Turchetta: Turkey Breast Prepared in the Style of Porchetta

Hands-down, the best turkey breast I've ever had.

This recipe takes work, but once you've prepared the roast you stick it in the refrigerator for a couple of days and the final roasting is a breeze.

My cooking co-captain and I start talking about and thinking about what we want to cook for Thanksgiving at least as early as September. This year we decided to change-up a few things: 1. Instead of cooking a whole turkey we were going to do a turkey breast on the rotisserie and make a small-ish Porchetta. A couple of years ago we found Judy Roger's genius recipe for "Mock Porchetta" and make it at least three or four times a year. 2. We decided to 'go simple' as far as sides go: gravy (yes, on Thanksgiving that can be considered a side), mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries and a salad. 3. We would prepare everything except for cooking the meat and making the salad on Wednesday.

Then I sent her an instant message. I found this on the Serious Eats site and thought that it was cool and that we should consider this for the next Thanksgiving. Truly, my intent was not to go rogue and try and change 'The Plan'.

A little later, I received  an email:

Subject: Oh kaaayyy.

You just had to throw a monkey wrench in our works. I want to make that Turchetta but we can't make a porchetta too.

It just looks too good to pass up. We should do it. Sometime in February we can rotisserie a turkey breast but let's make the damn Turchetta....oh you just had to go looking for recipes.

...and so, we did. Here's to monkey wrenches!

Here is a link to the Serious Eats article, The Food Lab: How to Make a Turkey Porchetta by J. Kenji López-Alt. There is also a slide show link and a link for the recipe. I'm not going to post the recipe here because we did not adapt it beyond a few changes, and have additional notes on what we will and will not do the next time (see NOTES, below), and there will definitely be a next time - it was delicious.

Browning the Turchetta

NOTES:

1. Changes to the spice and herb mix: we added the zest of 1 lemon, making the mixture identical to the one we use for Porchetta.
2. Other
• We made gravy, instead of a jus and used a different method to make the stock.
3. What we will change the next time:
• Stick with the turkey breast size called for in the recipe. We had a larger (2 times larger than the size called for) breast because we were worried about having enough leftovers for sandwiches (5 diners), and we had extra meat that was too much to roll up and fit. We ended up using much less of the breast meat and there are no problems with the leftovers for sandwiches. We probably ended up with a little more meat used in the roll than was called for in the recipe. If I had to feed a larger crowd, I'd make two (as the recipe suggests). Once you're done preparing it (or them) they can (and should) sit in the refrigerator for two days and two would still take up less room than a whole turkey.
• After you've separated the meat from the skin. Chill thme both down for 30 min in the refrigerator. It will be easier to trim the fat pockets from the skin and to handle the meat. 
• Tying up the roast: After putting on the roasting bands (very useful - and re-usable - in many applications), we realized that we should have tied it up, as shown in the recipe, with butcher's twine. We did, before roasting, add butcher's twine along the length of the roast but next time it will be all butcher's twine.

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Thanksgiving 2011: Three Side Dishes from Two Sisters

It's not that I haven't cooked, or taken pictures while cooking, and I have a backlog of half-started un-posted articles (virtually) stacked higher than a cord of wood.

In the words of someone from long ago, "There are reasons, but no excuses." so no long winded explanation of why it has been so long between posts.

My goal is to post as many of these as possible before the end of the year - or by Monday the 2nd. 

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday - and not just for the food.

It is the time for family (your bio family or the family you've chosen) to get together without the ugly and crazed season - now starting in September - that has taken over Christmas, like a face-hugging alien (see the video below). My family has dialed-down the gift madness in that, within the siblings, we give each other small or hand-made gifts.



So, because this post was the closest to completion, I'm going to feature two of my sisters' side dishes from our bio-family Thanksgiving. For the past decade (longer?) I have spent Thanksgiving Thursday in San Francisco and then flown north to spend Thanksgiving Saturday with my bio-family. It was very kind of them to make the change and it allows me to spend time with both my bio- and non-bio families as well as double my turkey deconstruction pleasure. I LOVE turkey deconstruction! I could give lessons or compete professionally -- if there was such a contest.
 
From my sister Chris: (first picture left) Sally's Dressing and (first picture right) Chris' Curried Onions and from Cathy, who blogs over at Lo-Carb World (Second Picture): Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Herbs and Pancetta.

Sally's Dressing and Chris' Curried Onions (recipes after the jump, below)

Cathy's Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Herbs and Pancetta over at her blog, "Lo-Carb World" is linked, below.

 RECIPES
 - Sally's Dressing;
 - Chris' Curried Onions; and
- Cathy's Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Herbs and Pancetta (Over at her Lo-Carb World blog)


SALLY'S THANKSGIVING DRESSING -------------------------------------------------------------------
(Nancy's Note: How stupid was I not to have written down my mom's recipe for making dressing? Fortunately Chris has worked it out, adding a few twists of her own.)

Ingredients

• About 10 cups of oven-dried dense white sandwich bread pieces pieces in about 1- 1.5"chunks
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups diced yellow onion
• 2 cups finely diced celery-- the "hearts of the hearts" of 2 bunches including inner leaves
• 1 bunch stemmed, finely chopped kale
• 6 - 9 finely minced medium to large cloves of garlic
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 4 cups low sodium organic chicken broth
• 1 large carrot in 4 pieces
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley plus 2 large stalks, divided
• 6 -8 large finely minced sage leaves plus 2 leaves, divided
• 2 tablespoons thyme leaves plus 2 stalks, divided
• finely minced leaves of 1/4 cup fresh rosemary plus 1/4 whole branch, divided
• turkey drippings

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease or oil 9 x 13" pan.

Gently simmer chicken broth on low in a covered saucepan with carrot pieces, bay leaf and reserved whole herb pieces (parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary) while preparing rest of recipe.

Saute onion, celery and kale over medium to medium low heat with salt and pepper to taste until vegetables are wilted, onions are translucent and soft and the liquid from the vegetables has evaporated.  Make a clear space In the pan and saute minced garlic, stirring constantly, for 1 - 2 min.  Do not let brown.  Stir into onion mixture. Remove saute pan from heat and let mixture cool completely.

Remove broth from heat, uncover, and let cool completely.  Strain carrot and herbs out and discard.

in a very large bowl, add sauteed vegetables to bread cubes and combine thoroughly with hands.    Beat eggs with 3 c. broth, pour over dressing and mix thoroughly with hands.  Taste for seasoning and adjust.  Reserve remaining broth to moisten dressing during or after baking if necessary.

Put dressing in greased or oiled 9 x 13 pan and bake for 45 min or until the top is brown.  Drizzle with 2 T turkey drippings if desired.
 
CHRIS' CURRIED ONIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If there is a trick to it, it's to make the cheese sauce very thick.  The cooked onions exude a lot of water during baking no matter how well you drain them, so if you begin with a thick sauce, you'll end up with the perfect texture of sauce.

Leftovers reheat well in the microwave if you use one of the lower power settings and stir once every couple of minutes to make sure the sauce doesn't break.  I like leftovers best when they are thinned with chicken broth and gently heated in a saucepan on the stove top--it makes a delicious soup!  You can add diced ham or smoked turkey sausage to make it more hearty.

(Nancy's Note on Leftovers: a seriously delicious soup! You can whiz the stock - chicken or vegetable - and the leftover onions in a blender before heating or use a stick blender to puree.) 

Ingredients

• 4-5 large yellow onions, cut in quarters or eighths
• 4 Tablespoons each flour and butter
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded cheddar.  I usually use half sharp and half medium
• 1-2 tablespoons curry powder. (I like Madras-style curry powder and I use 2 T, but we like curry)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• salt and pepper
• paprika for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle.  

Steam or boil onions for 10 - 15 minutes until fork tender.  

In a saucepan, make a light-colored roux with the flour and butter.  Stir in curry powder and cayenne.  Cook the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.  Take the saucepan off the heat and slowly whisk in the milk, Worcestershire and mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Put the saucepan back on medium heat and stir until the white sauce comes to a full boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to low.  Stir in hand fulls of the shredded cheese, one at a time, until the cheese has fully melted.  Do not let the white sauce reach a simmer after you add the cheese.  Take saucepan off heat.  Taste for seasoning.

Put the drained onions into a 9"x 9" buttered or oiled casserole dish.  Spoon the sauce over the onions and then combine the sauce and the onions.  Sprinkle paprika on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. 

Check to see if casserole has begun to bubble around the edges; if so, remove from oven and serve.

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Celery Root and Spring Onion Mash with Roasted Garlic

I've nothing against mashed potatoes -- I love them, just far, far too much. I cannot have a potato in my house without cooking it and consuming it (along with its siblings) with obscene quantities of cheese, butter or other dairy products. It's a fact that I can (and do) live with.

I needed something that would stand up (literally and taste-wise) to the jus and gravy from a pot roast (or a Thanksgiving turkey...), like mashed potatoes, but not BE mashed potatoes.  I saw a recipe for a spring onion mash but thought that wouldn't have the structure I needed.  I have been on a bit of a celery root tear and have seen many recipes and restaurant menu dishes over the years for celery root puree and celery root and potato puree. Boiled celery root has (approximately) 1/3 the calories and 1/3 the total carbohydrates of boiled potato (if that matters to you).

What if you cooked some spring onions down with a little salt and olive oil and mixed them with cooked celery root that you'd squeezed the bejesus out of to get rid of a lot of the juice and then mashed them together with roasted garlic?  Would it work? Would it taste good - delicious, even?

Hell, yes!

The first time I made them, I added some marscapone cheese and a tablespoon of butter and extended them with some mashed cannelini beans.  Yeah, you can do that and it's great, but last night I just stuck with the three basics: celery root, spring onions and roasted garlic.

Update: Leeks work too. 

Celery Root and Spring Onion Mash with Roasted Garlic
Serves 3-4

Equipment: stick blender or food processor

Ingredients

• 1 celery root, peeled and cubed in 1" pieces (about 5-6 cups)*
• 2 cups chopped spring onion (white and light green parts.**
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + extra
• 3-4 cloves of garlic roasted, removed from their skins and mashed.
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley.
• 1 clean (very clean) kitchen towel.

(* add juice of 1/2 lemon to a bowl of water - throw your cubes in the bowl with a plate on top to keep them submerged in order to keep them from getting brown.  I don't bother with this step as long as I'm cooking everything right away.)

(Update: Leeks work too. I used about 3 cups (raw) chopped leeks (white and light green parts) and four garlic cloves.)

Method

Add the celery root to a pan (4 qt +) plus enough water that when it simmers, there's at least 2 inches under it (the celery root cubes will be floaty.**  If you added your cubed celery root to acidulated water, drain and give it a quick rinse before you add it to your pot. Add a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, covered. Partially remove the cover and turn down to a strong simmer.  Check it after 15 minute and every 5 minutes thereafter. If you remove a chunk, you should be able to mash it easily with a fork.

Heat up a small sauce pan or skillet on medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped spring onions and season with a pinch of salt.  Let the onions cook down but don't let them take on any color - adjust the heat down and periodically add a tablespoon of water if the pan's getting too dry.  You want them to break down.  This will take around 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and once it's cooled down a little, add the onions and the mashed roasted garlic to a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a food processor.

When the celery root is done, drain it (drain it over a bowl if you want to make stock - see: Celey Root Stock) and let the celery root cool until it's lukewarm.  Line a bowl with your clean kitchen towell and dump in the celery root. Gather the kitchen towel around the celery root and twist it until liquid comes out (do this over the bowl - you'll use this liquid later!). Keep twisting until the celery root in the towel is moist, but not completely dry.  You will have about 1/4 cup of liquid in your bowl.

Dump the squeezed celery root into the mixing (or food processor) bowl with the spring onions and roasted garlic. Add a couple pinches of salt  and a few grinds of pepper and start to blend with the stick blender (or pulse in your food processor) until the ingredients are combined.  Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the mixture is too stiff, add some of the liquid you squeezed out - about a tablespoon at a time.  If you run out of the liquid, add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the seasoning and texture is right (kinda like mashed potatoes, yes?), add the two tablespoons of chopped parsley and mix just enough to incorporate it. Sprinkle each serving with a little more chopped parsley and a little drizzle of olive oil.

This can be cooked in advance and heated up in the microwave or the oven.

(** You could cut a round of parchment to fit your pan (with a little hole in the middle) and to keep the cubes of celery root at or below the water's surface - I'm okay if you do, or do not).

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Brussels Sprouts with White Beans and Pecorino

This is a Thanksgiving "must have" for me.

From: Epicurious: Bon Appetit, November 2005

Serves: 6 as a side dish.

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth (or water, for a vegetarian dish)

1/2 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), drained

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup coarsely grated young pecorino like Pecorino Toscano

Method:

Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. When just about to smoke, add half of the brussels sprouts. Cook until brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in same skillet. Add remaining brussels sprouts, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer brussels sprouts to same bowl.

Add remaining oil to skillet; increase heat to high. Add garlic; sauté until brown, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add broth and brussels sprouts. Cook until brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add beans and butter; stir until butter melts and broth is reduced to glaze, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Take off-heat and stir in the cheese.

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