Thanksgiving Dinner - Apple Herb Brine

I like to brine my turkey for Thanksgiving.  It adds juiciness and flavor to the bird, and it is so easy.  I like to use the flavors from the dinner into the brine - apple juice from the stuffing; thyme, rosemary and sage from the herb butter and stuffing; onion from the gravy.  You can use your favorite flavors for the brine but make sure you use the salt and sugar, this is what helps with the moisture in the meat.  My turkey is 18 pounds but this can be done with any size bird or even a turkey breast.  Just make sure you have a large enough container and that you cover the bird completely.  I use organic herbs, sugar and spices but you can use conventional too.  If you do not have fresh herbs you can substitute dried, use about 1 TBS per bunch.  If you have only fresh, use 1 bunch per tablespoon.  This recipe uses both fresh and dried.

Ingredients:

Large bucket
3 cups boiling water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar, white or brown is good
1 bunch fresh sage
2 bunches fresh thyme
1 TBS black peppercorns
6 Bay Leaves
1 TBS dried Rosemary
1 TBS granulated garlic
1 TBS onion powder
4 cups apple juice or apple cider
Ice cubes
Turkey
Water

Here's how:

Boil the water.

Place all the ingredients except the apple juice, ice and water into the container.

Pour the boing water into the container.  Stir and make sure the salt, sugar, onion and garlic are dissolved into the liquid.

Add the ice and juice.  Make sure the liquid is cold again.  If not, refrigerate it until it is.  Do not add the turkey while the liquid is still hot.

Once the liquid is cooled, add the turkey.  You add the water after the bird to make sure you do not overflow the container.

Cover completely with water and refrigerate over night or to two days.

When it is time to roast the turkey, remove the turkey from the brine and discard the liquid.

Completely dry off the outside of the bird before you roast it to get a crisp skin.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

A recent trip to a farm stand where I bought an entire stalks of Brussel Sprouts for $2 inspired this dish.  I had some bacon from my meat CSA on hand and a simple but flavorful side dish was created.  This recipe is great for Thanksgiving or any time you have some fresh sprouts on hand.  Try this and you will never eat those frozen sprouts again.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Brussel sprouts, cleaned and cut in half

4 slices bacon, cit into 1/4 inch pieces

1 cup water

Here's how:

Heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the sprouts.  Boil for 5 minutes.

Strain the sprouts and let the. Set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan to medium heat and add the bacon.

Sauté the bacon until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered out, about 7 minutes.

Remove the bacon and set it aside.

Add the sprouts into the pan with the bacon fat and sauté the sprouts until they are just browning.

Add the cup of water and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan.  Cook off the water.

Turn off the heat.  Add the bacon to them pan. Toss the sprouts into the bacon and serve.

Short Ribs

My CSA meat share contained short ribs this season.  My local butcher also had some great ones, so I added them together and came up with this recipe.  Many of the veggies are from the local farms as well.  This recipe is best made in a Dutch oven.  The preparation is easy but the cooking takes some time.  Make this recipe when you will be home on a cold day and your belly will be warmed.  This makes enough for 6 adults.  I serve it over egg noodles.  I also use all organic ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 TBS to live oil

5 lbs beef short ribs 

Salt and pepper

1 large ion, large diced

5 carrot, diced into 1 inch pieces

5 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 garlic cloves, whole, skin removed

2 cups red wine

6 cups beef stock, organic and homemade preferred

1 28 oz can tomato purée

1 TBS Italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large Dutch often on the stove with 1 TBS olive oil, until it gets glossy and hot.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper on all sides.

Add the meat to the pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.  You may need to do this in two batches to prevent steaming and get a good browning.

Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan where you browned the meat and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape off all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  This is where the flavor is.  Cook the wine down by half.

Add the tomatoes, stock, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, 1 TBS salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Stir to combine.

Nestle the meat into the sauce.

Place the lid on the pot and place it into the oven for 3 hours.

Check that the meat is tender and almost falling off the bones.  Remove it and set it aside.  Remove the bay leaves and skim off any fat that has accumulated at the top.

Using your immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth to create a sauce.  This sauce can be served on top of noodles or it's poured over the meat.

Heat again on the stove to thicken, about 3 minutes.

Add the meat back in and serve.

Serve over egg noodles and with a great vegetable, like Brussels sprouts.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

My CSA was giving me tomatoes up until last week.  Combine those with the cilantro and garlic they gave me and I was halfway to some great salsa.  This salsa is great with chips or even on top of some grilled chicken.  The recipe is easily doubled or halved based upon how much you want.  After eating this, you will not go back to the stuff in the jar.  If you like it spicy, feel free to add more jalapeño.

Ingredients:

3 large tomatoes, diced

1 pepper, diced, I had a yellow one but you can use what you have

1 jalapeño pepper, minced

1/2 onion, small diced

1 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped

1 TBS salt

Juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

Here's how:

Combine all of the ingredients.

Place in an airtight container and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

As my summer CSA winds down, I am starting to get some cool weather crops in my share like carrots, potatoes and kale.  I added some celery and onions from a friend's garden and stock from my freezer and a great soup was on its way.  This recipe is easy, flavorful and hearty...you must make this.

Ingredients:

1 TBS olive oil

1.25 - 1.5 lbs bulk sausage, pork, chicken or turkey are fine

5 celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 medium onion, diced

12 cups chicken stock, homemade preferred

1.5 lbs white potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces

2.5 cups kale, stems removed and sliced

3 fresh thyme stems

2 bay leaves

1 2 inch Parmesan cheese rind

Salt and pepper

Here's how:

In a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium heat.

Add the sausage and break it up as it cooks.  

Cook until brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the celery, carrots and onion.

Sauté 7 minutes, until softened.

Add the stock, and use your stirring spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot and get off all the brown bits....this is where the flavor is.

Add the potatoes, kale, thyme, bay leaves and cheese rind.

Bring the soup to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.

Remove the stems, bay leaves and rind.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.