GARDEN FRESH THANKSGIVING - food is art for the mind

Garden Fresh Thanksgiving dinner – above all, make it simple” Pick your vegetables and herbs from your garden the day you prepare them. Make sure you have enough and supplement what you do not have with sustainably produced food from your market or farmers market. Turkey should be fresh and OG. Try to get as much crafted and local foods as possible – it makes a big difference.  

Fresh Herb Roast Turkey with Giblet Stuffing Turkey – wash until cavity runs clear, remove neck and Giblets, save the giblets (you can do this in the sink, it is easier to clean up after turkey if you work with it in a clean and disinfected sink – just make sure you rinse it real well with cold water.) Rough chop celery tops, carrot end and onion – throw those in a roasting pan Throw the peals of all vegetables (but the green ones) in a soup pot with water and wine to cover and a little more since it will reduce. Think at least 2 qts. Rub the turkey with soy then season with salt and pepper inside and out Place the turkey on the vegetables and season with fresh garden herbs, paprika, pepper, chopped garlic (minced) and drizzle olive oil over herbs & garlic seasoning. Let air dry  

Stock –with fresh oregano, thyme, Bay leaf and S and P with a good pour of wine and the Turkey neck. If you have chicken stock add a cup or two. Every time you cut up something or break an egg throw it in the stock. Medium heat – reduce this by half. It is for your gravy, to moisten your stuffing, add to your greens or baste the turkey.

Stuffing Two packages of cheap hamburger rolls and a big bowl – break them up in fairly good size chunks and let them dry out some. Dice 3 onions, 4 carrots, 4 celery sticks and sauté’ When the diced vegetables are cooked but not caramelized, add diced garlic cook for 2 minutes then turn off heat. Break three large eggs and Whisk them in a bowl Now take the giblets from the turkey and poach them in the stock for 5 – 10 minutes (best done in a small strainer) – remove and slice then dice – add to the hamburger rolls. Moisten the rolls with stock (ladle), add the egg - mix with a rubber spatula and stuff the turkey cavity and neck – really pack it in (the neck will hold more than you think.) – Also leave it mounded out at the cavity. Cover the roasting dish with its top and the turkey is ready to cook. Add white wine (about two cups) before you put the turkey in the oven.  

Turkey Gravy – melt one stick of butter, add an equal amount of flour do this over medium to medium high heat – this is a roux. Cook it until it is a light brown color. When the turkey is done, remove the vegetables you do not want in the gravy, pour off and reserve in a measuring cup some of the fat (you can also add some of this to the roux when you make it.) De glaze the pan with white wine, loosen the bits at the bottom, add stock in desired amount and begin to whisk the cooled off roux into the gravy. Add a little canned milk and adjust with wine, let simmer and season to taste just before you serve it (the sauce sits on the stove reduces and gets saltier so be careful unless you are serving right away)
 
Mashed New Potato with Chives Boil quartered new potatoes with some salt until done Mash them skin on with a Whisk or masher, add butter and sour cream (be careful not to add too much) and Salt and Pepper to taste Once you have the consistency you want add minced fine Fresh Chives Put in a covered ceramic serving dish and keep warm.  

Orange Cranberry Relish with Horseradish Use a vegetable peeler to remove zest from the orange (it will take off the zest but not the white bitter rind) – slice it REAL thin (Julienne) Open 1 can of Cranberry Relish – add to small pot. Add juice of orange and zest Add one bag fresh cranberries ¼ - 1/3 jar of horseradish or if you have fresh add grated but be very careful with fresh it is hot and strong Cook over medium heat in non reactive pan.  

Collards, Kale and Swiss chard Rice Wine Dice one onion and sauté in olive oil While that is cooking cut the stems out of the greens, Kale and Chard – cut these lengthwise in strips and in fairly large pieces across. Add to the sautéing onions Add one or two smashed and diced cloves of garlic Stir until bright green, let sauté for a few minutes then add 1 beer and water to cover – simmer I almost always add some of the stock but for T Day I do not do my traditional Hock. If you have shallots, sauté them when you do the garlic Add a good splash of Rice Wine Vinegar and a pinch of sugar.  

Garden Turnip Puree Peel, quarter, boil until tender, puree, do not add anything but S and P – keep this real simple do not add any liquid  

Radish and cucumber salad with rice wine vinegar  

Roasted Pearl Onion Cream Roast onions, remove from pan, add shallots, 1 min then de-glaze the pan with white wine, raise the heat to medium high, add cream a dash more of white wine, S and P – reduce until nape (coats a spoon) a few drops of Worschestire 

Mixed Garden Green Salad with Apple & Walnut creamy Vinaigrette Pick fresh salad greens from your garden – wash and drain well. Dice the apples (squeeze one lemon or sprinkle with white wine to prevent oxidation), pulse the walnuts briefly, make a creamy Dijon Vinaigrette with some fresh parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in the machine after the walnuts (do not wash in between). Once you have an emulsion, add the vinaigrette to the apples and walnuts and toss. If you want thicker vinaigrette add 1 Tbsp. of mayo (I do that). Just before service rough chop or tear the dry greens and Toss your greens with the dressing – it is almost or similar to Waldorf salad on greens.  

Fresh Bread (heated in foil) Maitre D Hotel butter Chop parley fine, wash in clean cotton towel until it is light green, mince one shallot and whip these into the softened butter and a dash of white wine, roll in wax paper, refrigerate.  

Dessert - Pumpkin Pie or Apple Tart for dessert – do yourself a favor if you know a good patisserie and get this from them. If you have that dynamite Moms Pumpkin, Minced, Apple pie recipe you love to make then go for it but do it the day before.
 
Good Coffee – Remember this IMPORTANT thing. A great meal finished with mediocre coffee and dessert is the last thing guest has so make sure the quality of these is the best.  

Aperitif – my dad always served these in a variety

Two Hours later – use your farmers loaf bread, make a sandwich with mayonnaise, pepper, and a little of everything on the table with some leaf lettuce, thin layers with mayo and turkey breast first but really do use a little of everything. [Save any bones and the carcass, break it up and put in a stock pot the next day, add one onion, rough chop carrot and celery, wine, s and p and make soup. Use very little carrot.]