An Old Friend

Fall is a great time to dust off the cooking notes and revisit some old friends. High end cuisine is always fun to make at home, but sometimes you need a good old fashioned homestyle meal. For tonight we are going to leave all the Food Network candy colored mumbo jumbo behind. Let's revisit a classic... Let's make turkey tetrazzini!

There is no doubt about it, it is better to cook at home whenever, and as often as possible! For starters, it's cheaper and healthier than anything you can scrounge up in a restaurant. Second, it is better for society and your well being. It is more of a moral imperative that everyone should possess the knowledge to do, and do well. This latest post is one of those meals that you can make fairly quickly, and line the dinner table with happy faces! Let's get started!

Finding the right piece of turkey takes perseverance! You can settle for the Butterball, Sarah Lee or the all-impressive store brand. Like the farmers always say, "You reap what you sow!" It is truly an embalmed piece of protein that encompasses the worst of the food world. My advice, spend two to three dollars more on a legit turkey breast from an honorable source. If you don't have the means, please purchase what you have available.

I have a beautiful half turkey breast from Misty Knolls Farm. Here in Vermont, you can't get much better than this! High tolerance for quality, and sound practices make for an exceptional product! Start by rinsing the half breast, pat dry and season with salt, pepper and good olive oil.

This is the only time you will catch me using non stick pans. Place a large non stick over high heat until you are ready to call the fire department! Place the turkey breast skin side down and aggressively sear. You don't want to burn the turkey, just let it know who's boss! Ha!

Once the breast is flipped, preheat the oven to 350. After five more minutes of searing, cover the breast with parchment and roast for 35 minutes.

While the turkey is roasting, put a large sauce pot on to cook the pasta. This recipe calls for 12 ounces of pasta. You don't have to weigh it out, just cook one pound to avoid any frustration. Use any pasta you have available.... Get creative!

While the pasta is working, chop the vegetables you wish to use. For this dish, it is one large packet of mushrooms, one large red pepper, the turkey breast and two small red onions. These don't have to be perfect! You can just chop them however you wish! You're the boss!!

Using the same pan from the turkey, saute the onions and pepper for five minutes. As soon as the onions have a caramelized hue, add the mushrooms and turkey! Cook for another five minutes and add either one teaspoon of fresh chopped garlic, or 1/4 cup of pickled garlic, and simmer for two minutes.

Add two cups of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon onion powder, one tablespoon, chipotle powder, one teaspoon thyme and one more of oregano. This is the perfect base to this creamy casserole!

The topping can be anything of your choice! You can use anything from potato chips to wheat thins. I happen to love wheat thins, so that is what I use! Be very generous with the topping. This gives the dish the added crunch that makes it so memorable! This is definitely not a sexy dish by any stretch of the imagination. It is just good, solid, coma inducing dinner that can be a staple for any family!

This recipe is very versatile. You can use any number of different ingredients. Instead of turkey, you can use chicken, lamb, beef, pork or duck. Same goes for the vegetables. Brussel sprouts are a life changing ingredient with this!

Happy fall to everyone! Peace!

Ah! The Spice of Life!

Life, like cooking, has many ingredients and methods to bring out the right taste, textures and aromas of our beautiful surroundings. Last week, I came into some incredibly fresh banana peppers from my friend's greenhouse. They were a surreal fluorescent green, and struck my eye in such a way that I knew what their purpose was as soon as I saw them. The fresh pepper aroma filled my kitchen with late summer spendor. Pickled banana peppers are among the easiest to produce.

As stated in previous blog entries, heat your canner with the jars inside. In this case, I used pint- sized jars. Sterilize the lids in simmering water, and gather your ingredients.

The ingredients are so simple and clean for these peppers. For two ponds of peppers you will need ...

6 Cups, Cider Vinegar

2 Cups, Water

3 Garlic Cloves

Pack the peppers into the pint jars, and bring the above ingredients to a rolling boil. Cook the vinegar and garlic solution for five minutes, and after cooked, pour the hot vinegar to within one quarter inch of the top of the pickling jars. Seal the lids and process for ten minutes in a hot water canner. These are some of my favorite pickles for sandwiches, soups or snack!

The next entry is a very obscure pickle! Years ago, I tried to pickle pineapple on the fly with disastrous results. The recipe in the Ball Blue Book turned out perfect, and even better, they're delicious!! I had two pineapples laying around that needed a new home.

Peel and core the pineapples. Cut them into spears, or just simply chop into one inch squares. As before, prepare your jars, lids and ingredients which are...

3 Cinnamon Sticks, Broken

.5 Teaspoon, Allspice

.25 Teaspoon, Cloves

2 Cups, Brown Sugar

1 Cup, Cider Vinegar

1 Cup, Pineapple Juice

Bring these ingredients to a boil for five minutes. While they are cooking, pack the two quart jars with your prepared pineapple.

As before, pour the hot liquid on top of the pineapple to within one quarter inch from the top. Seal the jars and process for ten minutes. Pineapple pickles are a show-stopper, and their sweet-and-sour spears have just a hint of spice, perfect for a cool fall afternoon!

Prep is finally over! Woo-Hoo!! Now is the time to have a nice glass of wine and begin thinking about dinner.

I have some amazing Coho salmon in the refrigerator. Hmmm..... How about Lentil Salad, Seared Salmon, Apple Fennel Slaw and Tomato Conserva Beurre Blanc! Perfect!!

Dice three carrots and one onion. This doesn't have to be perfect- you can just put them in the processor.

Heat a heavy bottom saute pan and cook until the onions are translucent. If there is any sticking, use a splash of white wine and scrape all the little brown bits from the bottom.

In a separate sauce pan, pour one cup of white wine and bring to a boil. Boil the wine vigorously until reduced to syrup. Be careful not to burn!

Add two tablespoons of tomato conserva. If you don't have any conserva, just use tomato paste. Chop one stick of butter into small pieces. One at a time, wisk the butter until a thick sauce develops. Be sure to keep the heat off for this, or the butter emulsion will break. If it breaks, don't sweat it!

Cook the lentils until they are just about done, about ten minutes or so. When they are done, add them to the carrot onion mix. I used smoked salt and fresh cracked pepper for the seasoning. Feel free to use whatever you think is appropriate! You be the judge!

Heat a heavy bottom saute pan until screaming hot! If you don't trust yourself, please use a non-stick pan to save yourself from any heartache!

Sear the salmon until medium rare! You can plate this however you wish. In your own kitchen, YOU ARE THE CHEF!! Spoon the sauce over the salmon and enjoy an early fall dinner!

Cheers!!