Upside Down and Backwards!! (That’s My Technique)

Roasted Turkey with Herbs Under SkinMy turkey roasting technique that is!!

I recently read a blog post by Darya Pino of Summer Tomato on How to Become a Great Cook Without Being a Chef.  She’s right! You don’t need to be a chef to cook really good food. But, (and this is a big BUT sticking out) you do need a few of Chef’s techniques.

When I studied at the California Culinary Academy the focus was on learning technique, not so much on recipes.  The philosophy is simple: If you understand how and when to incorporate each ingredient into a dish you can create your own recipes.  And it is true!!  By learning HOW to cook, not only was I able to create my own dishes, it became much easier to follow a recipe.  Sounds silly I know, most recipes are well research and clearly written. Yet, when I incorporated my knowledge of cooking with say – Betty Crocker – goodness, the dish took on new textures and flavors.

It is this nuanced change that I am referring to when I say Upside Down and Backwards.  Because that is exactly what I did.  I roasted my turkey upside down and backwards.  Follow me here, this is where it starts to get good.

The challenge for every cook on Thanksgiving is to cook the turkey making sure that the legs & thighs are cooked while keeping the breast meat from drying out and becoming stringy.  Americas Test Kitchen performed a definitive study last year on turkey roasting trying all of the different roasting techniques and endorsed a good, albeit cumbersome, technique for preparing your bird: they cut the turkey into pieces and roasted the legs and thighs separately from the breast.  Boo, I say. That takes away all of the fun of carving for dad!

I acknowledge the reasoning behind this approach but promise you one better. Actually FOUR better!!  Now Darya Pino, this is where being a chef does make a difference. Chef Suzanne and I put our heads together determined to roast a turkey whole while keeping it moist and giving it great flavor . . . and we nailed it the first time out.  Here’s what we did.

BRINING: Brining is a technique where the turkey is submerged in a saturated water mixture containing salt, sometimes sugar and oftentimes spices.  It is a fun technique but takes time and refrigerator space. Sometime in the future I will share a recipe with you but for now I give you this short cut: Butterball.  Yep, we bought a Butterball turkey simply because it was already brined.  Butterball has been in business since before I gnawed on my first turkey leg and I trust their technique.  I was not wrong then and I am not wrong now.  Their birds are flavorful.  But alas, I have had dry Butterballs before. So . . .

Butter On BreastHERBED BUTTER: Here is a technique I just love.  Suzanne and I took a half pound of soft butter and mixed in about 6 cloves of chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and a small bunch each of Sage, Marjoram and Thyme chopped fine.  We then loosened the skin covering the breast of the turkey and rubbed the Herbed Butter directly on to the meat.  A lot of people will season the skin leaving the meat unadorned.  I use this technique nearly every time I roast fowl.  It always amazes!! I suggest that you thaw the bird the night before, pat it dry, rub in the herbed butter and leave it covered with plastic in the refrigerator overnight.  Then it is all ready to pop in the oven on Thursday with a little extra flavor-infusing time.

UPSIDE DOWN: I like this technique a lot especially with turkeys because of their size. Bigger is better may be the American motto but it can play hell when roasting. Three factors come in to play when roasting: Time, Temperature and Gravity. With gravity being the only constant. Since I cannot change the effect of gravity I decided to use it to my advantage.  I roasted my bird Up Side Down!! The effect was simple, all of the juices collected in the breast meat instead of the back of the bird.  Yum!!

Upside Down TurkeyTIME & TEMPERATURE: Here’s the secret sword thrust of roasting. Start your turkey at 450° F. That’s right, low and slow works for BBQ meats that are full of collagen and you want to fall apart. Starting hot and fast . . . well . . . it’s better, that’s all.  Actually this is how I understand what is happening.  Collagen, the ‘moisture’ in the bird, is water soluble. In a slow oven, low temperature, the water temperature in the meat rises slowly and begins to drain from the meat carrying the collagen away with it, essentially drying out the meat.  The longer the meat temperature stays at or near the boiling point of water the dryer the meat will become. Starting in a hot oven will push the meat temperature passed this mark more quickly leaving less time for the collagen to dissolve into the water.

Here’s the trick behind the technique. Start your turkey, upside down in a rack, in a 450° F oven.  Leave it there until the bird ‘starts talking to you.’ That is, until you can here the turkey snap, crackle and pop. About one half hour.  Then turn the oven down to 325° F. About 2 hours in to the roasting process check the thigh meat with a meat thermometer. Your goal is 175 -180° F for the leg and thigh and 170° F for the breast.  My 13 lb. bird took about 3 hours to cook completely through and MAN was it good.

Carving a TurkeyAfter the turkey reaches the desired internal remove it from the oven and let stand about 20 minutes before carving.  Suzanne and I had great success with this bird.  Both the white meat and dark meat were moist and flavorful.

I hope that your bird turns out as great as mine did.  Stay tuned this week for Pan Gravy and Side Dish recipes.

Until then,

Eat Well and Smile Often!!

 

tj

 

p.s. I get two turkeys this year ;-)

 

There Will Be Growth In The Spring!!

Overgrown Garden
This Saturday I stuck my head out the back door into what has become a unchecked cacophony of free growth. Imagine that, Free Growth in my back yard. It is like the hippies are back  . . .  and they are growing things . . . I am not sure if I should call my Democrat or Republican representative.  I mean there must be a law against free growth!! We just can not have things growing willy-nilly anywhere they decide to put down roots.  Why, that is just un-natural!!

What? You say it is natural?  Well I do not like it!  I do not like it because . . . well . . .  it is just messy, that is why! All the mess and silliness aside, it was good to be back in my garden.  It always makes me feel like I have control over something (Ha!).  The best part of it all is that I got to see one of my favorite actors again, in a fantastic movie, all in preparation for this year’s planting season. (So I tell myself.)

Now mark my words, I have it from a very reliable source that there will be Growth in the Spring. This clip is one of my all time favorite scenes with Peter Sellers in the film Being There. Heck I believe him every time I watch it. It is the one thing that gets me off of my duff each winter. This time especially, he has given me real inspiration with his refreshing and optimistic statements.  So much inspiration that I attacked my back yard madness with brute force and began beating back the madness.

CrabgrassThe back half of my yard has always been covered with grass.  For the first few years of living here I diligently watered, fertilized, weeded and mowed my little portion suburbia.  It was lush, it was green and it soon became the place where the dogs went first thing in the morning.  After learning that lawn fertilizer might cause cancer in dog paws and watching my water bill skyrocket every summer I took a hands off approach to lawn maintenance.  In the ensuing years the pretty little Kentucky Bluegrass blades gave way to the hearty survivor species . . . Crabgrass.  In truth, after a good rain and a trim, it looked pretty back there.  Nice enough to sit by an open fire, enjoy a bottle of Malbec with some pan-fried brussel sprouts garnished with proscuitto and figs and pan deglazed with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.

Lawn RemovedSo out it came, but not without a fight. I used a cool tool called a sod cutter to cut the grass right off of the soil. With the help of some handy men we removed all of the grass in a 50′ x 25′ section of the yard and set the cuttings aside to compost. Composting old lawn is not easy. It requires time and plastic.  I am not optimistic but in for a penny . . .
After the easy job of cutting and removing the sod I tucked into soil preparation with a vengeance and a roto-tiller.  As you can see by the accompanying  video I was a little unprepared for just how hard the clay soil is here where I live.  Now, I did wait a month after the last rain so the soil would not be soggy reasoning that it would be soft enough but not sticky.  I guess I underestimated the drainage potential of my crabgrass stricken acreage.  None-the-less I persevered, learned how to properly operate the roto-tiller and was able to sufficiently chew up the remaining square feet needed to place my new planting beds.

Boxes and dirtTen yards of Clodbuster soil, 24 – 2″ x 10″ x 8′ boards and a box of galvanized 16 penny nails later my new planting beds were taking shape. With the addition of six 8′ x 8′ beds I have increased my planting are by 75%.  I am not sure if I am crazy, excited or a little bit of both but I am looking forward to planting rows and rows of onions, carrots and celery.  Mire poix vegetables for those of you in the know. As well as garlic, strawberries (not in the same planter), and four different types of potatoes.

BackyardThere will be growth in the spring I can promise you that . . . and a little more work but I am so looking forward to the fruits of my labor.   Tomatoes are my favorite of all vegetables (technically a fruit but go with me here) with at least one bed will be dedicated to those magnificent Romas, and a sprinkling of heirlooms mixed in just for fun.

Now is a fantastic time to get out in your yard or on to your porch and get your garden started. Even if all you have is a 3′ x 3′ spot just outside your door that gets great sunlight I encourage you to start a tomato plant or two.  Pair that with another pot sprouting basil and you will have some amazing eats in just a few months. Go ahead I say, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.

Eat Well and Smile Often,

tj

p.s. Ah basil,  how I just love basil! and tomatoes, how I just love tomatoes! and mozzarella, how I just love mozzarella!

Basta Pasta or Sausage . . . or Meatloaf or . . . Meat balls!!

Spinach Ravioli with Basil, Olive Oil and Balsamic VinegarHo Ho Ho Merry Hanu-Kwansa-mas!!

I could not wait. Nope, I just could not do it.  I bought myself a Christmas present early.  I know, I know.  You are never supposed to buy yourself a present right before the holidays. But I just could not help myself.  Want to hear what I got? I got a ravioli attachment for my little Atlas pasta machine.  Man, it’s the coolest.  Roll out the pasta, drop it into the ravioli maker, spoon in some filling and Volia!  Raviolis!!

Pasta Maker AttachmentIf it were only that simple.  I had great fun whipping up the meat filling for those little pillows of goodness but it was definitely a trial and error process for me.  The pasta sheets kept ripping and sometimes the raviolis would not fill.  But after a few failed attempts I got it down.  So will you so don’t get frustrated just keep at it and soon your ravioli will be as good looking as mine.

This time around I used a classic technique that makes for a flavorful and meaty ravioli. I am so excited to share this with you as it is fun technique and it gives the meat a great texture and incorporates the different ingredient flavors completely. What is best about this technique is that you can use it to make raviolis, meatballs, meatloaf, sausage or meat patties.  Let me describe it for you.

Meat GrinderFirst: Put your food processor bowl, lid and blade into the freezer. You want the pieces to be as cold as they can be.  Having all of your ingredients super cool will aid their ability to combine.

Second: Grind the meat yourself.  Please use a meat grinder as this cuts the long muscles of the meat at regular intervals. I used a blend of lamb, chicken, pork and beef. Using a food processor to grind meat only separates the muscles strands and will cut them unevenly giving the final product a lumpy texture.

 

 

Third:  After all the meat is ground put it into the refrigerator covered or into the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes so that it becomes very cold.  

Fourth: Separate one egg for each pound of meat you will be processing.  You will be using the egg whites. Go ahead and cook up the egg yolk for breakfast or save it for your nog!

WhiteOnionFifth: Prepare your flavoring ingredients.  You will always need a little salt as this helps the proteins bind.  I saute’d an onion with some garlic and separately toasted about a tablespoon a fennel seed per pound. Don’t be bashful with any of the ingredients except salt. If it is not enough add more next time or vice versa.

Time to make Force Meat!!

Force MeatPlace up to one pound of meat into the chilled food processor.  Add the saute’d onion garlic mixture and a heavy pinch pf salt. Process at high speed for about 15 seconds then add the egg white while processing. Process for another 15 to 30 seconds and Voila! You have force meat.

To test the flavor I put a small pan of water on to boil. When the water begins to simmer, the point just below a boil when little bubbles gently begin to rise, drop a small soon of the meat mixture in to it and let it cook for about 3 minutes.  Remove it and cut the piece through to make sure it is done.  Give it a taste.  If it needs a little pepper go ahead and blend it in for another 15 seconds.  If it wants more toasted fennel, repeat the process.

Return the mixture to the refrigerator and let it chill for about 15 minutes before using. Now you can make raviolis or sausage or even Wanton, or Potstickers. This classic technique is so easy and all purpose you are going to blow your friends and family away with it.

I got so excited using my new ravioli maker that I had to whip up something a little extra so I grabbed a Spanikopita recipe off of the InterWeb and used it to fill some left over pasta I had lying around.

Spanikopita FillingSpinach Filling

2 bunch    Spinach, chopped and washed
1               Onion, chopped and saute’d
6               Green Onions, chopped and saute’d

Chop the above ingredients and saute’ them for about 10 minutes.

1 cup         Feta Cheese
1/2 cup      Ricotta
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the saute’d ingredients and the cheeses to the food processor and blend until all the ingredients are blended. Use to fill pasta or puff pastry as desired.

To see how I make my pasta read  my Roly Poly Ravioli!! post. The basic recipe I use is

Pasta Recipe

2 cups      Semoilina flour
3               Eggs, large
1               Salt pinch

Kneading PastaMix all the ingredients in a bowl and knead together. If the dough doesn’t stick together add one teaspoon of water at a time and mix well until the pasta holds together. Knead on a floured table for about 10 minutes until the dough ball is relatively smooth then let rest for about 15 minutes before using or wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.

Pasta DropMeat in the Ravioli Hopper

 

I rolled out the sheets of pasta and popped them in to the magic Atlas pasta maker and dropped in my new favorite meat filling into the hopper and look-out-world . . . Raviolis!!

Sheet of Raviolis!!

My holiday dinner this season will be cracked crab, chicken ceasar salad, antipasta with the ravioli to finish.  I hope that you are looking forward to your holiday meal as much as I am.

Eat Well and Smile Often!!

tj

p.s. I’ll start my diet next year.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

Herbed ChickenIn this corner, weighing in at a plump 3 1/2 pounds the current heavy weight roasted chicken champion of the world: Madeline Kamman’s Herbed Butter under-the-skin.
A traditional French technique for chicken that can be used for roasting or Sous Vide cooking. This mighty dish has charmed royalty the world over and stands as the pinnacle of simple poultry preparation.

Mahogany ChickenAnd in this corner, weighing in at a firm 3.25 pounds, the Contender,  made-by-mom-at home Mahogany Chicken. The pride of the borough, this friendly approach to adding flavor should not be underestimated; stylish, smart and sassy. Who will be the winner is anyone’s guess.  Kamman’s herbed champion has the breasts to put up a great fight.  But The Mahogany contender has got the legs to run away with it all.   Marquis of Queensbury rules apply!

Round 1

Round 1In the left corner prepped with just a rub of salt and pepper on the skin: The Mahogany Contender.  In the right corner with an herbed butter rubbed under the skin directly on the breast: The Herbed Champion.

The judges score this round evenly. An equal effort from both birds.

The Contender’s basting marinade is 1 part brown sugar, 1 part balsamic vinegar and 1 part dry vermouth applied after the first 45 minutes of cooking then every 15 mins after that until done.The Champion’s herbed butter is 1/4 cup butter, salt, pepper, garlic. rosemary, thyme and basil.

Round 2

Round 2In the left side of the oven The Contender holds its own against The Champion.  But don’t count out the slippery moves that Herbed Butter can bring to this fight.  The heat is up for both of them and so far neither is backing down from a basting.

Uh Oh! The Champ is showing signs of melting down while the challenger, showing great poise under all this heat, is just crackling away.  The crowd is silent watching these to birds go head to head in headless combat. Never before have we seen such fancy footless footwork.  Ding!  Saved by the bell.

Round 3

Round #The final round and The Contender is putting on a show.  Evenly browned after multiple bastings She’s showing no sign of legging off.  The Champ, a little unevenly used from the butter directly under the skin, is still in the fight. Her delicious herbs giving off the airs of a true champion, one who never quits.

 

The Fight is Over!!

End of FightAmazing!! Never before is the history of Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner have we seen anything like this before.  Who would have guessed it?  Folks, just who could have foreseen the outcome of today’s match up? Not you, not me, nobody could have predicted this!!  After 1 hour and 25 mins in a 350°F oven the judges score the final numbers equally at 170°F. I still can’t believe it. My hats off to both of these plucky fighters.  I guess we’ll just have to wait until after they cool down before we can get a taste of what happened here today.  My oh my! I’ve never seen anything like it before.  No sir- ee.

 

Judge’s Decision

In a 2 to 1 vote the new Roast Chicken Heavy Weight Champion of the World is . . . . an upset!!

Madeline Kamman’s age old classic recipe proved feisty but it’s moves were a bit outdated and predictable.  The Contender, made-by-mom Mahogany Chicken takes the title with it’s even browning and moist marinaded flavor.  Our hat’s off to both the fighters in this matchup.  What?  What’s that I hear?  A rematch??  That’s right folks you heard it here first.  These two birds aren’t done flapping their wings yet.  Until next time . . .

Eat Well and Smile Often,

tj

p.s. Run Chicken Run!!

Originally posted 6/11/12