooms , and garlic. Because couscous is so fine, I like to chop the vegetables in a very small dice.
  7. In a large frying pan, fry the sage leaves in the olive oil for a few minutes until they turn crisp. Remove and reserve the leaves. (You can skip this step if you are using dried sage.)
  8. Add the onions and celery to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the onions are softened and translucent. Then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another few minutes, finishing with the red pepper. Crumble in the fried sage (or the dried sage), and add the thyme. Keep sautéing and stirring until the vegetables are cooked through. 
  9. In a bowl or in the frying pan,  mix the couscous and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. 
  10. Using a small spoon, fill the squash with the couscous pilaf, firming it into the bottom and sides. Leave the center free, and push the feta cheese into it. If there's still some room, pack in some more pilaf. You will have pilaf left over, but you can reheat this an serve it as a side dish, perhaps with some extra feta cheese crumble over it.
  11. Bake the stuffed squash in a medium oven for another 30-40 minutes. (If you prepared it in advance with chilled ingredients, you will probably need to cook it for 45 minutes or so).
  12. Serve with a steamed green vegetable (green beans, broccoli, or, spinach), roasted tomatoes, and the rest of the pilaf. 

It looks so cute with its little caps on

Made with orange squash, it tasted even better.
Couscous pilaf is also great on its own as a side, or with some feta cheese