Madeira Turkey Gravy

24 Tuesday Nov 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Food, Food Trivia, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, Side Dishes

Just in time for the Holidays! Madeira Turkey Gravy “… is particularly fitting for Thanksgiving because Madeira, a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, flowed like water through the Colonies, having arrived here as ballast in ships. Sweet and mellow, reminiscent of sherry, Madeira beautifully enhances a turkey gravy.” (Real Age) Here is the recipe that Robin found to enhance that Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy!

Madeira Turkey Gravy

Ingredients:
1½ t Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
2 Carrots, chopped
2 stalk(s) Celery, chopped
3 c Chicken Stock
½ c Madeira
1½ T Cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Directions:
To Prepare Giblet Stock: Heat 1½ teaspoons oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery and the turkey neck and giblets. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 15 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Strain the giblet stock through a fine sieve (you should have about 2 cups). Chill until ready to use.

To Prepare Gravy: While the turkey is resting, pour the drippings from the roasting pan through a strainer into a small bowl, then place the bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes to solidify the fat.

Add Madeira to the roasting pan and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, for about 1 minute; strain into a medium saucepan. Skim the fat from the giblet stock and add the stock to the pan. Skim the fat from the chilled pan juices and add the juices to the pan as well. Bring to a simmer. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering sauce, whisking until the gravy has thickened slightly. Season with pepper.

Lacquered Bacon

09 Monday Nov 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Classics, Food, Recipes, Side Dishes

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Ever wonder how the Brick 29 in Nampa, ID made that awesome bacon? Well, from Falls Brand we get the following recipe. Enjoy!

Lacquered Bacon

Ingredients:
1 lbs Falls Brand Thick Sliced Bacon
3 T Light Brown Sugar, packed
1 T Red Pepper Flakes

Preparation:
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a large wire rack in the pan. Arrange the bacon slices on the rack and roast until the bacon renders some of its fat and the slices shrink significantly, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. Sprinkle mixture over the bacon and return the bacon to the oven and continue roasting until the sugar mixture adheres to the bacon and appears glossy. Serve hot.

Yield: 8 servings

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Here is another stand-by recipe for spareribs from Salmon Creek Farms, part of Falls Brand.

Kansas City Spareribs

Ingredients:
4 lbs Pork Spareribs or Baby Back Ribs
1 c Ketchup
1/3 c Onion, finely chopped
1/3 c Apple Cider Vinegar
3 T Brown Sugar
2 T Molasses
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t Chili Powder, use more for a spicier mixture
1 t Dry Mustard
3/4 t ground Allspice
1/4 to 1/2 t ground Red Pepper
3 cups wood chips (use hickory or oak chips for the best flavor)

Preparation:
BBQ Sauce: In small saucepan, combine ketchup, onion, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, mustard, allspice and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring frequently. Divide sauce into two portions; set aside.

Ribs: At least 1 hour before grilling, soak wood chips in enough water to cover; drain. Cut ribs into 4 portions. In charcoal grill with cover, place preheated coals around drip pan for medium indirect heat. Add 1/2-inch hot water to drip pan. Sprinkle half of the wood chips over the coals. Place ribs, bone side down, on the grill rack over drip pan. Cover and grill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until ribs are tender, basting with one portion of reserved sauce the last 15 minutes. Add more preheated coals (use a hibachi or a metal chimney starter to preheat coals) and wood chips; turn ribs halfway through grilling. Serve second portion of reserved sauce with ribs.

Serves 4.
* Note: For gas grills, preheat and then turn off any burners directly below where the food will go. The heat circulates inside the grill, so turning the food is not necessary.

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Well, there you go for two recipes from Idaho farms and businesses. Support the Buy Idaho campaign. It’s well worth it! That’s my opinion. What’s yours? Cheers!

Green Tomato Relish

04 Sunday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Prep, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Side Dishes, Things To Do

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So it is 41 degrees outside. It’s been raining all day. Mac brought us green tomatoes – lots of ’em! And by the way, he has an excellent recipe for, of all things, Green Tomato Pie. Here’s what we did with them. Green Tomato Relish, if you want a better copy of the recipe. (There are two Green Tomato Relish recipes there. This is the best one.) Otherwise, here it is:

Green Tomato Relish

Author: Bob and Robin Young

Author Notes: This is a great way to use up all of those green tomatoes that you have at the end of the season. Sweet, yet with a touch of tartness.

Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 12 Pints

Ingredients:

4 qt Green tomatoes, diced fine or Green Zebra Tomatoes
6 lg Onions, diced fine
8 c Sweet Red Peppers, diced fine
1 bn Celery, diced fine
2 c Apple Cider Vinegar
1 c White Vinegar
1 c Brown Sugar
2 c Sugar
1½ c Water
1 t Turmeric
1 t Salt
1 T Mustard, ground
1 t Cinnamon
1 T Allspice
2 t Mustard Seeds
1 t Whole Cloves, ground

Procedure:

1. Dice all vegetables. Place all ingredients in a 12 quart pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Place in sterilized canning jars and hot pack for 20 minutes.

Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes

This really is not hard to do. It just takes some time and patience. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers!

Wild Elderberry Jam

21 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Prep, Recipes, Side Dishes, Things To Do

≈ 1 Comment

It’s that time of year, folks!! In some of the mountain areas, there has already been frost and that makes the elderberries sweet!! Robin and I returned from 4 days at Wapiti Meadow Ranch (see the link in the sidebar) up near Yellowpine and on the way back to Boise, we went from Yellowpine to McCall through some really awesome scenery and mountains (I will put some photos on here later). But the elderberries are out and ready to be picked. And that we did!! Here is a recipe link for Wild Elderberry Jam. Enjoy!!

What to do today? Wild Idaho Huckleberry Jam

30 Sunday Aug 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Recipe By: Bob Young, Side Dishes, Things To Do

≈ 1 Comment

OK, so the storm last night really cooled things off. All doors and windows open. Fresh, cool air all around! So, what will I do? How about making some Idaho Wild Huckleberry Jam? Sounds good to me. (If you can not get huckleberries at $8.00 per pound, try wild blueberries or elderberries.) Here is the recipe I use.

Wild Idaho Huckleberry Jam

Bob and Robin Young, Boise, Idaho
Degree of Difficulty: Moderately difficult
Yield: 12 ½-Pint jars

Ingredients:
5 lbs Huckleberries, fresh
¼ t Baking Soda
8 c Sugar
2 pkg Sure-Jell
12 ½ pint Canning jars and lids, sterilized

Procedure:
1. Pick over the huckleberries to remove stems. Wash. Place in a 12 qt pot and bring level up to 12 cups using water if necessary.
2. Simmer for 35 minutes or until reduced to 10 cups.
3. Measure out sugar and set aside.
4. Add Sure-Jell and mix. Bring up to a full rolling boil and boil for 3 minutes (No Longer) stirring constantly.
5. Add the sugar all at once and stir to mix. Bring up to a rolling boil of 220°F and reduce mixture by ¼.
6. Place a dish in the freezer. Place about 1 t of the liquid on the plate and return to freezer. Check to see if the jam is thickening to your liking. If not, return to freezer for another 3 minutes. Repeat until you are satisfied that the jam is correct.
7. When correct, immediately remove from heat. Pour the jam into sterilized canning jars. Place lids and rings on. Hot pack for 12 minutes. Remove from water and let cool until you hear the lids “pop”.

Cooking Times:
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours and 20 minutes

So, there is the recipe. There is a hot link to the recipe if you want a hard copy. If you have not seen the movie, Julia and Julia, you really gotta see this one. Funny, very funny, informative, although I don’t know how historically accurate it is. But there are parts that are factual – Julia Child’s trying to get published and her stint at Le Cordon Bleu. It’s a very well done movie. Go prepared to laugh! Cheers!

"Steak Diane"

09 Sunday Aug 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Food Trivia, Recipe By: Bob Young, Side Dishes

≈ 1 Comment

OK, so it’s a nice “fall” day outside – 83 degrees, 25% RH and 4mph winds – and I’m sorta kinda looking forward to the fall temperatures. And with those temperatures comes fall foods. How about Steak Diane, originally made with wild game. From the website, Simply Recipes, we find this description of the restaurant favorite,

Steak Diane is traditionally made with a thinly pounded steak, and a cognac, butter, and shallot sauce that is flambéed right before serving to great dramatic effect… the “Diane” part refers to Diana, the Greco-Roman goddess of the hunt, and “a la Diane” sauces were typically served with venison and game meat in centuries past. It was probably New York hotels that popularized the flambéed steak version.

But I found and altered several recipes for Steak Diane and you can see it at Steak Diane and the recipe for a side of Individual Potato Gratin with Sun Dried Tomato. Again, the side is altered from a combination of several recipes. So, think about these two dishes when you need something special for dinner. Having people over? Try the Steak Diane and your guests will probably be “Wow’ed!”. A nice light red wine, like a Pinot Noir or a Petit Verdot (my “White-Out” editor caught this one). Or maybe a good German Riesling will work also. Boy! This sounds like party time! Geno and Deb – you gotta come home! Cheers and Goot Essen!

San Francisco Sourdough French Bread

26 Sunday Apr 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipes, Side Dishes

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Here is a great recipe for San Francisco Sourdough French Bread. Actually, the starter is a modified Friendship Bread starter. The starter looks sweet, but it really is not over-powering and obnoxious, as in Southern Sweet Tea.

San Francisco Sourdough French Bread

1½ c warm Water
1 c Sourdough Starter (Recipe below)
4 c Bread Flour
3 t Sugar
1½ t Sea Salt
2 to 2½ more cups of Bread Flour
½ to 1 t Baking Soda

Combine water, starter, 4 cups flour, sugar and salt in a glass bowl. Mix well, cover lightly with a towel folded into several thicknesses, and let stand at room temperature for approximately 18 to 24 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Mix 1 cup of the remaining flour with ½ teaspoon of the baking soda and stir this into the risen dough until it is very stiff. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead approximately 1 more cup of flour and a little more baking soda into it. Knead it for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Shape into 2 long loaves or 1 large round loaf, place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let stand in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours or until almost doubled in size. You may wish to sprinkle cornmeal on the greased baking sheet or line it with kitchen parchment before placing the bread on it. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

To make a wash, bring 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a small pan over low heat. Stir until it becomes thick and clear. Brush each loaf with it. OR brush a little water on top of the loaves and make a few diagonal slits across the top with a sharp knife. For a crustier bread, place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the crust is a medium dark brown – 190°F.

Sourdough Starter

1 c All-Purpose Flour
1 c Whole Milk
1 T Active Dry Yeast
1 c Sugar
Bring the milk to room temperature. Add the sugar and yeast and dissolve. Let bloom.
Mix Starter Ingredients in a non-metalic bowl and let stand at room temperature – undisturbed – for 24 – 36 hours.

Next Day – Add
1 c All-Purpose Flour
1 c Sugar
1 c Whole Milk or Buttermilk
Place in a non-reactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and let set at room temperature for 7 days before using.

There you have it. Yes, it does take a little time for the starter, but if you keep replenishing it, it will keep for a very long time – Robin and I did have some, reportedly, from the Lewis and Clarke expedition. But try this bread and let us know how it came out for you. We think it’s pretty good. Here is a Direct Link to the recipe. Cheers!

Artichokes and Peas

23 Friday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Food, Photos, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables

≈ 2 Comments

So after a morning of oral surgery, it becomes somewhat of a challenge to eat potato chips. So, let’s puree the steak! Or, if you are inventive, try this one (photo below)and I’m not sure the recipe name is correct:

Frozen peas, thawed
Mint
Cream
Artichoke Bottoms
Polenta with Basil and Garlic (Available in your super market in the vegetable dept)

Thaw the peas. Place in a food processor along with some mint and cream. Cream until smooth. Place about 3 Tablespoons in the artichoke bottoms and on some polenta rounds and “nuke” until warm.