Still in Turkey Coma Open Thread
I should say "back in turkey coma" since I just had a hot turkey sandwich and feel a giant nap coming on.
The turkey, btw, was absolutely superb–those crazies who think turkey doesn’t taste good are like Sunday school teachers who poo poo sex because, well, let’s just say they were never really credible experts about the subject. When I bit into my first bite of white meat last night I was shocked at how rich the taste was.
It took me about an hour to prepare the chestnuts for the stuffing–but the time was worth it. Sadly, even though I started with 12 cups of bread cubes, there is no stuffing left.
And even though, in a fit of distraction, I almost ended up with pumpkin flavored scrambled eggs, the pies were very yummy, too. If you’re not already using Northern Spy apples for your apple pies, you should try it. Just the apples and a generous (okay, very generous) grating of nutmeg and you’ve got the perfect intense flavor and strong tartness to hold up to a buttery pie crust.
Nap time!
What that stuff, Triptophan?
Marcy, after your nap, you might enjoy Seth Hetena’s posts here, here and here re Mitchell Wade.
I guess we can dream that a few congresscritters will be accountable for something from the last 8 yrs. I’m guessing Jerry Lewis and John Doolittle may get snagged (in addition to Katherine Harris and Virgil Goode). And I am kindof hoping to see Duncan Hunter’s name in there too.
My guess is either Lewis, or they are really going to dive into the whole Foggo, Cunningham, Watergate, Dukestir corruption/prostitution stuff (which easily could include the names of the folks others have speculated on).
Don’t forget that DeLay was involved with some Dukestir, too.
We did ‘grass fed’ turkey this year(and yes, they do give them grain to finish them off), but I have never tasted as intense a ‘turkey’ flavor than this one. We started it at 8 and it was done by noon(this was a 21 pound bird), on low heat, basted it in its own juices. I used the stuff from the bottom of the pan and that gravy was so good people were just spooning it out of the bowl and licking it off the spoon. Ri-hi-ch. We did a major turkey stock with the carcass today. But I did not get to eat any turkey. And it’s our son’s birthday today, and he wants to go out for…steak. So, no turkey until tomorrow. I’m already planning a hot turkey sandwich…unless someone gets to the gravy first…
I want to see Issa, but Duncan Hunter would be a close second.
Bacon on the turkey was a great suggestion, Marcy. The moistest white meat ever.
My sister, who cooks a mean turkey, once sent us home (Calgary to Toronto) on one of those flights that serve no food (are they all like that now?) with great big fresh turkey sammidges. The minute we opened them on the plane, we were perfuming the entire cabin, and everybody was turning to look.
Real turkey is a very fine bird and a very fine food. Like beer and wine, as Ben Franklin said, turkey is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
The last time I stuffed a big turkey, I was following the Joy of Cooking recipe for apple stuffing, but I was missing a couple of things, so I tossed in a bunch of cayenne as cover. I cannot tell you what a magical effect that had on the gravy later on.
Yowch. You actually went through the hassle of chestnut prep? You’re a saint; last time I did chestnuts for stuffing it took longer for the bloody things than the turkey took to bake. I’ll just buy them in the jar from now on, much easier.
And ditto, no stuffing left here either. Yum. Only a massive pot of turkey noodle soup.
Chestnuts are not that big a deal, difficulty or time-wise. IF they turn out that way for you and yours, it’s likely you’re not getting it right. In my acquaintance there are a lot of people of Italian extraction and, suffice it to say, they all have the one, single best way of getting the job done. One of them actually had an importer of chestnuts as a client a few years back – we went over to the warehouse, helped peel the shrinkwrap off the Alitalia pallets and got into one of the burlap bags….
Here’s how I do it:
Start about a quart of water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan, or more in a bigger pan.
Using the point of a paring knife, cut a cross (or X, depending on how you look at it) into the flat side of the chestnut. Be sure you penetrate the entire shell. Then toss it into the water. Continue with all the chestnuts until done. By this time, the water should be approaching a boil.
When the water hits a boil, back off the heat so it is hot, but not boiling.
Go get a slug of whatever it was you were drinking, then arrange a bowl (for the chestnuts) and the trash can (for the peels) at your prep station. Get a slotted spoon or one of those mesh-on-a-handle things that come with a wok. You’ll note the crosses are starting to open a bit on the chestnuts. Start with the ones furthest along.
Remove the chestnuts from the water one at a time to your cutting board, using the slotted spoon. With the point of your paring knife, open the “cross” to the edges of the flat side and peel by hand. Toss the nut (if not moldy) in the bowl and the shell in the trash. If the paper inner skin sticks, toss it back in the water.
Repeat until done. When you get toward the end, you can turn off the heat or, if you need the burner, remove the pot from the stove.
This way, you can get a couple pounds done in about 20 minutes.
This method also has the side benefit of helping cook the chestnuts, if you choose to put them in the stuffing (Filling, we call it). Cutting them up into uniform sized pieces before putting them in the bird helps also. The problem with putting them in the filling is the same that obtains with roasting any fowl containing filling – by the time the filling is cooked, the fowl is likely well over-cooked. OTOH, if you stop cooking the fowl when it is done, the filling is likely underdone. I make the filling in bread pans and roast the bird unstuffed save for maybe some aromatic veggies and herbs.
I, OTOH, do not put chestnuts in the filling but instead make chestnut puree with them. There’s a recipe in a lot of cookbooks, but it is basically cooking the chopped chestnuts in stock or broth until they are soft, then mashing them with the stock, and adding butter and cream to get something a little thicker than mashed potatoes. Handle them carefully and attentively when on the heat, b/c they will burn in a heartbeat. One can also cook them with a stalk of celery and maybe the giblets, then remove those before the final mash. The chestnut puree makes another nice flavor note (sweet and rich) to balance all the others on the table.
Or, you could try this recipe for a vegetarian pasta sauce based on chestnuts and dried mushrooms.
you got it..well worth it..my chestnut loving friend and i did them last year, with the camembert cheese my mom snuck out of france..(the joke is, you can’t sneak it, it smells, loudly.) and a heavvy ‘red’….while waiting we pigged out on portobellos she did in an oversized iron skillet with balsamic vinegar, cooked down, and cleaned out the pan with really good bread, watching the cammenbert melt enough (ala dali) to eat..heaven. divine.
we tempted her husband with each course. he played along from the other room, building his space station exact replica model. they had just done another build-on so he was too, he worked on the life-support systems in houston before it went up.. (he runs an the atom smasher hereand we were comparing the food to what he does, all of the atom conversions involved in what we were doing,she is a hydrologist for the epa, i’m an artist and explained how dali did his time/memory paintings from camembert cheeses running off of the table.and they do if you let them melt long enough, we tested it..)
chestnuts are better done with a friend. talking physics and watching cheese melt. drinking wine. in nice glasses. in a kitchen out in the country. laughing. nothin’ like chestnuts, she proved that to me.
Tried all as described. The shells were almost impossible to peel even though fully scored and the skins were a massive headache to get off the meats. Suspect the problem was the nuts themselves, but I’m not going to mess with them again to find out, unless I’m really, really bored and looking for something to do to keep my idle hands busy. Far too many industrious folks out there who’ve done all the work and sell ready-to-use product.
Although when door knocking this year I discovered a house which has a chestnut tree in the front yard, and the homeowners obviously had no idea what it was, what with all the nuts lying all over the yard, sidewalk and street…if I’m really bored next fall, I may stop by and ask if I can harvest some. Seems such a colossal waste.
Waste like the oranges, limes, and avocados going to waste around socal. There must be a way for this food to be in the system. It’s difficult and expensive to get approval to sell the food, and this should be eased. At my last house I had 49 lime trees, and couldn’t sell them to the Mexican restaurants and bars without spending more than the fruit was worth in fees. Craziness for the benefit of large (republican) farmers.
I boiled mine this time–pretty much as scribe said, which kept the skins soft but by the end my fingers were waterlogged.
Somehow, bacon-braised turkey seems sacrilegious. Or so it would seem to Mrs. Bob in HI, who was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, for whom Battle Creek, MI is sacred ground, and the Kellogg brothers are patron saints.
My wife and I had our first Thanksgiving dinner together. She did just fine with the turkey and the stuffing.
I tuned in briefly to the football game, but in the second quarter the Titans already had a titanic lead over the Lions, who were even more hapless this year than usual, so my attention quickly shifted to other matters.
Later, we watched Babette’s Feast, proclaimed this year as a Critic’s Choice by the New York Times. I had seen it before, and it was a nice reminder of what a sacrament food, lovingly prepared, can be.
But don’t forget Peterr’s reminder that elsewhere, the cupboard is bare. Let’s not forget to share.
Bob in HI
Ew makes a most excellent pie.
Sounds like she & my sister should have a bake off … any volunteers for judges ? *g*
One of my life’s goals is to partake of some EW pie!
I LOVE PIE.
Northern Spy apples?? Freaking sound like they were hung on and plucked from a Cheney tree or something. Yikes, I dunno…..
Northern Spy apples are an old variety (from the 19th century); the “Northern” is as in “Yankee”, known as one of the better pie apples. In terms of popular heirloom varieties they’re right up there with the Winesap (a spectacular eating apple – appropriately named), the Rome (also an excellent baking apple) and the Jonathan (a good all-rounder).
When I make pie, it’s with cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of cardamom in that order. Just dump the spices on the sliced apples and mis with a wooden spoon. Sometimes I’ll plump some raisins (black or yellow) and toss them in. But cardamom and apples is one of the great (and overlooked) flavor plays around.
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but sometimes I don’t bother to make the pie. I cut up apples and toss them with spices and a little sugar. Let ‘em sit for a few minutes so they get nice and syrupy and eat ‘em right out of the bowl. Yummm : )
I like to do that too, Phred, since I make crusts with holes and other disasters, and anyway, who needs more flour? Marcy, thank you for the bacon tip, it made our bird even more splendid. Happy naps to you all.
What we moderns tend to forget is that the American fruit of choice in the 19th century was the apple. They were grown at least throughout the North, with dozens of local varieties. The “Johnny Appleseed Song” is popular in church camps all over the North, often used as a table blessing.
Among other things, this means local cider, soft and hard. Cider was one of the dominant beverages of the 18th century:
Yes, Virginia, there was a Johnny Appleseed (aka John Chapmen, 1774-1845)
What killed cider as the national beverage was immigrant German beer makers. Yah, I got beer making German ancestors (in Wisconsin).
My grandmother grew up on a farm in Iowa with its own apple orchard; her youngest brother died from over-eating apples. Iowa had been the home of some of the best apples in the country. So there are probably many local varieties that are excellent in their own setting.
The apple industry in Washington was derived primarily from Iowa apples.
Let me close with this, from the History and Legends of Apples:
Bob in HI
Thanks for posting that comment Bob… The Johnny Appleseed song brings back lots of fond memories. Anyone else around here remember Johnny Appleseed from The Wonderful World of Disney?
And dipper, glad I’m not the only one who indulges in eating non-pies ; )
I knew there was a reason I like Marcy so much … Northern Spy Apples make the best Pies, bar none.
Bacon on the Turkey is Ah-Mazing as is Cayenne added to the stuffing(H/T skdadl @ 5) … vegetarians(I’m one on most days) should get a life and leave people to their own tastes !
Marcy…where do you get your turkey? I think I remember you saying “local”…
I didn’t buy the bird, but I’m also certain that we got ours from Aric Van Natter–which means he’s got some frozen chickens (with fresh ones in the spring) that I’ll be trying. I’m on the Dexter side of town, so it shouldn’t be too far for me to make a regular trip.
And btw, don’t know if you’ve tried RoosRoast coffee, yet, but I’m a big fan.
Thanks for the tips!
Or, when making apple pie, if you really want to gild the lily and are into double crusts, try this:
Load the pie with apples spiced in your normal manner.
Get a quince.
Peel it (a bit of a pain as the skin is tough), core it and slice it thin. Lay the slices of quince atop the apples so there is a nice, single layer of quince covering them. Then put the dough for the top crust on and bake.
Never heard of Northern Spy apples before. Will have to search them out.
I tried a new Cook’s Illustrated version of onion soup (this site cookography.com has the recipe. Their new version requires slow baking of the onions in the oven before carmelizing them on the stove top.
The only problem is the baking part requires 2.75 hours! Very good, although the time to prepare it may not be totally worth it.
So I deviated from the recipe. I pulled out my new 7 quart pressure cooker and wilted the onions in 6 batches of 4 minutes each, before carmelizing them on the stove top.
The pressure cooker shaved off hours at the beginning of the recipe.
However the subsequent clean up time (including scrubbing off all the blackened soot on the floor of the pressure cooker–forgot about replacing the evaporating water) made it a time neutral deviation from the recipe.
Next time I’ll remember to replace the water in the pressure cooker (new at this) or jsut cave and use the microwave.
Died from over eating apples, Bob? Thought they kept the doctor away. How many did he eat?
Dunno how many apples he ate. Keeping doctors away in those days was not the problem; FINDING them was more of a challenge. This was in rural Iowa, in horse and buggy days.
My point is partly is that apples are a great green-revolution product. Johnny Appleseed had the right idea.
Any modern day Johnny Appleseed would have to deal with Monsanto, and Cargill. A modern Johnny Appleseed would probably be arrested by one of the big Agro companies for illegal distribution of proprietary products (copyrighted seeds from Company Apples).
But I digress.
Bob in HI
While doing some genealogical research, I found out that Johnny Appleseed was a Swedenborgian missionary, as was Eliza Tibbets (founder of the California orange industry)
Some of my DH’s ancestors were Swedenborgian and I hadn’t a clue what they believed in. They remind me of the transcendentalists. Swedenborgians (especially the ones in Ohio) were strong abolitionists. For a long time I could not trace the father of one Walter Beall born ca 1800 in Cumberland, Md who moved to Vermilion OH when he was in his early 20s. He was a convert and church leader in the Church of the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgian). When I finally out who his father was, I discovered he had owned slaves. No wonder Walter never named any of his children after his father.
Northern Spy Apples: This is a great, late in the season all-around apple from upstate NY, discovered in East Bloomfield, NY in the early 1800s. It doesn’t particularly ship well and it’s not what you’d call an ‘attractive’ apple(at least from current standards of Washington State apples), but it is a pretty big, hard apple that as long as it’s not bruised, will keep for a very long time. Not as big as ‘20 ounce”. Makes great pies because of its hardness(doesn’t turn to much in the pie pan), and is a great cidar and ‘out of the hand’ apple as well. You can find them in every famers’ market in upstate New York – they are a very common apple here – but they are usually not found outside of the growing area.
Mine came from an orchard down outside of Ypsilanti. I think they’ve added Spies in the last several years–I had worried I wouldn’t be able to find them at the Farmers, but was wrong.
This is one of the beautiful things about apples: Northern Spy Apples are apparently regional to the NE, with a distribution extending as far as the Detroit area, and maybe not much further. Many great varieties of apple are only available locally, and you have to know about them. Its just varieties like the “Macintosh” that get a national distribution. A Northern Spy Apple grown outside of its primary area might well yield fruit, but maybe not as good as what EW describes.
Bob in HI
You can still find Northern Spy apples? Lucky you. I remember (hah! I wish!) driving from somewhere to somewhere else and coming across a roadside stand with Northern Spies and buying a peck, but I haven’t seen any since. Glad you had a good feast!
We have perfect Northern Spies here right now, although I suppose you could think of southern Ontario as an extension of upstate NY. Guilty confession: although we are also great apple country and I buy locally as much as poss, my favourite cooking apple is the Granny Smith, which I believe we import from South Africa. I don’t understand how that works, but the Granny Smith is one fine green apple.
You guys are really part of the larger Great LAkes states–even if you have better healthcare.
The Mumbai Lie:
You’ll recall that just a couple days prior to Thanksgiving “unnamed intelligence sources” indicated a potential terror threat to the New York – Long Island train system – reinvigorating the fear factor in all Americans just in time for the Macy’s Day Parade.
Then – Miraculously – a reminder of those evil terrorist’s ability to pull off well orchestrated attacks surfaced not 36 hours later, in Mumbai, India. I said at the time that the source of the prior New York Warning (the CIA – ISI – MI6 – Mossad) and those who carried out the attacks in India were one and the same. It was all done purposefully.
http://www.infowars.com/?p=6222
It was NOT “Al Qaeda.”