PoBoyNoMa T+1.5 2018

My growing-up Thanksgiving had turkey as the protein centerpiece.  Vegetables, starches, and desserts were the usual suspects in the supporting actor and actress categories.  (Yes, I like to mix my metaphors.  Why do you ask?)

We have done duck.  Slow roasted the day before, reheated, and put out on the table.  Some guests don't want any part of it, others devour it happily.  (One guest famously stated, "I'm Chinese.  I eat everything.")  One duck year, we succeeded in forgetting the bird in the refrigerator until that evening.  

-This year, it was pork.  I think I tried a pork butt this year from the farmer's market.  (I'm sure everyone but me knew that it is a shoulder cut, and that ham is the real pork butt.  Butchers are worse than doctors when it comes to naming parts of the body.)

Add a delicious pork butt to a scrumptious recipe, and it disappeared from the table quickly.  When you read through the recipe, you will turn your traditional nose up at some of the crazy ingredients.  Don't.  Just trust Alison Roman and make it as it is.  I did ONE amendment.  Instead of four cups of orange juice, I used two cups of OJ and two cups of dry white wine.  I don't like my savory to also be sweet.  But YMMV.

I will give you a link.  (I have the recipe book, and I recommend it highly.)

http://www.millys-kitchen.com/millys-kitchen/2017/12/14/alison-romans-slow-roasted-pork-with-garlic-citrus-and-cilantro

I could live on this stuff.

-I have been looking to change out my stuffing.  Its popularity ebbs and flows.  Last year I made the If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It stuffing.  Bleah.  Gooey, homegenized flavors, dull and boring.  I went back to my AllRecipes Awesome Stuffing, and it was.  I made a forced change. The farmstand where I buy the bread changed out the recipe.  I didn't know that, and bought their stuffing bread.  Instead of white bread, which is what the recipe called for, it was kind of dark.  Not wheaty, not white.  I opted to not make the trek for challah to the local store (traffic! crowds! day before Thanksgiving in a grocery store nope nope nope).  Shrugged the internal mental shoulders, cut up the bread, and made probably one of the best stuffings I have ever produced for Thanksgiving.  It was about 1/3 whole wheat bread and 2/3 stuffing bread.  Now I know.

-I had an epiphany of meal timing when I read that the bird should rest for 15-20 minutes, and then carving will take another 20 minutes.  Bingo!  I usually plan 45 mins to reheat things, and cook the root vegetables.  Things can tend to get a bit toasty when the carver takes longer.  Since one NEVER rushes an artist, I didn't.  And all the oven stuff came out at the same time, not dry, not overdone, toasty, and in perfect shape.  I am writing it here so I can also remember it for next year.

-The cranberry 3 nut tart crust really needs the edge folded over on itself.  A thin edge always threatens to burn, and needs special treatment during baking.  This one took care of itself.  

-A nice green salad freshens up the plate.  I never grew up with salad at Thanksgiving, but others seem to like it.  I made the dressing a bit more vinegary.  It provided contrast with the rich food , and it disappeared quickly.  I used only red grapes, I used feta cheese instead of the bleu cheese, and I used champagne vinegar with grapeseed oil because otherwise it was just way too fussy for a big food day.  Three tablespoons of verjus?  That's nuts.   Here 'tis:  https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/frisee-and-grape-salad-with-verjus-and-blue-cheese

Those are the high points.  Today was a work day.  I might be able to finish the yardwork if the snow melts this weekend.  Otherwise, I will knit, rest, GSD (get stuff done), make a turkey soup from leftovers, and put the house's clutter back where it belongs.  

 

 

Comments

[Carole]

That all sounds SO good. Now I'm hungry!

[Marcia]

I will send you a loaf of my Pullman bread next year: in spite of lots of broth and eggs, the stuffing made from it came out FLUFFY! Really good.

[Etherknitter]

Deal! I have now learned that challah sucks for this.

L

[Lynn]

Unlike Carole, I'm still full.

[Cheryl S.]

Since there were only 3 of us, one of whom is pescetarian, I went the easy route. I bought a small smoked turkey breast portion at the grocery store that I found by the hams. Costco provided the mashed potatoes, salad, and stuffing. Village Inn provided the pie. The only thing I made was vegetarian gravy. I was going to make vegetarian stuffing, but Larry wouldn't have eaten it anyway. But I kind of wish I had, since the stuff I bought was okay, but not great. Everything else was delicious, though. I loved the smoked turkey breast.

[margene]

We had the turkey spatchcocked and Smith cooked it on the grill. It was ok, everyone liked it better than I did. I made a pie! It was really, really good! (GF crust by someone else.)

[claudia]

That pork sounds delicious. I wish I liked to cook, because I'd sure like to eat it.