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Hot tip for the year - there
is now farmed-raised organic salmon available. This fish is now purer
than the wild one. Next step, a holy salmon, completely untouched by our
air and environment. Sounds crazy? - you bet. If you're still confused
about my stance on eating farm-raised salmon versus wild salmon, let me
say it again: eat wild when it's available. If you want to eat farmed
salmon, regular or organic, it's still fabulous.
My friend Vince De Domenico (90 year-old former president of
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Golden Grain, Rice-a-Roni and Ghirardelli
Chocolates), is still working everyday at his Napa Valley Wine Train
(great way to spend a day). While spending the weekend with Vince and
his wonderful wife Mildred, Vince says he thinks his memory is going.
Maybe he won't remember that we had to tell them that WE were going to
bed, while the two of them were still going strong.
Just heard from Sammy Hagar. He said he was thrilled that his name was
mentioned among many for the renaming of our Monterey Airport. Sammy
expressed his love of the
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area and all of his friends and fans here.
He also stressed his belief that Mr. Eastwood would be the ultimate name
for our airport (I ditto that). He's working on a new album that will be
released in the spring and will be organizing a cruise from Los Angeles
to Cabo. His restaurant in South Lake Tahoe (Cabo Wabo in Harvey's
casino) is doing well and he wanted me to wish everyone a safe new year
and peace. He is looking forward to doing more shows with me for
Monterey's Cookin'. Signed off as the Red Rocker mas tequila - but not
too mas.
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Who's the man? Pierre Ajoux is the man! Last
Tuesday Pierre brought in 2 big, big boxes of porcini mushrooms that he
collected in Santa Cruz. Mushrooms on the peninsula continue to be very
slow! If you want to see what I mean when I say big, check out these
pictures:
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Turducken Recipe
Part 2: Stuffing and
roasting the birds.
Prepare seasoning mix and set aside:
3 tablespoons salt
1-2 Tbsp. paprika
1-2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1-2 Tbsp. pepper
1-2 tsp. dried thyme
Prepare sausage stuffing: Melt butter in large skillet over high heat.
Add 3 cups onions and 1-1/2 cups celery. Sauté until onions are dark
brown but not burned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add 2 lbs. sausage (I
prefer spicy Italian sausage) to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes or
until the meat is browned, stirring frequently. Add paprika (3 Tbsp.)
and minced garlic (3 Tbsp.) and cook about 3 minutes over medium heat,
stirring occasionally. Stir in 3 cups of chicken stock and bring to a
simmer. Continue cooking until water evaporates and oil rises to top,
about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 cups toasted breadcrumbs and mix well. Add
more bread crumbs if mixture is too moist. Prepare a similar amount of
another stuffing such as corn bread stuffing. Assemble the Turducken at
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13 to 14 hours before dinner. Spread the
turkey, skin down, on flat surface, exposing as much meat as possible.
Rub 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix evenly on meat. Spread sausage
stuffing over the turkey in an even layer approximately 3/4 inch thick.
Place duck, skin down, on top of stuffing. Season exposed duck meat with
about 1 Tbsp. of seasoning mix. Spread corn bread stuffing in an even
layer (about 1/2 inch thick) over the duck. Arrange the chicken, skin
down, evenly on top of corn bread stuffing. Season chicken meat with
seasoning mix. Spread remainder of sausage and/or corn bread stuffing on
top of chicken. With another person's help, carefully lift the sides of
the layered birds, folding the sides of the turkey together. Have
a helper hold the bird while sewing the opening down the back of the
turkey together using cotton thread. The bird may not close perfectly,
and a strip of cheesecloth can be used to help close the "crack" in the
back of the turkey so stuffing will not leak out when the bird is turned
over. Since the turducken has no skeleton, it must be trussed up or it
may fall apart in cooking. Tie a cotton string around the bird, width-wise,
every inch or so along the
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bird's length. Turn the bird over and place
in a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan so it is oriented breast
side up and looks like a normal turkey. Tie the legs together just above
the tip bones. Heat oven to exactly 190º.
Temperature control is critical since the turducken is so massive that
it has to be cooked very slowly at a low
temperature. Use of an oven thermometer is
highly recommended. Place the bird in the center of the oven and bake
until a meat thermometer inserted through to center reads 165 degrees,
about 12 to 13 hours. There will be no need to baste, but accumulated
drippings will have to be removed from the pan every few hours so that
the lower portion does not deep fry in the hot oil. Remove the turducken
from the oven and let cool in the pan for an hour before serving. Make
gravy according to your favorite recipe. To serve cut bird in half
lengthwise. Carve crosswise so each slice reveals all 3 meats and
dressings. Will make 15 to 25 servings. This is the ultimate holiday
bird, folks, but remember what I said. Several local markets will make
it up for you if you give them a couple of
day's notice. |
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From a constant reader and contributor, Stan Rowe, here's a good one!
Stan also wants in next time we do some pig's feet head cheese. Stan!
You're in, my man.
Chef, in time for a New Year's Eve party, I coaxed Aunt Mary's Eggnog
Pie Recipe from relatives.
Needs:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
2 egg yolks
1 t. Knox gelatin
1 T. water
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
8 oz. whipping cream |
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Steps:
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add to warm milk and stir till quite
thick. Beat yolks and add a little of warm mixture and stir. Then add
egg mix back to rest in pan and cook till thick. Mix gelatin and water
and add to cooked mixture. Stir in butter and vanilla. Cool well. Add
whipped whipping cream. Pour into baked 9" pie shell and sprinkle with
fresh ground nutmeg on top. Keep refrigerated. PS: Count me in the next
time you make pig's foot head cheese.
Q.) How do you cook bratwurst and sauerkraut?
A). Start with one jar of sauerkraut. Rinse in a colander very
well, keep
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tasting and rinsing until almost all the salt is gone. In a pot, sauté 1
medium onion (chopped), lard or duck fat, 1 sliced apple, some juniper
berries, bay leaf, caraway seed and some good quality bacon (chopped
medium). Give it 15 minutes over medium-low, add sauerkraut and a splash
of white wine (pinot gris or Riesling) and continue on medium-low. Cook
(stirring often) for 45 minutes. As for the sausage, using the fully
cooked veal variety, you can simply put into the pot of sauerkraut and
let them warm, up or you can grill them cutting slits so they look nice.
Serve with
rye bread, a bowl of goulash, German beer or some ice cold Riesling and
Aktung!
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