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Here are the tastingspoons players. I’m in the middle (Carolyn). Daughter Sara on the right, and daughter-in-law Karen on the left. I started the blog in 2007, as a way to share recipes with my family. I’m still doing 99% of the blogging and holding out hope that these two lovely and excellent cooks will participate. They both lead very busy lives, so we’ll see.

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BOOK READING (from Carolyn):

Music of Bees, Eileen Garvin. Absolutely charming book about a woman in midlife, lonely, who raises bees, also makes unlikely friends. Heart-warming and very interesting about beekeeping.

A Postcard from Paris, Alex Brown. Really cute story. Dual time line, 1940s and present day about renovating an old apartment in Paris, things discovered.

Time of the Child, Niall Williams. Oh such a good book. Very small village in Ireland, 1960s. A baby is left on the doorstep. The town all whispers and helps. I listened to an interview of the author, which made me like him and his books even more.

Sipsworth, Simon Van Booy. If you like animals you’ll swoon. An old woman who really wants to die finds a tiny mouse in her house and befriends it and finds a reason to live. Utterly charming book.

The Forger’s Spell, Edward Dolnick. True story. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of Johannes Vermeer.

If You Lived Here, You’d be Home by Now, Christopher Ingraham. Could hardly put it down – about a journalist who takes on a challenge to move to small town in Minnesota and write about it. He expects to hate it and the people and place, but he doesn’t. Absolutely wonderful true story.

The River We Remember, William Kent Kreuger. 1950s, Minnesota. A murder and the aftermath. Could hardly put it down. Kreuger has such a vivid imagination and writing style.

How the Lights Gets In, Joyce Maynard. An older woman returns to New Hampshire to help care for her brain-injured son. Siblings and family, lots of angst and resentments.

The Filling Station, Vanessa Miller. Every American should read this book. A novelized retelling of the Tulsa massacre in 1921. Absolutely riveting.

The Story She Left Behind, Patti Callahan Henry. Love this author. Based on a true story. A famous author simply vanishes, leaving her husband and daughter behind. She had invented a mystical language no one could translate. Present day, someone thinks he’s solved the riddle, contacts the family. Really interesting read.

The Girl from Berlin, Ronald Balson. Love anything about Tuscany. An elderly woman is being evicted from a villa there, with odd deed provenance. Two young folks go there to help unravel the mystery. Loved it.

The Island of the Colorblind, Oliver Sacks, M.D. Nonfiction. The dr is intrigued by a remote Pacific island where most of the inhabitants are colorblind. He also unravels a mystery on Guam of people born with a strange neurological problem. Medical mysteries unveiled. Very interesting.

The Bookbinder, Pip Williams. Post 1914 London. Two sisters work at a bookbindery. They’re told to not read the books. One does and one doesn’t. One has visions beyond her narrow world; the other does not. Eventually the one gets into Oxford. Lovely story.

The Paris Express, Emma Donoghue. 1895 on a train to Paris, a disaster happens. You’ll delve into the lives of many people who survived and died in the crash.

A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Richard Grant. This is about Arizona. Author, wife and child move back to Arizona where they once lived. Part memoir, research, and reporting in a quest to understand what makes Arizona such a confounding and irresistible place.

The Scarlet Thread, Francine Rivers. A woman’s life turned upside down when she discovers the handcrafted quilt and journal of her ancestor Mary Kathryn McMurray, a young woman who was uprooted from her home only to endure harsh frontier conditions on the Oregon Trail.

A Place to Hide, Ronald Balson. 1939 Amsterdam, an ambassador has the ability to save the lives of many Jewish children. Heartwarming.

Homeseeking, Karissa Chen. Two young Chinese teens are deeply in love, but in China. Then their families are separated. Jump to current day and the two meet again in Los Angeles.

North River, Pete Hammill. He always writes such a good story. A doctor works diligently healing people from all walks of life. His wife and daughter left him years before. One day his 3-yr old grandson arrives on his doorstep.

A Very Typical Family, Sierra Godfrey. A very messed-up family. Three adult children are given a home in Santa Cruz, Calif, but only if the siblings meet up and live in the house together. A very untypical scenario but makes for lots of messes.

Three Days in June, Anne Tyler. The usual Anne Tyler grit. Family angst. This wasn’t one of my favorites, but it was entertaining and very short.

Saved, Benjamin Hall. Author is a veteran war reporter. Ukraine, 2022, he nearly loses his life to a Russian strike. Riveting story – he survives, barely.

Grey Wolf, Louise Penny. Another Inspector Gamache mystery in Quebec. She is such an incredible mystery writer.

All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each. Could hardly put it down.

Orbital, Samantha Harvey. Winner of 2024 Booker Prize. I don’t usually like those, but I heard the author interviewed and she hooked me. This is not a normal book with a beginning, a story and an end. It’s several chapters of the day in the life of various astronauts at the ISS (Int’l Space Station). All fictional. She’s been praised by several real astronauts for “getting it” about space station everyday life.

The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins. An island off Scotland. Inaccessible except when the tide is out. Weird goings on. An artist. A present day mystery too.

Iron Lake, William Kent Krueger. A judge is murdered and a boy is missing. Riveting mystery.

Tell the Wolves I’m Home, Carol Ricks Brunt. 1980s. A 14-yr old girl loses her beloved uncle. Yet a new friendship arises, someone she never knew about.

Four Treasures of the Sky, Jenny Zhang. 1880s, a young girl is kidnapped in China and brought to the United States. She survives with many hurdles in the path.

The Boy Who Fell out of the Sky, Ken Dornstein. Memoir, 1988. The author’s brother died in the PanAm flight that went down in Lockerbie, Scotland. A decade later he tries to solve “the riddle of his older brother’s life.”

Worse Care Scenario, T.J. Newman. Oh my. Interesting analysis of what could/might happen if a jet crashed into a nuclear plant. Un-put-downable.

Song of the Lark, Willa Cather. Complicated weave of a story about a young woman in about 1900, who has a gifted voice (singing) and about her journey to success, not without its ups and downs.

Crow Talk, Eileen Garvin. Charming story which takes place at a remote lake in Washington State, about a few people who inhabit it, the friendships made, but also revolving around the rescue of a baby crow.

The Story Collector, Evie Woods. Sweet story about some dark secrets from an area in Ireland, a bit magical, faerie life, but solving a mystery too.

A Sea of Unspoken Things, Adrienne Young. A woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death. She goes to a small town in California to figure it out, to figure HIM out.

The King’s Messenger, Susanna Kearsley. 1600s England, King James. About one of his trusted “messengers,” and his relationship with a young woman also of “the court.” Lots of intrigue.

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier, Emily Matchar. Interesting mystery in/around the area of the famous resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Isola, Allegra Goodman. Hard to describe, survival story on an island in the 1600s.

Save the Date, Allison Raskin. Rom-com, witty, LOL funny. Clever.

The Sirens, Emilia Hart. Numerous time-lines, Australia. Mysteries abound, nightmares, abandoned baby, weird allergies.

Red Clay, Charles Fancher. LOVED this book. Mostly post-Civil War story about the lives of slaves in Alabama during Reconstruction.

Stars in an Italian Sky, Jill Santopolo. Dual time line, 1946 and recent time. Love stories and a mystery.

Battle Mountain, C.J. Box. Another one of Box’s riveting mysteries. Love his descriptions of the land.

Something Beautiful Happened, Yvette Corporon. A memoir of sorts in Greece, tiny island of Erikousa, where the locals hid Jews during WWII. All elusive stories told by the author’s grandmother.

The Jackal’s Mistress, Chris Bohjalian. 1860s Virginia, about a woman who saves the life of a Union soldier. Really good story.

Song of the Magpie, Louise Mayberry. Really interesting story about Australia back in the days when it was mostly a penal colony. Gritty strength of a woman trying to thrive with her farm.

The Boomerang, Robert Bailey. A thriller that will have you gripping the book. About a lot of secrets surrounding the president (fictional novel, remember) and his chief of staff and about cancer. A cure. Such a good story.

Care and Feeding, Laurie Woolever. Really interesting memoir of a woman driven to succeed in the restaurant business. She worked for Mario Batali and then Anthony Bourdain. Gritty stories.

Everything is Tuberculosis, John Green. Maybe not a book for everyone. A real deep dive into the deadly tuberculosis infection, its history. I heard the author interviewed and found the book very interesting.

The Book Lovers Library, Madeline Martin. Fascinating read about Boots’ drug stores’ lending library. And the people who worked in them.

The Arrivals, Meg Mitchell Moore. LOL funny, about a middle-aged couple whose children (and their various family members) return to the family home and the chaos that ensues.

My Life as a Silent Movie, Jesse Lee Kercheval. About grief. A big move to Paris, finding herself a new life with a new set of real blood family.

Escape, Carolyn Jessop. Another memoir about a woman really in bondage in Utah, Mormon plural marriage.

 

Tasting Spoons

My blog's namesake - small, old and some very dented engraved silver plated tea spoons that belonged to my mother-in-law, and I use them to taste my food as I'm cooking.

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Posted in Uncategorized, on December 6th, 2011.

germsSometimes when I fly somewhere, I buy the latest Reader’s Digest. It’s small, will fit in my purse, easily fits in the seat-back pocket once I’m seated, and I can read it on board, during the times that I’m not allowed to use my Kindle. And I always find some interesting stories in it. The most recent issue I bought on our trip a few months ago had one really interesting article in it about germs. Not exactly a fun subject to read about, but I learned a thing or two. So even though you, my readers, follow my postings mostly for food and books, today I bring you grim news about germs.

According to this article, written by Chris Woolston, here are the worst culprits:

(1) Kitchen Sponges and Dishrags: those sponges we use in our kitchen sinks carry more germs than a toilet bowl. [gag] Up to 7% of sponges and dishrags harbored methicillin-resistant staph (the MRSA kind), aka the flesh eating bacteria. What to do? Sanitize your sponge in the dishwasher whenever you run it – or microwave it (wet it first) every single day. I think I read somewhere that it only takes 30-40 seconds on high to clean it well. You want it to get so hot you can’t touch it until it cools off a little. It steams up the inside of my microwave.

germs2(2) Kitchen Sinks, Toothbrush Holders and Countertops: Make sure to clean them regularly as they are bacterial hot spots. Use a diluted bleach mixture (1 T. to a quart of water) for sinks and counters. Run the toothbrush holder through the dishwasher once or twice a WEEK (yikes), or wash it by hand in hot soapy water, then give it a once-over with a disinfecting throwaway wipe.

(3) Bathroom Faucets, TV Remotes, Refrigerator Handles and Doorknobs: Cold viruses linger as long as 24 hours on these surfaces – flu viruses even longer. Clean these frequently used surfaces.

(4) Public “Touch Spots” (think ATM keypads): British researchers discovered that same staph (MRSA) bacteria on 95% of the spots they swabbed in central London.

(5) Shopping Carts: in a recent study E. coli or similar bacteria on no more than 70% of shopping carts in 4 states. The researcher said “Packages of meat tend to leak.” Babies put their bottoms in those front baskets – right where we might put the broccoli. Their rule: if it’s something you might eat raw, don’t put it in the top part of the cart. [I’ve been using those wipes on every grocery cart since I read this, honest, I have, and today I even used it to wipe down the baby-bottom sitting area, though I didn’t put anything raw in that area.]

The bottom line: wash our hands often and well – including lots of soap. Rub and scrub for at least 20 seconds. I scrub my hands and with soap, but gosh, I sure don’t do it for 20 seconds. I’ll be better, I promise!

Posted in Chicken, on December 5th, 2011.

parm_chicken_spinach_gorgonzola_sauce

A relatively easy chicken entrée that is just plain scrumptious! The Gorgonzola cheese sauce isn’t real thick, but is poured over the top of the sautéed spinach. Can be made ahead, too.

Another one of Phillis Carey’s stupendous recipes. From a class I took last month, and definitely will be something I make. It’s very attractive – shown above on a white plate with nothing but the spinach, really, to give any contrast – maybe it doesn’t give you the idea it’s delicious. Just trust me on this, it is.

The sauce is a mixture of chicken broth and cream, reduced down by half, then some Gorgonzola cheese is crumbled in. That’s all it is. The spinach is almost flash-fried (or you can do it quickly in the microwave just as easily) and set aside. It’s nothing but spinach, cooked, some garlic added. Then it’s set aside to drain.

Lastly, the chicken. It’s pounded to 1/2 inch thickness on the thicker end. It’s dredged in some seasoned flour. It’s cooked briefly in a skillet until it’s almost done. Then you prepare a casserole: add the chicken pieces, the spinach divided up amongst the chicken breasts, then the Gorgonzola sauce is added over the top. Sprinkled with some mozzarella and Parm and baked for about 12-15 minutes. That’s IT. Easy. If you really like/love spinach, make more, as there really isn’t a lot of spinach per portion. And if the top of the casserole dish isn’t quite browned enough, turn on the broiler very briefly.

What I liked: it’s easy. It’s delicious. It’s a make-ahead casserole.

What I didn’t like: well, the calorie and fat count are high, but there’s not a whole lot you can do about it unless you are willing to reduce the amount of cheese. And sauce. I don’t know much else you could do or you’d compromise the dish. Think of it as a treat for a special occasion.

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Parmesan Chicken with Spinach Gorgonzola Sauce

Recipe By: From a Phillis Carey cooking class, Sept. 2011
Serving Size: 4
NOTES: This can be a make-ahead casserole. Try to pile the spinach just on top of the chicken – not all over everywhere. Same with the sauce – drizzle it only on top of the chicken. It will puddle some, but do cover all the chicken with the sauce before adding the cheeses.

GORGONZOLA SAUCE:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
CHICKEN:
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour for dredging the chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil — divided use
1 teaspoon garlic — minced
12 ounces baby spinach — (bagged)
1 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese — grated
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — freshly grated

1. In a medium saucepan bring cream and chicken broth to a boil and then simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced by about half (in volume), about 15 minutes. Stir in Gorgonzola cheese and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the cheese is melted and combined with the sauce. Keep warm.
2. Preheat oven to 400°. Trim chicken (remove tenders, if attached) and pound the thicker part until breast is an even 1/2 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
3. Heat 1 T. of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and toss briefly, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Alternately you can microwave the raw spinach in a glass bowl for about 3 1/2 minutes, covered in plastic wrap, then remove plastic when finished, place in a colander and allow to drain for several minutes.
4. Add the remaining 2 T. oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a casserole dish. Using tongs, arrange a small mound of spinach on top of each chicken breast. Pour the Gorgonzola sauce on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through. If the dish isn’t quite browned sufficiently, broil very briefly. Serve immediately. If serving to guests, heat a platter first. Ideally, if you have a large (low, flat) stove top to oven pan or casserole, use it without removing the chicken to a serving platter.
Per Serving: 634 Calories; 49g Fat (68.8% calories from fat); 44g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 197mg Cholesterol; 856mg Sodium.

Posted in Desserts, on December 3rd, 2011.

apricot_nectar_bundt_cake

You remember, don’t you, when the first cake-mix bundt cakes were just coming out of every hostess’ kitchen? Unless you’re young and weren’t around in the mid 1970’s. At least I think that’s about when they hit the scene. These are the kinds that mixed in some liquor, or some pudding mixes, even Jell-O. They were – and are – easy to make. And they don’t really taste like cake-mix cakes when you’ve doctored them up with all the additions.

A rum version was one of my favorites. And a chocolate one. And a lemon one. But then, these cakes kind of disappeared from the cooking scene. Or at least something else became the rage instead. But I never really stopped making them. I just don’t make them very often.

In this case I was donating a cake to our church, for the Fall Festival. Mostly it’s for the kids, and they needed some cakes that would appeal to them. Some people made cupcakes, I’m sure. Those are certainly all the rage these days. So I turned to the cookbook The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. I can’t say that I’ve made all that many cakes from the cookbook, but when I need one, I need one, and this is the book I turn to. No alcohol for this, since children would be eating it. So I chose one called an Apricot Nectar Cake. I had most of the ingredients on my pantry shelf and it whipped up easily enough.

apricot_nectar_cake_sliceWanting to taste a little bit of this cake was a problem, though, since I didn’t want to remove a slice just to taste and photograph it. So, instead I poured just a little bit into a cupcake mold (see photo at right) and baked it a shorter time, of course, but treated it the same. After removing the cake (and cupcake) they were cooled slightly, then inverted, holes were poked all over the cake and an apricot nectar, powdered sugar, and lemon juice combination was oozed all over the cake, and hopefully down into the holes.

Oh indeed, this cake is really good. The apricot taste definitely comes through. You can see in the photo of the cupcake above that the apricot nectar did seep into the cake. Not a lot of it reached the bottom, actually. I think I needed to poke the holes a bit deeper. I used one of those baked-potato-nails for this. Using anything thinner just meant the glaze drizzled down the cake sides and pooled on the plate. More definitive action was needed!

What I liked: the taste; the texture; the apricot glaze was really nice.

What I didn’t like: The top part (you can see in the photo) was almost “wet.” So I definitely needed to poke down deeper, but not all the way to the bottom, or the glaze would just ooze out the bottom. But I would make this again, even with that minor issue.

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Apricot Nectar Cake

Recipe By: The Cake Mix Doctor, by Anne Bryn
Serving Size: 16
NOTES: You can add the grated lemon zest to the cake, or to the glaze. Or both. Don’t use a cake mix that already contains “pudding in the mix.” You want just the basic cake mix.

1 package yellow cake mix — (18.25 ounce) (I used a Trader Joe’s vanilla cake mix)
3 1/4 ounces lemon gelatin powder
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup apricot nectar
GLAZE:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons apricot nectar
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Center an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 325°. Grease and lightly flour a Bundt pan. Shake out excess flour and set aside.
2. Mix the cake mix, lemon gelatin, eggs, vegetable oil, and apricot nectar together with electric mixer. Mix on low for one minute, then increase speed to medium. Beat for 2-3 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down sides.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake cake until it is light brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, about 40 to 42 minutes (mine took about 45 minutes). Remove to a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin plastic spatula along the sides of the Bundt pan to loosen cake from edges. Carefully invert cake onto plate.
5. GLAZE: Combine the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and apricot nectar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, about 3-4 minutes.
6. Poke numerous holes all over the top of the cake. [I used a baked potato nail – and do poke the holes almost to the bottom of the cake – otherwise the apricot glaze will just pool in the top half of the cake.] Using a teaspoon, gently pour glaze over cake while it is still warm. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. Store the cake, covered in plastic wrap or under cake dome, for up to a week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter.
Per Serving: 302 Calories; 15g Fat (44.9% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 54mg Cholesterol; 245mg Sodium.

Posted in Salad Dressings, on December 1st, 2011.

herb_mustard_vinaigrette

We’d been invited to our son’s home, following a 2-hour performance of our grandson’s (age 4) Taekwondo class. He received one of his belts (his second belt promotion) and he broke the board for the second time. He also did a single demo in front of the 100+ people attending – a big deal for a 4-year old. After the class we 9 members of the extended family met for a nice big dinner. Karen had made some delicious lamb shanks, with buckets of gravy/sauce it was cooked in, providing ample for dipping fresh bread into, to mop up all the juices on the plate.

For my part, I brought a salad. It contained baby arugula, Romaine lettuce, a big bunch of microgreens, some fresh corn cut off the cob, red bell pepper and radishes. One of the little ones has some life-threatening food allergies – the kind that really could kill him if he were to innocently have nuts, dairy or eggs. So whenever the family is all together everyone tries to bring things that don’t have any of those items. So, no nuts in the salad, no cheese in the salad, and no egg in the dressing.  The little one’s mother is ever-vigilant, but it’s got to be hard on all of them. He’s only a year old at the moment – it’ll be even harder as he gets older.

herb_mustard_vinaigrette_topviewAnyway, I found a recipe I’d not tried before from one of my older cookbooks. One that I ordered years ago from Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, now called Renee’s Garden – the cookbook is Recipes from a Kitchen Garden. This was back when my DH and I were living in a different house and trying to grow a large veggie garden.

With this recipe, I changed the preparations slightly – I whizzed up the garlic with the other ingredients. The recipe just had you rub the salad bowl with the cut garlic clove. Phooey with that method. I like more garlic than that! Since I have some lovely Tuscan herb olive oil on my pantry shelf, I used that, plus fresh herbs that are still surviving in our kitchen garden (chives, rosemary, mint and basil).

What I liked: the clean, fresh taste of it – nothing heavy here, just straightforward flavors. With a little pinch or two of sugar (you’ll not even know it’s there, but it takes the edge off the sharp vinegar and lemon juice).

What I didn’t like: well, I didn’t make enough – I used it all up for the one salad. Darn.

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Herb Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

Recipe By: Adapted from: Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff
Serving Size: 8
Yield: 2/3 cup
NOTES: This will dress a salad for about 8 people – use about 8-9 cups of salad greens of your choice. Add some colorful vegetables (red bell pepper, radishes) and Feta cheese if desired.

1 large garlic clove — halved
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar — or mild white vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine — (I used Vermouth)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil — (I used a Tuscan herb EVOO)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons herbs — your choice (I used rosemary, chives, basil) chopped well

1. In the bowl of a blender add the garlic and salt. Blend for 10-15 seconds.
2. Add the Dijon, lemon juice, wine vinegar, sugar and white wine. Blend for another 10 seconds, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and the herbs. Blend for 4-5 seconds. Pour into a container and refrigerate for an hour or two. Will keep for a few days.
Per Serving: 95 Calories; 10g Fat (96.2% calories from fat); trace Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 83mg Sodium.

Posted in Pork, Soups, on November 29th, 2011.

chili_verde

Our friend James, who used to be a professional chef, was telling me recently about his mother’s Chili Verde. I have a recipe for Crockpot Chili Verde on my blog already – also made with pork – and it actually has more ingredients in it than this one. It’s been awhile since I’d made it, so when James was describing his mother’s and how he slurped it up with some tortillas, it got my mouth to watering. A few days later James handed me his mom’s recipe and I set out to make this version.

Chili verde (green chili) is a moderately to extremely spicy Mexican and Mexican-American stew or sauce usually made from chunks of pork that have been slow-cooked in chicken broth, garlic, tomatillos, and roasted green chiles. Tomatoes are rarely used. The spiciness of the chili is adjusted with poblano, jalapeño, serrano, and occasionally habanero peppers. . .  this came from Wikipedia.

And yes, that describes it perfectly! Chunks of pork (shoulder or stew meat) that’s cooked with some broth, onions, garlic, cumin. After browning the meat well (which will give it plenty of flavor) you add in all those other ingredients and simmer for half an hour. Then you add in some poblano chiles, a jalapeno or two, a yellow bell pepper (gives it nice color) and a whizzed up mixture of fresh tomatillos and cilantro. That simmers for 30-45 minutes and it’s done. Since I always think stews and soup mixtures taste much better the next day, I made it a couple of days ahead, actually, through the first simmering instructions. Then I added the fresh chiles, tomatillos and cilantro and finished it off.

I had on hand some really good tortilla chips, so they were crushed in my hands and sprinkled on top, along with some shredded Jack cheese and a little sprinkling of cilantro. And I served it with a buttered flour tortilla on the side. Delicious. The only change I made to the recipe was using pork broth (I have one of Penzey’s jars of pork soup base) but chicken broth is what’s in the original recipe. Don’t overcook the pork – it will get dry and stringy. Total cooking time is about an hour or so. After the stew was cooked, I cut the pork chunks into smaller bite-sized pieces, and removed the last traces of fat.

What I liked: the rich flavor – much of it from browning the meat very well – that fond in the pan provides so much good taste. It was easy to make too. Great as a leftover meal as well.

What I didn’t like: really nothing. Know that the broth is just that – broth – it isn’t a thick soup, although the tomatillos and cilantro add some good texture to it. That’s why I added the crushed tortilla chips to the soup – they give it texture as well.

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Chili Verde

Recipe By: From our friend James’ mother
Serving Size: 10
NOTES: As with any and all kinds of soups or stews, they’re better the day after they’re made. Ideally make this through step 2 the day before serving.

4 pounds pork shoulder — trimmed of fat, cut into 2″ cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil — or lard
1 large onion — chopped
4 large garlic cloves — minced
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
9 cups chicken stock — or pork stock if available
4 whole poblano peppers — seeded and chopped
2 whole jalapeno peppers — seeded and chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper — seeded and chopped, or more if you’d like
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos — quartered
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro — with extra for garnish
2 cups tortilla chips — coarsely crumbled
1 cup grated cheese — Jack, Cheddar, your choice

1. In a large, heavy pot over high heat, sear the pork cubes in vegetable oil, turning on all sides, until golden brown. Remove to a plate as you brown. Do not crowd the pan or it will steam rather than sear.
2. Once all the pork has been browned and removed, pour off all but a tablespoon or so of the fat. To what’s remaining in the pot add the chopped onions, garlic, salt, pepper and saute until the onions are transparent, about 7-10 minutes. Add the ground cumin, chicken stock and pork cubes. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. (Can be made the day before up to this point.)
3. Add the poblano chiles, jalapeno peppers and bell pepper.
4. In the bowl of a food processor, puree the fresh tomatillos and cilantro until it’s completely chopped. Add to the pork mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the meat is fork tender. (If desired, once cooked, cut the large chunks of meat into smaller bite-sized pieces.)
5. Scoop heaping cups of the mixture into wide bowls, add hand-crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese and a few sprigs of cilantro. Serve with hot, buttered flour tortillas.
Per Serving: 691 Calories; 44g Fat (58.4% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 109mg Cholesterol; 2627mg Sodium.

Posted in Books, Uncategorized, on November 28th, 2011.

last_chinese_chef_book_coverAwhile ago a friend told me to read the book The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel by Nicole Mones (who also wrote Lost in Translation).

I promptly visited the bookstore and bought a hard copy. Usually I read books on my Kindle, but this time, since it was about cooking, I assumed I might want the actual book in hand. It’s been on my bedside table for a couple of months and I’d just had too many other books to read first. When I started reading this one, though, a day or two ago, I could hardy put it down.

The book was enchanting. And I know next to nothing about Chinese cooking. I used to eat Chinese with some regularity. BUT. Then I married a diabetic, and we did eat Chinese food occasionally, but once the medical world figured out that counting carbs in a meal was what spelled the secret to diabetic control, well, going to Chinese restaurants became a very risky proposition. When I cook anything Asian at home I have to put the recipe into my MasterCook program and guesstimate how large a serving he will have so I can tell him how many carbs he’s eating. And it’s never precise unless you literally measure out each serving.

We live in an area where there are some well-renowned Chinese restaurants (in the San Gabriel Valley mostly, east of downtown Los Angeles, about 40 miles north of where we live). I’ve never been to any of them. I’d like to. But it would be difficult for my DH as no waiter can ever tell him how many carbs are in  any meal we eat out, Chinese or any other food for that matter. It’s always a guessing game.

All that said, what it means is that I don’t know much about Chinese cuisine, other than a few very lame Chinese-American dishes that I make now and then. What makes it hard is the use of unusual sauces and additions. If it’s just meat and veggies – no problem. But usually there’s a sauce involved, as with most other Asian cuisines.. Many of the contain sugar – like oyster sauce, or kung pao sauce, etc. Very unpredictable, is what it is!  Sometimes I go out for Thai when my DH is away for an evening. I relish the opportunity.

THE BOOK: So, when I started to read this book, I was mesmerized right away by it. It IS a novel; but you get engrossed in the story almost immediately. A middle-aged woman finds out a year after her husband’s sudden death (from an accident) that a woman in China claims her daughter is her husband’s, conceived from a one-night-stand some years before. A claim is made against the husband’s estate (because he worked on occasional for a few weeks at a time in China). The couple was childless, supposedly a mutual decision between husband-wife. The news is devastating to the widow, who begins to question everything she ever thought she had in her marriage. She goes to China to find out the truth, and also goes there with a purpose (she’s a writer) to follow a Chinese-American chef who is competing in a nationwide culinary competition.

Part of the book is about her determining the truth (through DNA), and part of the book is about this Chinese-American chef in the competition. He speaks English, since he grew up in America, yet he has a strong Chinese culinary heritage (supposedly the grandson of a very famous Imperial Dynasty chef – before the Cultural Revolution). An attraction develops between these two people, yet the story is studded with interesting facts and quotations from the (fictitious) book written by the grandfather, this dynastic chef. Visits to Chinese family ensue, frantic cooking takes place prior to the competition, and in between encounters with the chef and his family, the widow makes her way around discovering facts about her husband’s affair.

What I learned by reading this book was all about the symbolism in Chinese cooking. About how every dish allows the soul to shine through. Quotes (supposedly from the cookbook/book written by the grandfather) scatter throughout, and some famous (real) Chinese poetry too. The quote I liked the best is this from the fictitious book:

The major cuisines of China were brought into being for different purposes, and for different kinds of diners. Beijing food was the cuisine of officials and rulers, up to the Emperor. Shanghai food was created for the wealthy traders and merchants. From Sichuan came the food of the common people, for as we all know, some of the best-known Sichuan dishes originated in street stalls. Then there is Hangzhou, whence came the cuisine of the literati. This is food that takes poetry as its principal inspiration. From commemorating great poems of the past to dining on candlelit barges afloat upon the West Lake where wine is drunk and new poems are created. Hangzhou cuisine strives always to delight men of letters. The aesthetic symmetry between food and literature is a pattern without end. . . . . Liang Wei, The Last Chinese Chef

But remember, this is a work of fiction. As I read the quotes/anchors at the beginning of each chapter (all from this fictitious book written by the grandfather) I was quite charmed by the writer’s (Nicole Mones) creativity. I was so prepared to believe what this Imperial chef had written. His mantras. His lessons regarding his country’s cuisine. In the end, it’s a bit of a love story too. Beautifully written and crafted. Even if you don’t have a lot of interest in Chinese cooking, I think you’ll find this book very enlightening. Very educational without feeling like it is, and immensely entertaining.

Posted in Chicken, easy, on November 24th, 2011.

dinahs_chicken_curry

Looking for something simple for dinner? Something to make with leftover chicken or turkey? This is your ticket – easy – tasty and very, very healthy (only 4 grams fat per serving).

Yes, indeed, I’ve copied the title exactly – honest, I didn’t make it up. Some of you – those of you who are “of a certain age” will remember Dinah Shore.image She was a famous singer and entertainer back in the day. She produced many a vocal album, was the spokes-singer-woman for Chevrolet for years (remember “See the U S A in your Chevrolet?”). I can sing it in my head and just did!  One of her Chevrolet commercials is available on youtube if you’re interested. She had a long-standing relationship with Burt Reynolds (20 years her junior). Was married more than once, I believe.

During the 1970’s she had her own talk show, and I was a young stay-at-home mom at that time, so I must have watched her show regularly. It was about that time that I bought a small orange covered 6×9 3-ring binder, pictured below. I’d not been married all that long so didn’t have a huge repertoire of recipes anyway. I began copying all of my favorites into the binder and as the years progressed I added more and more. I scotch taped some recipes in there. I folded some newspaper articles, even a couple of pages that came loose from my then favorite cookbook. My mother even wrote a couple of recipes in the book at some point. I typed some, and some were written in by hand in blue, black or red ink. Some recipes now have a big, huge X over them. Tried and discarded, obviously!

orange_binder_collage

Many of the old-old recipes you’ve read here on my blog come from this binder. Most of the recipes have been transferred to my MasterCook software program, but there are still a few that haven’t made it there . . . . yet. This particular recipe is in the binder, neatly typed on my old Olympia portable typewriter my parents bought me when I went away to college, and I did write in Dinah Shore as the origin for the recipe and I wrote “from her TV show” and “winner of her cook-off.” The recipe isn’t in Dinah’s cookbook I own – it may not have ever made it into any of her cookbooks. Who knows. The recipe isn’t available anywhere online – I searched as I was writing this post.

Dinah had a helper at home – maybe she was Dinah’s full-time cook? – Pauline Bumann – who contributed lots of the recipes or to their collaboration. But Dinah was a good cook all by herself. She loved to entertain, and did so often according to the cookbook stories.

Dinah was a gracious host on the show. (Dinah Shore died in 1994 from ovarian cancer, age 77.) You can’t equate Dinah to an Oprah, for instance, but Dinah was entertaining and witty. A convivial host, as I recall. Dinah published several cookbooks. I own the 1983 Dinah Shore Cookbook. Can’t say that I cook from it anymore, but I haven’t given it away, either (oooh, I have a very hard time giving away any of my cookbooks, if you haven’t ever figured that out). Anyway, on the show she’d occasionally demonstrate a recipe, and this is one of those. My recollection is that cooking a quick meal didn’t have the traction that it does now. There WERE no 30-minute meals, hardly. We had Minute Rice, canned creamed soups that went into everything, and boxed cake mixes. But I don’t believe there were any easy-to-make entrees particularly. I’m not even certain you could buy packages of just chicken breasts at the market in the early 1970’s. You bought a whole chicken. Period. Correct me if I’m wrong!

curry_ingredients

Not all of the ingredients are piled up here on my board, but you can see the bacon, garlic, mushrooms (only add if you happen to have them, as I did this time), onion, celery, applesauce, curry powder and garam masala.

To cut to the chase here, this is a really simple recipe but it has good flavor in it. Sometimes I enhance the flavors a little bit – as I’ve become a better curry cook in the ensuing years, I know what enhances curries (like garam masala seasoning, for instance). But if you want a simple, weeknight dinner using some leftover chicken or some leftover Thanksgiving turkey, try this. Use whatever condiments you’d prefer. Don’t like raisins? Use dried cranberries. Add mushrooms if you want (I did this time, although they’re not in the original recipe). Don’t have any bell peppers? Eliminate them – they’re mostly for garnish anyway. Add cilantro or Italian parsley if you want. Add some minced apple to the garnish if you’d like. And if you don’t like curry powder – well, don’t use it – just  call it it a chicken and gravy instead. It’s a healthy dinner in any case if you don’t use much bacon.

What I liked: how easy it is. What a great use of leftover chicken. Maybe I need to start a new subject category here on my blog for “leftovers,” since they seem to be such a problem for people. The dish has good flavor – certainly not gourmet fare by any means, but it’s tasty and great for a weeknight.

What I didn’t like: can’t think of a thing. Obviously if I’ve been making this since the 1970’s, it’s something I like! Don’t expect haute cuisine, though. This is simple food.

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Chicken Curry Without Worry

Recipe By: A Dinah Shore cook-off winner from 1972
Serving Size: 6
NOTES: If you have the ingredients at hand, this is a dish you can whip up in a few minutes. The original recipe used twice as much bacon. I sometimes make it with no bacon at all, just a teaspoon or two of canola oil to saute the vegetables. I usually add the raisins in with the hot mixture, and the pineapple can be a condiment or part of the curry sauce itself. Dinah Shore demonstrated this on her TV show, and it’s has been an occasional recipe I’ve used ever since. Particularly when I have leftover chicken, which is a perfect use for this.

2 slices bacon
2 whole onions — diced
2 cloves garlic — minced
4 stalks celery — chopped
3 large chicken breast halves without skin — cooked, bones removed, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup applesauce
14 ounces chicken broth — low salt
1 cup milk — or coconut milk
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup canned pineapple chunks — diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup bell peppers — chopped, your choice of color
3 cups cooked rice

1. Prep all the ingredients and have them ready when you’re beginning to cook. Start the rice so it’s done just as you’re about to serve the meal.
2. After you’ve cooked the bacon, pour off most of the grease, then in what’s left sauté the onions and celery until they’re soft. Add garlic, flour, and cook a few minutes, then add the applesauce, broth, milk, curry powder and tomato paste. Simmer a few minutes until thick and bubbly. Add diced chicken and heat through.
3. Serve over rice with raisins, red or green pepper bits, avocado, bacon on top, and serve hot chutney on the side.
Per Serving: 361 Calories; 4g Fat (10.6% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 60g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 42mg Cholesterol; 440mg Sodium.

Posted in Veggies/sides, on November 22nd, 2011.

lebanese_lentils_rice_onions

A great side dish – with warm, comforting flavors from ground cumin and cayenne. Do serve it with a nice piece of grilled meat – even Tandoori chicken, which is what I used.

This dish I made a couple of months ago – before we went on our trip in late September. I served it alongside some Tandoori chicken. This stuff was really good – if you look closely at the photo above, you can see just one little piece of the caramelized onion – just about in the center, dark brown. Those onions are  what “make” this dish. You don’t want to prepare the dish without the onions – you’ll be clamoring for more onions – in fact when I make this again, I’ll probably make more onion, just because it’s that delicious.

browned_onions

There you can see the onions all by themselves. Really brown and scrumptious. Use a good, sturdy pan when you make them as they’ll burn easily otherwise.

The recipe came from Aarti Sequiera, of the Food Network. I followed her recipe exactly. Do give yourself ample time – this takes longer to prepare than you might think (she estimated 1 1/2 hours). Make a big batch, freeze the leftovers with the caramelized onions separated in a different plastic baggie inside the main one with the rice and lentils. Add the pine nuts as a garnish. And remember that lentils are really good for you. Use brown basmati rice if you have it. She served this as a meatless entrée, along with an eggplant salad, which I’ll also post soon.

What I liked: the overall flavor – a great backdrop for some delicious spicy grilled meat – chicken? fish? Even beef or pork. I was so glad I had leftovers as they made a side dish for another meal several days later. Next time I’d double it and freeze the leftovers in a couple of different packages.

What I didn’t like: nothing at all. Delish.

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Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)

Recipe By: Aarti Sequiera, Food Network, 2011
Serving Size: 6
NOTES: Be sure to look over the lentils to make sure there aren’t any stones or debris in them. My advice: make more onions than the recipe calls for – you’ll love them. And maybe even double the recipe and freeze the leftovers in smaller packages, with the caramelized onions in a separate small baggie inside. Don’t freeze the pine nuts inside the leftovers, unless you freeze them in yet another baggie.

1 cup lentils — not lentils du Puy, sorted for debris and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns — cracked in mortar and pestle
3 medium red onions — thinly sliced
Kosher salt
3/4 cup basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick — (1-inch)
2 tablespoons pine nuts — optional
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
Greek yogurt — for serving, optional

1. Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
3. Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You’ll know they’re done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
4. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
5. Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don’t break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there’s still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
6. Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
8. Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.
Per Serving: 411 Calories; 21g Fat (43.4% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 23mg Sodium.

Posted in Uncategorized, on November 21st, 2011.

pancetta_turkey_and_gravySometimes in years past I’ve just cut and pasted a long, long post I did some years ago with a listing of lots of different Thanksgiving choices  you could make from recipes on my blog. Since many of you have looked at that more than once, I thought I shouldn’t do it again this year. If you want ideas, though, go to THIS POST to read about it. Last Thanksgiving my DH had just gotten out of the hospital following heart bypass surgery. We didn’t celebrate very much, although we had family who brought us food. We’re thankful my DH is doing just fine one year later!

This year we’re reverting to our usual Thanksgiving – we’re going to our house in Palm Desert – and some of our family will be there – two of our children and their families – for the full 4 days. We’ll have good friends of ours come for the day, too, Joan & Tom. And we signed up to include two Marines from a local military base in Twenty-Nine Palms, to have dinner with us as well. We don’t know them – they’ll be bussed to our residential development in the late morning on Thanksgiving Day and we return them to the bus at 5:30 with a couple of turkey sandwiches in hand for them to eat for their dinner.

What am I making this year?

My usual cranberry relish. That I make every year. Every single year.

A new turkey recipe this time – posted today also – a Pancetta, Sage and Rosemary (basted) Turkey. I’ll also prepare a spatchcocked turkey (a second turkey – cut in half to flatten out so it will cook in a reasonable time) to do on our barbecue grill. Our two turkeys are about 13 pounds each. One definitely isn’t enough to feed 13 people with leftovers.

The new Italian Sausage Dressing with Leeks and Mushrooms I posted a few days ago. Along with the delicious pancetta Turkey Gravy to go with it.

I’ll prepare one of my make-ahead mashed potato dishes in the crockpot (you can make it ahead that morning, as long as you use something like cream cheese or mascarpone mixed into it – then just put it in the crockpot on the lowest setting).

We’ll have pumpkin pie from Costco (just way too good and so easy) and two additional pies I ordered from our granddaughter for a school fundraising thing – an apple crumb and a sugar-free peach for my DH. Although he may well eat the pumpkin anyway. With plenty of whipped real cream to go on top. Maybe some vanilla ice cream for the apple crumb pie.

My friend Joan is bringing a salad of some kind. We may not have any rolls or bread – who needs it when you’ve got a bread dressing and mashed potatoes! Some years I don’t make an appetizer either – it’s just overkill. Maybe we’ll set out some nuts. And we’ll have several bottles of white and red wine. Probably some champagne too. And coffee. Maybe a little swig of Port or Madeira. Or not since we may all be too full. And turkey sandwiches later on in the evening and more pumpkin pie. We have several pumpkin-pie-lovers in our family (me included), so two 12-inch Costco pumpkin pies will barely make it through the day and evening. For the sandwiches – mostly I buy the wheat grain bread from Corner Bakery these days – it’s just so tasty. I think that will make great turkey sandwiches for everyone – with a bit of the cranberry relish to slather on the sandwich as well. With Best Foods Mayo, full fat. And leaf lettuce or even head lettuce.

From that groaning Thanksgiving menu, my plate will contain turkey dark meat, lots of dressing and gravy (those two almost my favorite part), the cranberry relish, a small scoop of mashed potatoes and some salad. And pumpkin pie. And in the evening probably a half a turkey sandwich and another slice of pie. And coffee. I shudder to think how many calories that is. I don’t want to know.

Posted in Chicken, on November 21st, 2011.

pancetta_turkey_and_gravy

Literally, I could just dive into that plate right this second. It’s several days before Thanksgiving as I’m writing this, and I’m ready for the big food day. But there’s no question I’m using this new recipe for 2011’s feast. A Phillis Carey one, celebrating an Italian influence to the menu. I was quite content (I thought) with my last several years of Thanksgiving turkeys. But this one – oh gosh, so very good. Worth the little extra effort. Trust me on this one.

What’s different? Well, you make a pancetta, rosemary and fresh sage butter which is carefully pushed up under the turkey skin, to gently baste the turkey meat with its herby flavors. It gets all whizzed up in the food processor so it’s really finely minced. That way it bastes all over the turkey. What a wonderful flavor. Some of the herbs are placed inside the cavity, and you can wipe whatever is leftover from the basting butter onto the legs and wings and any other area that you couldn’t quite reach under the skin. Phillis suggested that if we had trouble with the butter-under-the-skin part, to use a chopstick to push little pieces into any tight crevices.

The Pancetta Gravy – I posted that part of the recipe along with the Italian Sausage Dressing a few days ago. It is part of this recipe as well – in that you need to add the broth to the big roasting pan which is used for the gravy you’ll make while the turkey is resting – using the broth and drippings. Just make this, okay?

What I liked: the Pancetta butter just added the most divine flavoring to the turkey and it’s truly not difficult to do it.

What I didn’t like: nothing. Absolutely nothing.

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Pancetta, Sage and Rosemary Turkey

Recipe By: From a cooking class with Phillis Carey, Oct. 2011
Serving Size: 12

PANCETTA-SAGE BUTTER:
4 cloves garlic — peeled
4 ounces pancetta — thinly sliced, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese — finely grated
1/4 cup unsalted butter — room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons shallot — minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary — chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage — chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
TURKEY:
14 pounds turkey — rinsed, patted dry inside and out, giblets reserved
8 whole sage — leaves
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
SHORTCUT TURKEY STOCK:
8 cups low sodium chicken broth — or turkey broth
2 whole carrots — unpeeled, chunks
2 stalks celery — chunks
1 whole onion — unpeeled, quartered (yes, really)
Stems from one bunch of Italian parsley turkey giblets (except liver)

1. SHORTCUT TURKEY STOCK: In a large saucepan combine the chicken broth, carrots, celery, onion, parsley stems and turkey giblets (except liver – toss that out). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low; simmer gently until gizzard is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain stock into a medium bowl and cool. Can be made 3 days ahead.
2. PANCETTA-SAGE BUTTER: With machine running, drop garlic down feed tube of processor and chop. Add pancetta, and pulse to chop finely. Add all remaining ingredients. Pulse to blend to a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl. Can be made 2 days ahead – cover and chill. Bring to room temp before using.
3. TURKEY: Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°. Sprinkle main cavity with salt and pepper. Spread inside with 2 T. of the pancetta-sage butter. Starting at neck end, slide your hand between skin and meat of breast, thighs and upper drumsticks to loosen skin. Spread the remaining butter over the turkey meat (under the skin – use a chopstick if you have trouble distributing it around) and use any remaining butter on outside of turkey. Fill the main turkey cavity with herb sprigs. Tie legs loosely to hold shape and tuck wing tips underneath body.
4. Place turkey on a rack set in a large, deep roasting pan. Rub turkey all over with oil, salt and pepper. Pour 3 cups of the Shortcut Turkey Stock into the pan. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165° to 170°, about 3 hours. Tilt turkey so any juices inside turkey cavity run into the pan. Transfer turkey to a large platter. Tent with foil and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes. The temperature of the bird will rise 5-10 degrees. Reserve the juices in the pan for the regular turkey gravy (see separate recipe).
Per Serving (assumes you consume the skin, every speck of turkey and the gravy): 821 Calories; 43g Fat (48.9% calories from fat); 97g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 303mg Cholesterol; 915mg Sodium.

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