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.

Potato Salad

This is a different version of the “potato salad”. We had barbeque for Memorial Day and to make it more traditional I made a potato salad. I added jalapenos (uncontrollable) and lots of cilantro it made it so yummy!


Ingredients:

1 pound potatoes scrubbed and washed (peeled or unpeeled) cut in 1-inch cubes

2 avocados sliced and cubed

2 scallions rinsed trimmed and chopped

1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped



Dressing:

Salt

Pepper

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup olive oil



Place potatoes in a pot and bring to boil with some salt. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Put the potatoes in a large bowl add the avocado cubes, the chopped scallion and the cilantro. Mix dressing and pour over potatoes. Serve.

Cheese in fillo dough - Soubereg

Soubereg is a great appetizer. It’s a mix of different cheeses and layered with thin sheets of dough. In Lebanon and its regions they still do it the old fashioned way. The dough is made and rolled very thin and cooked it in boiling water before layering it onto a baking dish. Well I have taken the shortcut and use phillo dough that you can buy ready made. This dish is a winner with my guests and family. Thank you Sylvia for sharing this recipe. I made it my own by removing the butter completely and making it healthier. Enjoy!


Ingredients:


1 pack fillo dough

1 pack shredded mozzarella

1 pack Akawi cheese or (feta) diced

1 pack soaked haloumi cheese diced

2-3 scallions or 1 onion diced

1 bunch of parsley chopped

1 jalapeno finely diced (optional)

2 eggs slightly beaten

Salt if needed (taste mix before adding eggs)

Pepper

1-cup warm milk

Oil spray



In a bowl mix onion, cheeses, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Defrost and divide fillo dough in half cover 2nd half with warm moist towel.

In a deep baking dish, spray bottom and add a first layer of dough and spray with oil. Spray each layer and continue till half of dough is covered add ½ the milk. Layer the cheese mixture on the dough and with second half cover and with each layer and spray with oil.

Bake at 350°for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully with a serrated knife slice into serving 3inch squares. Put back in oven and continue baking till golden color.



· Note you can make a Calzone with pizza dough with the cheese filling.

Serves 6-8

Grape Leaves in Oil

Fresh grape leaves are in season. You can find them in specialty stores, if you do, you have to have them. I like to get some and freeze because they are much better than the ones in brine. I made some last week I added one chopped jalapeno with the rice and we couldn’t wait to eat the leftover the next day. I’ve taken the liking of jalapenos ever since I moved to Houston, I add it to salads and just about to everything else!!!


Ingredients:




1 pound fresh grape leaves or 1 pound jar in brine

1 bunch parsley trimmed and chopped

1 bunch mint leaves washed and chopped

1 ½ cup short grain rice rinsed and drained

1 onion or 2 scallions chopped

2 medium tomatoes chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1-teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sweet pepper or allspice

2-lemon juice



Some extra leaves to line the pot



Mix all ingredients except for the leaves. To prepare the leaves, first boil water in a pan. Then boil few leaves at a time for a couple of minutes each and drain. On a cutting board, lay several leaves with veins facing out and fill each with one tablespoon of stuffing fold sides and roll to wrap. In a large pot, layer with some grape leaves. Start layering the leaves until stuffing is finished. Put a dish over the leaves to keep rolled grape leaves down, cover with lemon juice then water until 1-inch cover the leaves. Put over medium heat until liquid starts to boil, add ½ tsp salt. Cook for an hour on a very low heat. Until leaves are soft and rice is done. Leave in pot to cool then invert on a large platter and serve.

Serves 6-8

Eggplant Salad, Rahib

This is for eggplant lovers, great with fish, meat or chicken. You can grill the eggplant or bake in the oven. Either way is fine as long as the eggplant is soft and cooked.

Ingredients:




2 large eggplants

2 medium tomatoes chopped

2 scallions chopped

1 lemon juice

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp sumac*

2 swirls of extra virgin olive oil

Place eggplant on a cookie sheet covered with foil slit 2-3 inches lengthwise. In 450° oven place eggplant for 30-40 minutes, or until tender and done.

Let cool, with a help of a spoon scoop inside of the eggplant onto a bowl. Add lemon, oil and seasonings and mix. Add chopped tomatoes and scallions. Serve with pita bread.

* Sumac spice can be found in Mediterranean stores.

Serves 4

Chicken kebobs - Shish Taouk

April is here!! Weather is warmer and we are taking advantage of grilling outside. One of my daughter's favorite is shish taouk. I serve it with hummus pita bread and fattoush salad. So for her April birthday we celebrated it with her favorite food and some of her favorite friends! Thanks for coming !!! :)


Ingredients:


2 pounds boneless skinless chicken

1 tablespoon paprika

½ teaspoon rep pepper

1 tablespoon red pepper paste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

5 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion cut into cubes

1. Cut the chicken into medium size cubes. In a bowl mix the paprika, lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper paste, cubed onion, salt and pepper.



2. Marinade the chicken cubes in the mixture for 1-2 hours or overnight.


3. When ready to cook, thread the chicken pieces on a skewer. Alternate with some vegetable like green pepper and mushroom and onion.


4. Simply grill until chicken begins to brown on all sides.


The chicken taouk can be served with hummus and pita bread.



Serves 4-6

Grandma Malake's Meat Pies (Lahm B'aajin)

I was debating what recipe I should post next, then immediatly I decided on one of my Grandma's recipes. I am sorry to say my Grandma  passed last week. She was six month shy from her 100th birthday. She was a terrific person, God fearing, kind and selfless, I am lucky I got to know her, and become her student. She was a terrific cook, and she tought me not only how to cook, but how to become a better person. So its only fair to pay a tribute to my Grandma Malake (Queen) may you rest in peace. I love you.


Ingredients:


1 pound ground beef

3 tomatoes diced and drained from liquid

1 onion grated

2 T vegetable oil

2 T pomegranate’s syrup

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp sweet pepper

1 tsp salt


1 pizza dough recipe*

Mix all ingredients and prepare dough. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface and cut 3-inch circles. Place on a oiled baking sheet fill with 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and pinch four corners to make a square and bake in 350F oven until crust turn gold.

For Pizza Dough

¼ C warm water

½ tsp sugar

1 package dry active yeast

3 C all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tsp salt

¾ C cool water


1. Prepare dough stir water yeast and sugar in a bowl until dissolved let stand in a warm place 10 minutes until foamy.

2. Place flour oil  salt and yeast mixture in food processor with motor running add water in a steady stream, process until mixture forms a ball, if dough is sticky add a little flour.

3. Turn out dough on a floured surface, knead 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl turning to coat. Cover in damp towel let ret 30 minutes in a warm place.

4. Punch down dough divide and shape into 2 equal balls, place on a lightly greased plate. Turning to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight remove one hour before baking.



Serves 6-8

My all time favorite Soup Lentil Soup!!

On those cold winter days when you need something to warm you up, all you need is a good fulfilling soup. My favorite is lentil soup!! It takes very little time to prepare and about half an hour cooking time. The original recipe is made with Swiss chard, but I always substitute it with fresh or frozen Spinach, the reason being is that I always have spinach on hand.
Since its been cold outside, I made a batch today and thought I would share it with you.



Ingredients

1 Cup brown lentils picked over and washed
1 Pack of chopped spinach or 1 pound fresh washed and chopped
1 Potato peeled and cubed
1 Onion chopped
2 Garlic sliced
1 Bunch cilantro washed and chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Pepper
2  Lemon juice

Place the chopped onion and garlic in a large pot with a swirl of olive oil and sauté for 4 minutes. Add lentils, spinach and cilantro, potato and seasonings. Add about 5 cups of water and lemon juice, cook for 30 to 40 minutes.


Serves 4-6

Tabboule Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch of organic Italian parsley rinsed 
½ bunch of mint leaves rinsed
2  medium tomatoes
2-3 scallions rinsed
1 tablespoon of extra fine burgul
2 juiced lemons
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

 The trick to the tabboule salad is to finely chop it. Now is a good time to use your best paring knife. Chop parsley and place in salad bowl. Chop mint leaves, dice tomatoes, and slice scallions and add to the tabboule.  

In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and add salt. Rinse burgul, and squeeze excess water. Mix dressing and burgul with salad and serve.  You have made your first tabboule!

Serves 2

Intro

Hi, After years of wanting to start this blog finally I did!!!! I will start by some intro here. Cooking is a passion for me and it has been for the last 30 something years. It all started by taking notes from my mom and grandma for my handwritten recipe book. I kept updating the book until I realized I had it in three different languages. I started a project last year translating all the recipes I accumulated and put them all on file for my daughter. (wishful thinking!) Anyhow she will have on hand if she decides to make a dish from her Lebanese-Armenian heritage.