Non Traditional Roast Turkey

Merry Christmas!
Christmas is nine days away and it’s time to get ready. If you’re preparing turkey like me, it is time to order your fresh turkey. With some organization you should be able to prepare a fantastic meal and enjoy it too! So here is my version hope you will like.



Preparation time: About 5 hours.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

• 1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs( 6-7 kilos)

• Juice of a lemon

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil or 1 stick melted butter

• 1 orange zest plus whole quartered

• Ginger ½ inch piece peeled and grated

• Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme

• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 Tablespoon paprika

Method

To start, if the turkey has been refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before cooking. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until you are ready to cook. If you get a frozen turkey, you will need to defrost it in the refrigerator for several days first.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Lather the outside and the inside of the cavity with the juice of half a lemon. Take a small handful of salt and rub all over the inside of the turkey.

For flavor, put inside the turkey the quartered orange. Close up the turkey cavity with either string or metal skewers. Make sure that the turkey's legs are tied together, held close to the body, and tie a string around the turkey body to hold the wings in close.

The neck cavity can be stuffed with thyme, rosemary and tied closed with thin skewers and string.

Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey. Continue with Grand Marnier, soy sauce then sprinkle salt generously all over the outside of the turkey. Add the pepper and orange zest, paprika, and grated ginger, rosemary thyme.

Place turkey on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings.

Put the turkey in the oven. The recommended cooking time is about 15 minutes for every pound (1/2 Kilo). For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.

Take the temperature readings with a meat thermometer, the dark meat in the thigh should be about 175°F. The white meat in the breast should be 160°F to 165°F. If you don't have a meat thermometer, spear the breast with a knife. The turkey juices should be clear, not pink.

Note when breast turn golden brown in color cover with foil to prevent from turning black

Once you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for 15 -20 minutes.

Gravy:

Scrape all the drippings off of the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour drippings into a smaller skillet. Ladle off excess fat with a gravy cup and discard. In a separate small bowl take a quarter cup of corn starch and add just enough water to dissolve the corn starch. Beat cornstarch with a whisk to remove lumps. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the drippings, stirring constantly. You may not end up using all of the cornstarch mixture. Only add as much as you need to get the desired thickness. Allow time for the cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Add salt, pepper, sage, thyme, or other seasonings to taste.

Note: you can substitute Grand Marnier and soy sauce for dry white wine and some bacon for a different flavor.

Bûche de Noël

This Classic French dessert that has been traced back to the Celtic tradition of celebrating the winter solstice by burning a large wood trunk.The cake is a thin layer of rolled sponge cake flavored with buttercream that’s shaped and decorated as a yule log.

This desert is must for Christmas for my family it is as traditional as the Christmas tree. I get many requests for the recipe, you may change and adjust flavorings, drizzle the cake with  rum or a sugar syrup flavored with vanilla after it's cooled, or do any number of things to make it your own. I prepare the bûche de Noël a week in advance put the filling and wrap in clean kitchen towels and refrigerate. On Christmas Eve I add the frosting, shaved chocolate and sprinkle with powder sugar and voila.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10



For the cake:

1-1/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 large eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

5 tablespoons of melted and skimmed butter (optional)

1 zest of a whole orange

2 T Grand Marnier (Rum for chestnut cake)

1/3 Cup Cocoa powder



For the filling and frosting:

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt

10 ounces chocolate milk

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Line a 17 x 11 x 1-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Brush it with melted butter, and dust it with flour.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper. Beat the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of the sugar with the whisk attachment in an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and lemon colored. Add orange zest and the Grand Marnier then the dry ingredients at low speed, mixing until just incorporated. Add the vanilla, mix quickly and thoroughly, and set aside (the batter will be quite thick). Add the melted butter now if using.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft points. Add the remaining 1/4-cup of sugar and whisk until the egg whites are glossy and form points that stand up but are not too stiff.

Fold one-fourth of the egg whites into the cake batter until they are incorporated, then fold in the remaining egg whites, working quickly. They should be incorporated into the batter, but do not over mix it.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, and bake until the cake is golden and your finger makes a slight indentation in the top of the cake when you press it, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the cake is baking, sift the confectioner's sugar over a clean kitchen towel.

Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately invert it onto the sugar-dusted towel. Peel the parchment paper from the cake, and starting from one long side, gently roll the cake up in the towel. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes.



Make the frosting:

Melt the chocolate and the cream together in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally, and when the chocolate has completely melted, whisk the mixture so it is completely combined. Let it cool to room temperature, so it is thick enough to spread. Season with vanilla: if you like.

When the cake has cooled, unroll it carefully and trim off the edges so it is perfectly even, reserving the trimmings. Spread the filling evenly over the cake to within about 1/8-inch from the edges, and roll the cake back up. Roll the trimmings into spirals, and affix these to the sides of the cake with any leftover filling (two "knots" are sufficient).

Using the frosting, generously frost the cake, including the knots and the ends. Let the cake rest for about 15 minutes, when it cools decorate add the knots, one on the side of cake and one sitting on top with the help of a wooden skewer. Now add some chocolate shavings, then sift some powdered sugar for the snow effect.

Middle Eastern Rice with Ground Lamb

This rice dish can be served with a variety of main dishes it is rich in ingredients and served with roast leg of lamb, roast turkey or simply by itself with some plain yogurt on the side. For Christmas I make it for my family with roast turkey.

Serves 6


2 cups of long grain basmati rice

3 cups of water

1 pound of ground beef or lamb (chopped mushroom for vegetarians)

½ cup vegetable oil

½-teaspoon allspice

1teaspoons salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp saffron (optional)

½ cup of almonds

½ cup halved walnuts

½ cup pine nuts



Wash the almonds and soak in boiling water for three minutes; this makes it easy to remove skin, skip this step if you have them already skinned.

Fry the almonds on low heat in the vegetable oil until golden in color. With a slotted spoon remove almond to a small bowl and set aside. Now fry the pine nuts in the same pot until gold in color. Remove onto a separate bowl and set aside. Then the walnuts, be careful not to over fry them they will burn easily. Remove and put in a separate bowl.

In a large skillet put the ground meat and stir add salt, allspice, cinnamon and saffron and brown on all sides. Wash the rice and drain well add to the ground beef. Add water and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve on a platter and decorate with the fried nuts. Sahten!

Sauteed Dandelion

Mom makes the best dandelion dish with crunchy caramelized onions. I never got to make them as crunchy but they are great just the same. She gave me the tip to add some flour when sauteing the onions after they turn gold. Good luck if you try that!!




Ingredients:



2-pounds dandelion washed stems removed and chopped 1inch thick

1 bunch cilantro washed and chopped

¾ cup olive oil

2-onion julienne

2 garlic sliced (optional)

2-lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt





Prepare dandelions and transfer to pot and cover with water, cook for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and squeeze excess water. Use the same pot to sauté onions with the olive oil till golden brown. Remove and set aside. Place cilantro in the same pot and sauté until wilted add dandelions, garlic, and salt. Finish with lemon juice and garnish with the sautéed onions.

Serve with pita bread.

Steamed Blue Crabs

After a long vacation in the old country, with fantastic food and great company it took some time to get the kitchen organized and ready for cooking. Although I was on vacation, I got myself to make home cooked meals several times. One night my brother-in-law sent us some beautiful crabs I immediately had dinner ready! If you like crabs don’t be afraid to steam them they are easy to make and fun to eat!!


Ingredients:

2-3 blue crabs per person

Salt

Pepper

Cajun seasonings or Old Bay Seasonings

Splash of Vodka

2 bay leaves



Place the crabs in a large bowl and rinse them well. Keep in cold water until ready to steam. Put a round raised rack that is tall enough to clear the liquid into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add vodka and bay leaves. Place a layer of crabs on the rack in the pot. Sprinkle with a generous coating of the seasoning. Working quickly, continue layering and seasoning the crabs until all the blues are in the pot and you have used up a generous amount of the seasoning. Put on the lid and steam over medium-high heat until the crabs are bright red, about 25 to 30 minutes. If shells are dark red or have reddish-green patches, then the crabs aren’t yet fully cooked.Remove the crabs with tongs. Place on a large platter and sprinkle lightly with the dry seasoning mix.

Serve hot. Leftover crabs may be refrigerated and either eaten cold the next day or picked for crabmeat to use in your favorite recipe.

Samke Harra, Spicy Sauce With Grilled Fish

This spicy sauce comes from north of Lebanon a city called Tripoli. It’s great addition to any white fish flakes. You can grill a whole fish and flake it or just buy fillets of any white fish you like. If you like garlic and spice this is for you, double the recipe if you have company. I have been doing this recipe for many years and it reminds me of wonderful times I enjoyed it with my friends.

Ingredients:

1 whole or fillets of red snapper or striped bass

½ tsp salt ½ bunch of cilantro chopped

1 lemon sliced

For sauce:

1-cup tahini

1-cup lemon juice

½ cup water

1 tsp tomato paste

5 garlic smashed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp coriander powder (put seeds in skillet brown till they crash and grind)

½ tsp red pepper

For garnish:

½ cup pine nuts fried golden

½ cup walnuts fried golden

½ cup blanched almonds fried golden

½ cup olive oil

Wash the fish and blot dry add salt and stuff with cilantro and slices of lemon. Drizzle fish with olive oil and grill in 450degree oven for 20 minutes depending on weight.

Sauté the nuts separately with olive oil and keep in separate bowl. Fry the garlic until gold in color. In a small bowl combine all seasonings, Add to garlic and remaining oil for 1 minute.

Mix tahini with ½ cup water till becomes soft paste add lemon and tomato paste and put over medium heat with the garlic and seasonings. Bring to boil for 5-10 minutes.

Serve fish whole or fillets cover with spicy sauce and garnish with the sautéed nuts.

Rice Pudding

This is classic rice pudding recipe. Enjoy!


Serves 4-6

1/2 cup Arborio or short grain rice

4 cups milk

¼- cup sugar

1/4 tsp miski ground with 1/4tsp sugar (from Mediterranean stores)

1 Tablespoon orange blossom (from international food isle)



In a large saucepan, place the rice and milk. Bring it to a gentle boil and then turn it down to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Taste the rice to check for doneness. The rice should be very soft and plump. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve 5 more minutes. Take the pudding off the heat and stir in the Miski powder and orange blossom. Pour into dessert bowls cover with Saran wrap and chill. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts before serving or cinnamon powder.

Pasta with Eggplant

This is an easy recipe that can be made very quickly. When I have little time to spare I skip putting the salt on the eggplant and letting it stand for 20 minutes. The pine nuts and eggplant make this dish very Mediterranean. Enjoy!


Ingredients:



1 eggplant cut into ½ inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

1/4-cup pine nuts toasted

1 (8) ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1-pound fusilli or farfalle pasta

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh basil



Place eggplant slices on large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 20 minutes. Turn eggplant slices over. Rinse eggplant. Drain; pat dry with paper towels. Cut eggplant into ½ inch cubes, set aside.



Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion sauté until golden, Add garlic sauté one minute, and add eggplant sauté until tender about ten minutes. Add tomatoes with juices; bring to simmer. Season with salt and fresh pepper.



Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return pasta to pot and add eggplant mixture ¼ cup cheese and basil.