Thanksgiving Recipes
It was Covid 2020 and we needed some company. John Bagnulo and I offered online cooking classes on eating healthy over the holidays. Theses are some of the recipes.
To Brine or not to brine Turkey……….
First, to brine or not to brine the turkey . . . Brining simply means to soak your turkey in a water and salt solution and naturally, I suggest orange juice and herbs and spices to bring it up a niche in flavor. Other ingredients can be added to the brine, such as honey or maple syrup. The purpose of a brine is to produce a more tender and flavorful turkey. But safety first. You must keep the bird below 39 degrees (average temp of a fridge) and you need space. Most home refrigerators don't have enough room for a pot with a soaking bird, so one needs to plan well because the bird needs to stay cold while brining.
Though you can brine a thawed frozen bird, it’s best to brine a fresh turkey. Please only consider buying a turkey from a small local turkey farm. See below for choosing your turkey.
Brine
Make this brine a day ahead so you have plenty of time to allow it to cool. Mix the dry ingredients ahead a few days before so all you need to do is heat the apple cider, add the fresh ingredients with the dry, and allow to cool. This is perfect for a 12-pound turkey. For a 20-pound turkey, make 1.5 times the recipe.
Dry Ingredients:
1.5 cups kosher salt
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons peppercorns
To add to brine:
1 gallon apple cider
4 cups ice-cold water
3 6-inch sprigs fresh rosemary
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups brown sugar or 2 cups maple syrup or 2 cups date puree
Three large organic oranges, with skin, each cut into 8 pieces
Bring apple cider and water to a boil in a 3-gallon stockpot. Add the dry ingredients and dissolve. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook mixture at a simmer for about 20 minutes.
Refrigerate brine until completely cooled.
Pour cooled brine into a nonreactive container large enough to hold your turkey. Add turkey; add brine to cover the turkey with liquid. Refrigerate overnight up to 12 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine and let it sit on the counter about 2 hours before roasting.
Each year over 40 million turkeys are eaten at Thanksgiving. Most of those turkeys were raised in a factory and lived a miserable life. The “free range” turkeys live in a building with thousands of other birds and are given between 2-4 sq feet of space per bird, fed a diet of grains that have been grown with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and heavy application of glyphosates. The turkeys are miserable and in pain their entire 15 weeks of life. Support a Local farmer!
To Roast
This recipe is for an 18-pound whole turkey.
This turkey is not stuffed with stuffing
Butter: Salted butter, rubbed onto the skin, ensures a juicy roast turkey every time.
Salt and pepper:
Turkey stock or a rich vegetable stock: Brodo broth is a good storebought brand
Stuff and season the turkey: Fill the cavity with 2 oranges cut into 8 pieces each, a handful of fresh sage and a whole onion cut up into 8 pieces. Rub the skin with butter, (or duck fat) and season with salt and pepper. Pour two cups of stock into the roasting pan and loosely tent the turkey with foil.
Roast the turkey: Roast, basting with stock every 30 minutes, for about two and half hours. Add more stock as the drippings evaporate. Remove the foil and continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F.
An 18-pound turkey is roasted for about four hours at 325 degrees F. If your turkey is larger or smaller than 18 pounds, you'll have to adjust the cooking time.
Gluten Free Gravy This is easy -Ratios 1:1:1 fat (butter or oil or turkey fat), flour (rice or GF flour), stock (homemade or boxed or drippings)
I believe rice flour works the best or you can use gluten free flour as well
Gluten-Free Gravy Recipe Serves 6 to 8 servings
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
2 1/2 cups homemade (or store-bought low-sodium chicken or turkey stock) or skimmed pan drippings or a mixture of stock and drippings
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice flour and whisk until a paste forms. Whisk until the paste turns light beige, about 3 minutes. In a slow and steady stream, whisk in the pan juices and /or stock. Continue to whisk until gravy has thickened and begins to bubble. If the gravy is too thick, add more stock. Serve.
Grain Free Stuffing serves 12
This is super flavorful. If you wish to add gluten free cornbread (simple Truth has an organic corn bread mix)Make the mix or your favorite corn bread. Cut into small pieces and allow to dry. Add ½ cup more of stock and 4 tablespoons of fat.
4-5 pounces wild rice
8-10 cups stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound (16 ounce) butternut squash cut into 1” cubes
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (shiitake are best)
6-8 ounces roasted chestnuts
1 teaspoon garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
If you wish to add cornbread croutons, 3 cups dried cornbread croutons and 1 cup of stock is needed.
If you have the time, soak wild rice in cold water for 2 hours as it will reduce the cooking time.
Place wild rice, stock (or water), and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Give it a stir. Put the lid on.
Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 40-45 minutes. If you use soaked wild rice, it should be ready in about 20-30 minutes.
15 minutes before the rice is fully cooked, add the squash on top of the rice, cover and allow the squash to cook with the steam from the rice.
While the rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or oil a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Heat a skillet and add 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil. Add onions, celery and mushrooms and cook until everything is soft. Add the garlic and herbs and remove from the heat.
Beat the eggs. When the rice is cooked and the squash is just cooked, put them into the baking pan, add the cooked vegetables and beaten eggs (and dried cornbread stuffing ) corn bread and mix well. If adding cornbread, add more stock and butter of oil at this point and mix all well. Sprinkle with rosemary. Allow to cool and refrigerate. This is now ready to reheat and can be made one day ahead.
Just before serving, bake covered with foil for 30 minutes in the preheated oven,350 or until lightly browned.
Slow Roasted Root Vegetables Slow roasted root vegetables are great after the first frost when they take on perfect sweetness. Chop the vegetables into larger chunks and toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lots of sage, rosemary or thyme. Then, I roast them until they’re tender and caramelized. A light drizzle of oil and then a sprinkle with fresh chives, mint or parsley..dried sage and dried rosemary work too. Note: cut the carrots and beets a bit smaller than the parsnips and turnips so they all cook about the same timewise.
2 beets, chopped into 1-inch chunks
2 large carrots, 1-inch chunks cut on diagonal
3 parsnips, chopped into 1-inch chunks cut on diagonal
1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1-inch chunks
2 turnips, chopped into 1-inch chunks cut into rounds or half rounds
1 shallot sliced thin
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°F
Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with the rosemary, sage, thyme, pinches of salt, Toss to coat and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender and browned around the edges. Remove the vegetables from the oven and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Transfer to a platter and top with fresh chives, mint or parsley.
Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Vinaigrette serves 4 to 6
2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts bottoms cut off and each sprout cut in half
First clean and cut the ends off the sprouts and slice each into thin slices. Save the leaves that fall off and roast them with the slices.
Sprinkle the sprouts with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and roast in 350 oven for 30-35 minutes.
Check for doneness.
They should be soft but not mushy.
You can either dress your brussels sprouts with the dressing as soon as they come out of the oven, or if you are going to reheat, say the next day.
Reheat in a 350 oven for 10
-12 minutes and toss with dressing just before serving!
Dressing:
This is one delicious recipe that is an amazing stand alone dressing.
If you triple this recipe you will have about 2 cups! And it will keep for 3-4 days.
This dressing is tossed with roasted brussels and it is just delicious. Toss the sprouts just before serving.
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons minced minced shallots
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
Brussels Sprouts- Brussels sprouts are a member of the Brassicaceae family of vegetables and closely related to kale, cauliflower, and mustard greens.
Brussels sprouts have loads of health benefits, and they hold an impressive antioxidant content.
½ cup = 2 grams of protein, 5.5 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, loads of Vit K, Vitamin C and Folate, minerals and amino acids.
For environmental reasons, buy organic but if you are in a pinch, conventional brussels sprouts have much less pesticides applied to them. So, they are considered “cleaner ‘ than most vegetables in “cide” (poison) applications.
Cranberry Curd Tart An almost perfect keto dessert
This is a great dessert anytime. If you are looking for a dessert that is keto, then take out the orange juice and replace it with water. One cup of orange juice adds 26 grams of carbohydrates.
One pie: 8 to 10 servings
Macadamia Crust
1¼ cups/180 grams raw macadamia nuts
1 cup/125 grams almond or riceflour
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons date puree
(loaded with carbs!)
or ¼ teaspoon stevia
6 tablespoons/100 grams softened butter +
Make the crust: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put macadamia nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the nuts to cool. In a food processor, grind nuts with half the almond flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add remaining almond flour and salt and pulse briefly. Cream butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon for a minute or two until pale and thick. Add nut mixture and combine until dough comes together. If needed (if it seems dry or crumbly) add 1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter or a little cold water. Press dough evenly into a 10-inch tart pan; use half
the dough for the sides and half for the bottom. Prick bottom with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes (or several days if desired). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chilled tart shell for about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool
Cranberry Curd
1 cup - 12 ounces cranberries
1 teaspoon stevia or 1 cup of date puree
Juice of one orange (this would add 26 carbs to this tart- omit if you want this to be keto)
Zest of one orange- Peel of orange part only
4 ounces/113 grams softened butter (1 stick)
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
While the crust bakes and cools, make the cranberry curd: Put cranberries, stevia or date puree and orange peel with ¼ cup of water or orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer with a lid until cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food mill or medium mesh sieve and press cooking liquid and solids into a bowl. Purée the cooked cranberry mixture with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. If you want a super smooth curd and it’s not smooth, press through a fine-mesh sieve. Whisk the butter into the warm liquid.
Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Return liquid to the pot and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes. If using immediately, let cool to room temperature and pour over the crust and refrigerate. If working ahead, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (press wrap against curd) and refrigerate. (Curd may be cooked up to 1 day ahead.)
Pour cranberry curd into the cooled pre baked tart shell and smooth top with a spatula.
Pumpkin Pie - This can be Crustless - just pour into a pie plate or make the pecan crust below
The crust of pecans and coconut that will work for those that are paleo or gluten free.
Consider this “pie” dessert! Or Breakfast!
It does call for maple syrup which I think is so “fall” and in very limited quantities (and for very special occasions), it is worth it! And yes, you can replace it with one packet of stevia. Or date puree.
You can substitute pumpkin with squash. Here I used the honey nut and sweet pumpkin.
And please use fresh ginger, if possible.
It takes about 5 minutes to prepare. It’s just that easy. Well, ok, you do have to have all your ingredients in place and it will take 5 minutes!
Mise en place is French for “putting in place” and is used for prepping kitchen equipment and food before serving
Mise en place
Spices:
11/2 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cardamom OR 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger - if you don’t have ginger, sub with ½ tsp ground ginger,
1 ½ tbsp organic cornstarch or arrowroot flour is a gluten-free substitute for cornstarch. You should use twice (3 tbsp) as much arrowroot as you would cornstarch.
2 cups pumpkin puree (or one 15 oz canned pumpkin puree if you must!)
(or honey nut or sunshine squash)
¼- ½ cup maple syrup ( I used ¼ cup)
Or ¼ cup date puree
3/4 cup half and half OR creamy coconut milk or heavy cream
3 eggs, whisked together
2 TBSP vanilla extract
2 tsp sea salt
Preheat oven to 300°F
Butter a 9 inch pie pan
Mix together the spices and starch
(corn or arrowroot) until well mixed with no lumps.
Whisk the eggs together.
Add the sweetener (maple syrup or date puree) to the whisked eggs, and the vanilla. Whisk well.
Stir in the pumpkin puree. Whisk well.
Add the cream (or coconut milk). Whisk well.
Pour the mix into the pie pan.
Bake for 60 to 80 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch.
Remove pie pan from the oven.
Cool uncovered at room temperature. This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Top with plain or maple whipped cream
For a whipped cream topping
2 cups Whipping cream or coconut cream (well chilled)
2 TBS maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
Orange zest for the top of the cream!
Whip until peaks for
Pecan Coconut Pie Crust
Of course this is gluten free and paleo!
This can be used for just about any pie crust. My two loves are key lime pie and pumpkin.
For pumpkin, zest orange peel (skin only) or lime for the key lime pie!!
½ cup coconut flakes
1 cup pecans
1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut butter
5 dates
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of 1 key limes ( for key lime pie)
OR 1 orange (for pumpkin pie)
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350
Start with toasted. Place the pecans and coconut on a sheet pan and place in 350 oven and lightly toast for about 10 minutes
Pulse the pecans and coconut into almost a flour. Add the dates and the coconut butter, (or the butter) and pulse until it all comes together. Add the vanilla, zest and salt and blend well. It should be crumbly but when pressed together become dough like and holds together.
Using your hands, pack the mixture and spread it evenly with your hands on the bottom and up the sides. Place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Now it is ready for your pumpkin mixture to cook or key lime mixture to chill!
Some more notes:
Pecan flour is just ground up pecans and sometimes called pecan meal. And you can omit the almond flour and use all pecan flour or oat flour and yes, you can pulse oats to make a flour and almonds to make an almond flour! AND just be careful that your oats are organic as they are otherwise loaded with glyphosates!
And just in case you are wondering about the coconut flakes: You can make your own coconut butter, place unsweetened shredded coconut in a blender or food processor and puree until a liquid butter forms.
Sweet Potatoes with Orange Bitters and Feta
This is adapted from Ruth Reichl and surprisingly sweet, bitter, and salty.
I adapted it by taking out the brown sugar, but added the date puree.
Of course, I include how to make your own bitters - which make a great hostess gift- Doesn’t everyone have a tincture of bitters in their fridge? But you do not need the bitters to make this as it is very tasty with just the flavored orange juice!
Serves 4
1 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (the juice of 4 to 5 oranges)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or
1/3 cup date puree date puree (recipe below)
1/4 cup orange bitters *
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch-wide wedges
2 red chiles, split open along the center
3 sage sprigs
10 thyme sprigs
2 heads garlic, unpeeled and halved horizontally
3 ounces feta (Mermaid Farm in Chilmark is the best!)
3-4 Tablespoons fresh chopped chives
Salt
cont…Sweet Potatoes with Orange Bitters and Feta
Preheat the oven to 425º F.
Place the orange juice in a saucepan with the vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat to medium-high and simmer for 20 minutes, until the liquid has thickened and reduced to 1 cup. Add the bitters, olive oil, and 2 teaspoons of salt.
*If you wish to skip the bitters, Add in 1 teaspoon ground coriander and 1 teaspoon cardamon
Put the potatoes in a large bowl, add the chiles, sage, thyme, and garlic. Pour in the reduced sauce. Toss well so that everything is coated and then spread the mixture out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, turning and basting the potatoes 2-3 times.
At the end, the potatoes should be dark and sticky. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with goat cheese and fresh chopped chives.
Date Puree Date Puree can be substituted as a sweetener (although it is loaded with carbs!). The ratio to substitute as a sweetener is 1:1. Using organic pitted dried dates. 1 ½ cups dried dates to 1 cup boiling water. Pour boiling water over dates and allow them to soak and soften in the water. With an immersion blender, or food processor, blend into a puree. This will keep for one week in the fridge.
Make your own bitters
These make great holiday gifts.
Little tincture bottles with squeeze top droppers are available from most health food stores.
Most of us are familiar with orange bitters which are great for cocktail flavoring. Elevate by bringing in your ingredients.
Flavors that are in the French orange bitters are peels, oranges peels, cardamom, caraway seed, coriander, anise and sweetener like brown sugar. Here, I use maple syrup.
Add these to a high proof alcohol like vodka, brandy or whisky (he higher the proof (ABV), the better the flavors) and allow to infuse or marinate the alcohol base. Depending on the botanical, infusing time may range from a day to several weeks. This recipe will take about a week.
Shake the jars once a day: Give each jar a good shake, and continue to shake them once a day. Wait for botanicals to infuse: Regularly smell and sample each tincture; it will be ready when it strongly conveys the ingredient.
You can find it at herbs and dried botanicals from Mountain Rose Herbs.
I made the gentian root optional. It is more traditional and adds an earthiness.
Play around with the spices. The fall spices of cinnamon, or cloves could be added.
Servings 2 cups
5 large organic oranges, preferably unsprayed
2 cups vodka, or another liquor
10 coriander seeds
8 allspice berries
12 fennel or 1 star anise pod
3 cardamom pods, gently crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried gentian root, optional
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 200ºF (93ºC). Use 4 oranges for the bitters and one for garnish. Remove the zest of four of the oranges using a vegetable peeler. This will be about 1-2
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inches wide. One orange will be for dried slices for garnish. With the top and bottom on either side, slice the orange into 8-10 slices with whole sections exposed. Spread the slices and the zest on a baking sheet. Dry in the oven for about 60 to 90 minutes, stirring them once or twice during drying. Most of their moisture should be dried out for the peels and the slices should be bone dry and may need to be returned to the oven for more time, perhaps 30-45 minutes..
Pour the liquor into a clean medium jar with a lid. Add the orange peels and spices. Cover and shake. Let the jar stand in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, shaking it once daily.
Strain the mixture through a non bleached coffee filter. Add in the maple syrup to your own tastes.