Turkey Tetrazzini

We are going out of town for Thanksgiving this year. Come to think of it, we usually spend Thanksgiving day somewhere other than our home. We had a mini-turkey dinner this weekend consisting of breast meat, stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and carrots. It was tasty, and we have just enough leftover that we don't get sick of it.

I wanted to make something with the leftover 3 lbs of turkey breast. I suggested turkey tetrazzini to Hubs, who immediately agreed. I remember having tetrazzini when I was a kid, but don't remember where. It wasn't at home. Maybe at a friend's house. I loved its creaminess, and I'm a sucker for anything with pasta.

I like how this recipe did not rely on a canned soup for its sauce. The sherry gave the sauce a hint of sweetness. I ended up not using all of the pasta I cooked. I don't know if it was because I cooked more than the required amount, or if the recipe was just heavy on the pasta.


Turkey Tetrazzini
Adapted from simplyrecipes.com
Posted by Elise on November 23, 2005


12 oz egg noodles, spaghetti, or other pasta
12 oz mushrooms, sliced
½ c unsalted butter, divided
¼ c flour
1 ½ c milk
¼ c cream
2 c chicken broth
¼ c dry sherry
3 c coarsely chopped cooked turkey
1 c frozen peas
2/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 c bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper


Cook pasta to al dente according to the directions. Pour frozen peas into the bottom of a colander. Drain pasta into the colander. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a shallow 3-quart casserole dish. Cook mushrooms in 3 Tbs of the butter over moderate heat, stirring until all the liquid they give off has evaporated. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 Tbs of butter. Stir in flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in milk, cream, broth, and sherry. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the pasta and peas, sauce, mushrooms, and turkey. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/3 c of the Parmesan and the Swiss cheese. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/3 c of Parmesan, the bread crumbs, and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini and dot the top with the remaining 1 Tbs of butter, cut into bits. Bake the casserole in the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

Molasses-Gingerbread Cake

Thanksgiving is almost here, and I am not yet in the holiday mood. Usually by now, I'm feeling a whole lot thankful, and even a little Christmas-y. Granted, I am extremely thankful for my fortunes. I'm just not feeling the spirit yet. Maybe it's because I'm not going shopping on Black Friday, which I usually do. It doesn't help that the weather still routinely hits 80 degrees.

To compensate, I've been making lots of seasonal food, in hopes that it will jump-start my autumnal instinct. I came across the recipe for this cake back in the spring and thought, 'this would be perfect for cooler weather.' The flavors speak of cold air and crackling dry leaves.

The original recipe included a whipped marscapone topping which I omitted, and an orange confit which I attempted. I ended up with watery, still-bitter orange peel. I left it out overnight in hopes that the confit would dry out a bit. By the morning, it had shriveled up to resemble saffron threads. I scrapped them, and topped the cake with a reassuring dollop of whipped cream.


Molasses-Gingerbread Cake
From Food and Wine
April 2009

Cake:
2 ¼ c all purpose flour
1 ¾ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ c plus 2 Tbs canola oil
¾ c plus 2 Tbs dark brown sugar
½ c plus 2 Tbs molasses
¼ c plus 2 Tbs honey
2 eggs
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
¾ c boiling water

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour with the ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, molasses, honey, eggs, and lemon zest until smooth. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Whisk in the boiling water.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour, until toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Remove cake from oven, and cool completely on a rack.

Smoky Shredded Pork Tacos

The squirt turned 2 months old this week, and he is growing so quickly. He has doubled his birth weight already, and is pretty good at holding his head up. All that tummy time is paying off. He is quite on the go as well. He has been to Epcot a number of times, has attended an orchestra concert, and been the token male at a bachelorette party.

These shredded pork tacos were yet another we tried from Rick Bayless' book. It was our favorite dish of the ones we cooked. The filling was studded with almonds, raisins, and a sublte smoky flavor. It took a while to make, but was so worth it. The pork made a tasty stock, which we are saving for another use. I garnished the tacos with some queso fresco, cilantro, and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

Smoky Shredded Pork Tacos
From Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen…
By Rick Bayless


1 ½ lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 large white onion, diced

Quick-cooked Tomato Chipotle Sauce
7-8 plum tomatoes
2-3 canned chipotles in adobo
2 ½ Tbs vegetable oil
Salt

½ tsp cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
½ c raisins
½ c slivered almonds
16-18 corn tortillas (plus extras in case some break)
Hot sauce (optional)

In a medium-sized sauce pan, cover meat with heavily salted water. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of the garlic and add to the pan, along with half the onion. Bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any grayish foam that rises during the first few minutes. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until thoroughly tender, about 1 ½ hours.

If time permits, cool the meat in the broth. Shred it with two forks.

For the sauce:
Heat a heavy skillet and roast the remaining 3 cloves of unpeeled garlic until soft, turning occasionally (about 15 minutes). Cool and peel. Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet under a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes. Flip and roast the other side. Cool, then peel, collecting all the juices with the tomatoes.

In a blender, pulse the tomatoes, garlic, and chiles to a medium-fine puree. Heat 1 Tbs of oil in a heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the puree and stir for about 5 minutes as it sears and thickens. Season with salt.

For the meat:
In a large non-stick skillet, heat the remaining 1 ½ Tbs of oil over medium-high heat. Add the shredded pork and remaining half an onion. Fry, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, until the mixture is crispy and golden, about 12-14 minutes.

Sprinkle the cinnamon, pepper, cloves, and raisins over the meat. Pour on the tomato-chipotle sauce. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, 4-5 minutes.

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the almonds in a small baking pan until fragrant and lightly browned. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Stir them into the meat mixture. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.

Assembling the tacos:
Steam the tortillas in a steamer or in a microwave between damp paper towels. Scoop a couple of heaping tablespoons of filling into each warm tortilla and fold over. Add hot sauce if desired.

Pumpkin Mousse Parfait

I was in the mood for another pumpkin treat - something light. I decided on a mousse, and then found Ina Garten's recipe for a pumpkin mousse parfait.

This is a deceptively light dessert - the mousse is very airy, but all the heavy cream in both layers make this very rich. I could only eat a few layers at a time. I even lessened the amount of cream from the original recipe, as well as reducing the amount of orange zest. The crunchy gingersnaps countered the smooth parfait layers nicely.

The recipe also makes a ton of mousse. I recommend halving it unless you are making dessert for a crowd.


Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits
From The Barefoot Contessa at Home
By Ina Garten
As seen on foodnetwork.com

¼ c dark rum
1 packet (2 tsp) unflavored gelatin powder
1 15-oz can pumpkin
½ c granulated sugar
½ c light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 large eggs
1 tsp orange zest
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp kosher salt
1 c cold heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sweetened whipped cream
Chopped ginger cookies

Place the rum in a heat proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 10 minutes for the gelatin to soften.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, the sugars, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Set the bowl of gelatin over a pan of simmering water and cook until the gelatin is clear. Immediately whisk the hot gelatin mixture into the pumpkin mixture. In a medium bowl, whip the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.

To assemble, spoon some of the pumpkin mixture into parfait glasses. Add a layer of whipped cream, followed by some chopped cookies. Repeat layers, ending with a pumpkin layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight. To serve, decorate with whipped cream and cookies.

Vegetable Tian

Every so often my body craves vegetables, probably because I’m not totally diligent about eating them every day.

I remember seeing this beautiful vegetable dish on For the Love of Cooking. Her version was adapted from an Ina Garten recipe. I looked up the original recipe, and decided to substitute eggplant for the potato. The dish looked a lot like the ratatouille tart from a few months ago. That dish, with its pastry crust and goat cheese spread, was great for a summer day. This dish, with its chunkier slices, and parmesan topping, was perfect for a cool autumn evening.


Vegetable Tian
Adapted from Barefoot in Paris
by Ina Garten
as seen on For The Love of Cooking

1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 zucchini
2 yellow squash
4 plum tomatoes
1 small eggplant
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 oz swiss cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush a 2-quart casserole dish with olive oil. In a small saucepan, heat some olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Spread the mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Cut the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and eggplant into 1-inch slices, making sure they are an equal width. Arrange slices in a radial pattern over the onion mixture, fitting them tightly in one layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

Triple Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

There is a local chocolate shop that sells a triple chocolate caramel popcorn. It is highly addictive. I frequently give it out as thank you gifts, because who doesn’t like caramel popcorn?

I decided to try a homemade version to give as a thank you present to a woman who was extremely helpful when we were getting approved for our mortgage. She wrote letters on our behalf, and guided us through the maze-like system of verifying our employment with Disney.

I found an easy recipe online for the caramel popcorn. I threw in some broken pretzel sticks for a little salty kick. Once it was cooled, it was a cinch to drizzle the white chocolate and dark chocolate. I found some colorful milk chocolate chips to round out the chocolate trifecta.


Triple Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
Based on Microwave Caramel Popcorn
Found on allrecpies.com

2 qts popped popcorn
½ c brown sugar
¼ c butter
5 Tbs light corn syrup
½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp baking soda

2 oz white chocolate
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Milk chocolate chips

Place popcorn into a large microwave-safe bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla. Heat for 1 ½ minutes in the microwave. Stir until well blended. Return to microwave, and cook for another 1 ½ minutes. Remove from microwave, and stir in the baking soda.

Pour syrup over the popcorn. Quickly toss to coat all of the popcorn. Place the popcorn in the microwave, and cook for 30 seconds at a time, tossing in between. Popcorn should be heated through and well coated in about 2 minutes (four rounds of heating).

Spread popcorn on a sheet of wax paper. Heat the white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate in separate bowls, and drizzle each over the popcorn. Sprinkle chips over the popcorn. Let chocolate set (if you can resist).

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs

I recently read the book Heat: An Amateur's Adventure as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, by Bill Buford. The author waxed poetic on the short rib's recent rise in popularity. After reading about them, I was curious to try a recipe. I found an old Cooking Light clipping for this recipe. I adapted the recipe to use the crock pot, so I could submit it to Joelen's blog for the October Tasty Tools event. Also, the crock pot doesn't heat up the kitchen as much as the oven, which is nice since the weather turned warm again.

I had to cook them much longer in the crock pot than it would've taken in the oven. It was well worth the wait. The meat was incredibly tender; it nearly melted in your mouth. The short rib was similar in texture to pot roast, but with a richer taste. If you have an extra day to prepare this, I would recommend chilling the juices overnight, and then separating the fat. Reduce the juices, reheat the meat, and serve.

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs
loosely adapted from Cooking Light
March 2008

2 Tbs canola oil
3 lbs beef short ribs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 c low sodium beef broth
1 ½ c cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
3 Tbs tomato paste
3 celery ribs, sliced into 1-inch chunks
3 carrots, sliced into 1-inch chunks
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 rosemary sprigs
3 Tbs all purpose flour

4 c hot, cooked wide egg noodles
Chopped parsley (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, heat until hot. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Add ribs to pan, and brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat. Place short ribs into a crock pot. Add beef broth to the pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Add wine and tomato paste to the broth, whisking to combine.

Add celery, carrot, garlic, onion, and rosemary to the crock pot. Pour broth mixture over the crock pot contents. Cover and bake on medium, about 6 hours, until ribs are fork-tender.

Uncover crock pot. Remove ribs carefully and set on a plate. Strain the broth mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving the liquid. Discard the remaining solids. Separate the drippings from the fat using a fat separator. (If a fat separator is not available, use a zip-top plastic bag, letting the drippings settle, snipping a small hole in the bottom corner, and draining the drippings. Stop draining when you reach the fat, which should have risen to the top.) Discard the fat.

Pour drippings into a small saucepan. Add flour, and stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve ribs on a bed of noodles, and pour gravy on top. Garnish with parsley.