Turkey Stock and Soup

My mom decided to give me the carcass this Thanksgiving. There was still a ton of turkey on it, so I picked it as clean as I could and made soup with the meat.

Turkey Stock

1 carcass, picked over

2 huge carrots

4 stalks celery

1 onion

handful peppercorns

salt

Add everything to a stock pot. Don't be shy with the salt. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cook for several hours. The longer you cook it, the more flavorful it will be. I cooked mine for about three hours. I'm not patient enough to do it for longer than that. Let cool and then transfer to storage containers. I ended up with 5 1 qt freezer bags, 1 tray of ice cubes, and 5 cups to start a pot of soup.

Turkey Soup

2 tblsp olive oil

3 medium carrots chopped

4 stalks of celery hearts chopped

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

2-3 cups chopped turkey

5 cups turkey stock

2 cups water

1/2 head cabbage cut into 1" squares

frozen or leftover veggies (I used corn and peas)

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper

Chopped parsley

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and cook until tender. Add turkey, stock, water, cabbage, and any additional veggies. Season to taste. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for at least 30 minutes. Add parsley just prior to serving.

Apple Pie

I had this bright idea to make an apple pie for Thanksgiving. I had never made one, but I had a pie crust in the freezer and a bunch of apples from the farmer's market. My confidence faded fast after I stated out loud that I would bring a pie to dinner. It worked out, though, and the pie was quite tasty. Next time I'll take a stab at making the crust too.

Apple Pie

1 frozen pie crust

3 apples (I used stayman winesaps), peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1/4 cup sugar

3 tblsp lemon juice

2 tblsp AP flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping

3/4 cup AP flour

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar (Or just use 1/2 cup brown sugar. I ran out.)

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

1 stick cold butter cut into small pieces

Precook pie crust according to package instructions. Put apples, sugar, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl and toss until apples are coated and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter in by hand and until small lumps form and set aside. Arrange apples in the pie crust. I tried to place them in a nice circle. It looks really easy when they do it on TV. It wasn't so easy for me. I went with a rough circle and decided that the topping would cover up anything that didn't look perfect. Drizzle any remaining juices over the apples. Top with the oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

Combine in a chilled bowl. Beat with hand mixer until stiff peaks are formed.

Mac and Cauliflower

I saw cheddar cauliflower at the farmer's market and felt certain that I could get Natty to eat it... Especially when I pureed it and stuck it in some mac and cheese.

Mac and Cauliflower
1/2 box whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 tblsp butter
2 tblsp AP flour
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup pureed cheddar cauliflower (steam then puree in food processor)
Cook macaroni in salted water to desired tenderness. Drain and set aside. Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to make roux. Cook to a light brown color. Add milk and cook, stirring frequently, until milk thickens. Remove from heat. Add cheese and cauliflower puree. Stir until melted. Add macaroni and combine.

Stuffed Cabbage

Have you ever noticed how gigantic the heads of cabbage are at the farmer's market? I'm always amazed, but can't stop myself from buying them. Having already used my standard cabbage accompaniment (ham steak) in another dish, I decided to try my hand at stuffed cabbage instead.

Stuffed Cabbage
1 package boil-in-bag brown rice
1 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 egg
squeeze of tomato paste
10-15 large cabbage leaves
14 oz can diced tomato
1/2 cup white wine
salt & pepper
Cook rice according to package directions. Mix ground pork, beef, onion, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and cooked (and cooled) rice in a mixing bowl. Blanch cabbage leaves until they are limp enough to bend, but not fully cooked. In the bottom of a baking dish, mix can of tomato, 1/3 can (approximately 1/2 cup) of white wine, and salt and pepper. Lay a cabbage leaf flat on the counter, mound pork mixture in middle, fold in sides, and roll. Place seam side down in sauce. Continue until all mixture is used. Cook at 400 degrees for one hour or until internal temperature reaches 160.

Ideas for next time - spice up meat mixture, add spinach and cheese to meat mixture, make more sauce, etc.

Mmm Mmmm... Shepherd's Pie

I don't know what the policy is on reposting recipes created by known chefs, so I will abstain. But, I will direct you to go to the Rachel Ray daytime talk show site and search for the stretch a buck shepherd's pie. You will not be sorry. Especially if you are feeding an army! It literally overflows our large cast iron pan and makes enough for us to eat it at four different dinners.

Cheesy Potato Sticks

These were supposed to trick Natty into eating something, but they didn't work. Luckily, they are tasty, so we'll just have to eat them with dinners.

Cheesy Potato Sticks

2 large potatoes

milk

butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg yolk

pinch coriander

flour (for dusting)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Peel potatoes, cut up, and boil in salted water until fork tender. Mash potatoes, adding milk and butter to taste. Add cheese, egg yolk, and coriander and mix. Turn out onto floured surface and flatten to about 1". Cut into finger width strips. Flour hands. Pick up each piece of potato mixture and form square. Coat in breadcrumbs and place on lightly greased baking pan. Cook in a 400 degree oven until lightly browned.

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot

Chicken Pot Piiiiiieeee! This is my second favorite comfort food. 'Nuff said.

Chicken Pot Pie

1.5 lbs chicken breast

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic

2 tblsp butter

2 tblsp all purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 bag frozen green beans

1/2 bag frozen corn

1/2 bag frozen peas

1 frozen pie crusts, thawed

salt and pepper

olive oil

Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces and brown in a two count olive oil over medium high heat. Moved cooked chicken breast to baking dish. Lightly brown onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil. Add garlic and stir. Push veggies to the side of the pan and melt butter in skillet. Add flour to butter and cook until light brown. Add stock to pan and stir gravy together with veggies. Add frozen veggies and simmer for five minutes. Add veggies and gravy to chicken in baking dish and mix. Cut and stretch pie crust to cover chicken and veggies. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until crust is brown.