Thanksgiving Dinner

This is not really compete but I'm posting anyway.  It covers what we did this past Thanksgiving

(revised Jan 26, 2021)

Turkey

Ingredients:

14 lb Turkey

Stuffing (see below)

Cooking bag

Flour

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Rinse turkey thoroughly and dry with paper towel. 

Remove and rinse giblets and set aside giblets.

Stuff turkey and place in cooking bag along with giblets and 2 table spoons flours.

Insert digital thermometer in the stuffing prior to sealing the bag.

Poke several holes in the bag with a fork. 

Start roasting the turkey at 350F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 F

Roast until the turkey is 180 F, or the stuffing is 165 F (which ever happens last.). Assume about 3 1/2 hours for a stuffed 14 pound turkey.  (Note: the 18 pound  turkey I cooked several weeks later was also done in 3 1/2 hours.  What can I say.)

Stuffing

Ingredients:

8 cups dried white bread cut into cubes

2 cups Mushrooms sliced

2 teaspoons Tarragon

Heaping cup celery

Heaping half cup onion

1 Egg

7 tables spoons butter

1/2 table spoon salt 

3 table spoons milk

Instructions

Dice onions and celery keeping them separate.

Place dried bread cups in a large bowl and mix with tarragon salt and pepper.

Sauté onions and mushroom until soft and reduced, add celery and continue to sauté briefly

Mix sautéd vegetables with bread by hand. 

Beat egg with milk and add to the bread.

Mix thoroughly by hand.

Place in cavity of turkey.

Remaining stuffing can be baked separately in a covered greased casserole dish.  Bake at 325F for 60 minutes or until 165F.

Mix the two batches of stuffing (The portion from the turkey will be very moist.  The portion cooked separately will be relatively dry.  Mist together they are just right) 

Cranberry Sauce

Several versions used.  See earlier post for a unique version.  Canned cranberry sauce is perfectly OK as well.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cans of cut green beans

1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup.

1 1/3 cups French's fried onions

Directions:

Follow directions on French's Fried Onions can

Sweet Potatoes (Draft)

can of sweet potatoes 

brown sugar

butter

Mashed Potatoes (Draft)

Peal cut into quarters and simmer until soft (usually about 50 minutes)

Mash with butter and cream as prefered.

Gravy (Draft)

Ingredients:

Turkey drippings

Water from boiled potatoes

Corn starch or flour

Instructions:

Draft

Pasta alla Vecchia

 

We had something like this at a bed and breakfast in Liguria some years back.  The recipe makes a main course for two people.  

Ingredients

250 grams spaghetti pasta

1+ tablespoon olive oil

Ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive pate'

8 oz cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

Directions

Slice tomatoes in halves (if acidic, add a bit of sugar and mix with tomatoes)

Make pasta per package directions 

Drain pasta leaving a bit of pasta water and reserve 1 table spoon of pasta water.

Add olive oil and toss until lightly coated

Add olive pate' and mix well.

Mix reserved pasta water with ricotta then add to the spaghetti and mix well.

Add ground pepper and salt.

Serve.

Another Stir Fry Sauce

 I wanted something dark brown and a little thicker.  Thick is easy.  Just add corn starch.

Ingredients

8oz beef broth or bullion 

1/8th cup fish sauce

1/8th cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire  sauce

1/8 cup sesame oil 

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Ground black pepper as needed

(A little brown sugar would have been a good idea.  I add that net me.  Maybe a teaspoon.)

Corn starch as needed

3 cloves garlic diced

Any vegetables and/or meat you want (this is a good way of getting rid of odd amounts in the fridge.  Just make sure everything is still in good condition.)

Instructions

Add a couple table spoons of oil to a wok and add the diced garlic.  Bring up to temperature and brown the garlic slightly.  Then add your other vegetables.  

While the vegetables are frying.  

Add red pepper flakes.

Add ground pepper to your taste.

Mix all the liquid ingredients above into a large measuring cup and stir well. When the vegitables are approaching the desired texture, stir in the liquid sauce and allow it to come up to temperature.

Then added corn starch a bit at a time until the sauce has thickened slightly (a bit viscous but not a paste).

I generally fry meat separately and add it to wok at the end.

Serve over rice or scrambled eggs.