A sure sign that I am feeling better is that my mind has racing with recipes ideas for Thanksgiving this year. I put together a delicious assortment of goodies to truly be thankful for!
Smoked Turkey with BBQ Gravy
Recipe courtesy The Neelys, Food Network
Ingredients
Rub:
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground sage
1 1/2 tablespoons thyme
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon Neelys Seasoning, recipe follows
Turkey Brine:
1 gallon water
2 cups salt
3 cups apple juice
1 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 (22-pound) turkey
Olive oil
4 cups hickory wood chips, soaked in water for 60 minutes
BBQ Gravy, recipe follows
For the rub:
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and reserve.
For the brine:
Mix the water, salt, apple juice, bourbon, peppercorn, and sugar into a 5-gallon bucket lined with a resealable bag. Stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved. Add the turkey into the bag with the brine. In a garbage bag-lined ice chest filled with ice, place the bucket in and surround with ice. Keep in a cool place and let brine 6 hours or overnight. Turn the turkey after 3 hours. Remove turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub the turkey with olive oil and massage the rub onto the Turkey.
Soak wood chips for 1 hour prior to cooking the turkey and drain well. Fill the chimney starter with charcoal and light. Burn until they ash over. Place the burned coals to 1 side of the grill. Place wood chips on top of coals. Line a standard size loaf pan with aluminum foil and fill 2/3 with water. Place in the grill opposite the coals.
Take the turkey and place on the grill over the pan of water. Insert a probe thermometer in the thigh to keep a check on the temperature as it cooks. Place the lid on the grill with the vent open.
The temperature should remain constant at 225 degrees F. You may need to add more coals and chips every few hours.
After 1 hour check the turkey, if the skin is golden brown cover with foil. Continue cooking for 4 to 6 more hours or until a probe thermometer reaches 160 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and let rest 20 minutes before you carve. Serve with BBQ Gravy.
Neelys Seasoning:
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups paprika
3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an air tight container for up to 6 months.
BBQ Gravy:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Drumstick, from turkey
Neck, from turkey
1 large onion, sliced
8 cups turkey stock or chicken stock
1/4 cup BBQ Sauce (recommended: Neelys BBQ Sauce)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the drumstick and neck and sear until brown. Remove from pan and reserve.
Lower heat and saute the onions. Add the stock, scrapping up the fond on the bottom of the pan. Add the drumstick and neck into the saucepan. Cover and let simmer until it comes to a boil; about 1 hour. Sauce will reduce down greatly. Remove turkey parts. Add BBQ sauce to pan and whisk together. Gravy will thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing
Recipe Courtesy of Bon Appétit
2 cups wild rice (about 12 ounces)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
12 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
12 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 large onions, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 large dried ancho chile,* stemmed, seeded, finely chopped
2 cups brown basmati rice
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 bay leaves (preferably fresh)
1 teaspoon (or more) coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Preparation
Place wild rice in heavy medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover rice by 3 inches. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until rice is almost tender, about 45 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shiitakes; sauté until brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to same pot; heat over medium-high heat. Add oyster mushrooms; sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with shiitakes.
Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to same pot; heat over medium heat. Add onions to pot; sauté until golden and very tender, about 20 minutes. Add chile; stir 1 minute. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to pot; add brown rice and stir 2 minutes. Add wild rice, broth, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until all rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Fluff rice mixture with fork. Stir in mushrooms and parsley. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Stir briefly over medium heat until heated through. Transfer to large bowl.
* Available at many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.
Hearty Garlic Greens
Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds autumn hearty greens, well washed, stems removed, and sliced into 3-inch strips
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, sliced paper-thin
1 pound spinach
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop hearty greens into water and blanch for 4 minutes. Immediately plunge blanched greens into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain, squeeze dry, and set aside.
Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic is golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove garlic from skillet; set aside.
Raise heat to high. Add hearty greens and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add spinach; season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook until spinach wilts, stirring frequently (about a minute). Return garlic to pan and stir. The greens can be served immediately or at room temperature.
Basil, Roasted Peppers and Monterey Jack Cornbread
Recipe Courtesy of AllRecipes.com
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup chopped onion
1 3/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese
1 1/3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
2 ounces roasted marinated red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Butter a 9x9x2 inch baking pan.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Cool.
Mix cornmeal with the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk buttermilk and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until blended. Mix in cheese, corn, red peppers, basil, and onion. Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake cornbread until golden and tester inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in pan. Cut cornbread into squares.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Recipe Courtesy of Joy of Baking
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup (100 grams) graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cups (50 grams) finely ground ginger cookies, homemade or store bought
1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar
4 - 5 tablespoons (56 - 60 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake:
2/3 cup (145 grams) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound (454 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (210 grams) pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
Topping:
1 cup (240 ml) sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick spray) an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan.
For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, finely ground ginger snap cookies, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling.
For Cheesecake: In a separate bowl, stir to combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), on low speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until creamy and smooth (1 to 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.
Pour the filling over the chilled ginger crust and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Place a cake pan, filled halfway with hot water, on the bottom shelf of your oven to moisten the air. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees C (165 degrees C) and continue to bake the cheesecake for another 10 - 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center is still wet and jiggles when you gently shake the pan.
Meanwhile whisk together the sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Pour the sour cream mixture over the top of the baked cheesecake and rotate the pan slightly to evenly distribute the topping. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake about 8 minutes to set the topping. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife around the inside edge (this will help prevent the cake from cracking). Then place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan so the cheesecake will cool slowly. When completely cooled, cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, preferably overnight, before serving.
Serves 10-12 people.
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