What's Next

Making soup from the leftover turkey carcass is easy.  It’s roasting the meat that seems to make the stock superior and all that work has been done already.  Now, place the leftover bones in a large pot with a few scrubbed carrots, celery stalks and tops, onion and a bay leaf or two. My Czech-American grandmother taught me to toss a tomato in too. (It adds a rosy pink color and another nice supporting flavor.)  Barely cover these ingredients with water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer, skim any accumulated foam with a slotted spoon and cover the pot loosely.  Leave this to simmer and bubble on very low heat for 2-3 hours or more.  Taste the stock and trust yourself to know when the flavor has transferred from bone and root to the liquid.  Strain the liquid, add a bit of salt, pepper and herbs like thyme and allow to cool in the refrigerator a few hours or overnight.  Any fat will rise to the top and the liquid will solidify making it easy to scrape off the fat before using your stock right away or dividing it into 1 and 2 cup portions to freeze and use later.

To make the soups below your own,  use your taste buds to adjust the flavor to your liking before you serve them.  Adjust the amount of water/stock, add salt, pepper and more herbs or look in the refrigerator for leftover cooked vegetables like butternut squash or roasted potatoes.  You'll notice these "recipes" are not very precise.  Measurements are inexact if present at all.  That's because making soup is not difficult if you follow the basics and trust yourself for the rest.  It is a collaboration between you and the food at hand, often leftovers that can be used to create something spectacularly simple and new. 


Wild Rice Turkey Soup
Cook wild or plain brown rice in water with some stock and salt added (follow the package directions).  Meanwhile over a medium setting, heat stock thinned with water plus peeled and sliced carrots, parsnips and celery.  When the vegetables are tender add cooked rice and leftover cooked turkey. 

Southwest Turkey Soup
Make a southwestern variation with brown rice, a can of low sodium black beans (rinsed), a half cup of fresh salsa and chopped cilantro.  Heat a few corn tortillas on the side topped with melted cheese. 

Pea Soup
For pea soup, pick over and rinse 2 cups of dried peas and add them to 6 cups of stock and water (1/2 and 1/2 is fine).  Add chopped celery, carrots and onion.   Simmer, stirring occasionally until legumes break down (about 1 hour).  Add more water  (half cup at a time) if you prefer a thinner soup.  Serve with a shot of dry sherry for a grown-up treat.  This recipe can be doubled.

Hearty soups served with simple green salads and whole grain breads make the transition into winter dinners pure and easy. 

Thanksgiving Nibbles

Pre-Thanksgiving dinner nibbles should be the antithesis to the day’s turkey and stuffing.  Some wait time often occurs during the day as the turkey bastes, footballs are tossed and facebook chats are replaced by real life chats.  A little brunch or lunch can ward off hunger but needs to be light, soak up any alcohol that’s flowing and balance the day’s diet.  Also, to keep out of the cook’s hair, the nibbles should be prepped ahead and either served from the refrigerator or easily reheated in a microwave or stovetop so they do not compete with the oven’s activities.

This menu is appropriate any time over the Thanksgiving weekend.  It can be prepared ahead of time and pulled out for serving at short notice.  It serves about 8 people.

Soup—The idea of pumpkin-pear or butternut squash-apple soup always looks good in food magazines but feels a bit heavy as a first course to the main meal.  On the other hand, soup is perfect for the wait.  My version of butternut squash-apple is easy and freezes well. 

Salad-- Not everyone makes room on their Thanksgiving plate for salad so it’s a nice offering ahead of time.  Try a plain mixed green salad or something more unusual like dressed salad ingredients served in an endive or romaine leaf.  Serving salad in a leaf turns it into a finger food that frees up utensils. This salad can also be served in the traditional manner. 

Appetizers—Give dips and crudites an update via grilled or roasted vegetables served on thin baguette slices or skewers. Likewise, a tomato-roasted red pepper bruschetta topping drizzled with olive oil can be prepared in advance.  Skewered fruit is refreshing and easy to handle. My recipe adds a holiday note with a cranberry glaze.  The glaze is amazing plain but the adventurous may want to try the cinnamon or curry variations. 

This vegetarian soup is easy to make because it has only a few ingredients.  This is the easiest from scratch soup you will ever make.     
Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup
1 butternut squash
olive oil
salt and pepper
3 –4 cups vegetable broth (part water is fine)
2 apple, peeled and shredded (or 1 cup plain applesauce, no added suagr)
1-2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
Yogurt or cream for garnish.

Preheat oven to 450˚.  Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds with a spoon.  Rub well with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place cut-side down on a rimmed baking pan and roast 30-40 minutes until very tender.  Allow squash to cool a bit before handling.

Scoop out roasted squash into a medium saucepan.  Mash together with shredded apple or applesauce.  Slowly stir in 1 cup vegetable broth and wine if using.  Soup can be pureed at this stage.  If using a blender, be sure soup is cool enough to allow pureeing.   Now add remaining vegetable broth to bring soup to desired consistency. Heat, stirring frequently and taste for seasoning.

Other vegetables that can be added to this soup: cooked parsnips, sweet potato, carrots, ripe peeled pear

Holiday Endive Salad Bites
1 endive, leaves pulled from base (about 15 leaves) or inner leaves from a head of romaine lettuce plus:
1/2 head each of red leaf lettuce, radicchio and romaine
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/2 cup almonds or roasted pumpkin seeds
1 recipe Creamy Orange Salad Dressing

Shred romaine and radicchio or cut into 1/2 centimeter  slices to  create long thin strands. You are going for a home-made cole slaw consistency (not diced). Toss with dressing.  Add in dried fruit and nuts.  Allow salad to rest a few minutes or up to an hour, chilled.

Scoop a generous tablespoon into each endive leaf.  Arrange on a platter for guests to eat with their hands.

This is a variation on buttermilk dressing that uses a bit of orange juice and honey to compliment the dried fruits in the salad.  For those who like orange creamsicles, this is your dressing.
Creamy Orange Salad Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and toss with salad greens. 

If you have never made your own cranberry sauce, this glaze is a nice foray into the simplicity of cooked cranberries.
Fruit Kabobs with Cranberry-Orange Glaze
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup cranberry juice (or water)
Skewered fruit: apples, firm ripe pears, melon, pineapple, seedless grapes (about 3-4 cups)

Over medium heat in a small saucepan, heat cranberries until they soften and release their pectin (mixture will begin to thicken).  Add marmalade and cranberry juice and cook until well integrated and heated through.  Allow mixture to cool then puree with an immersion blender, small food processor or blender.  You can also pass the glaze through a sieve in a pinch. 
Use the glaze plain or try one of these seasonings:
1) Cinnamon, ginger, white pepper, pinch salt
2) Curry powder
Toss fruit in glaze then skewer and serve.  Note: this can be served as a fruit salad in bowls with the glaze added over individual servings.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It's All Gravy This Month

Thanksgiving is busy but it can also be a good time to teach someone in your family about pure foods cooking techniques.  If you are making gravy, invite your favorite young relative over to the stove and show them how to turn a roux into gravy and point out that the technique is the same when making white sauce.  Instead of turkey drippings and flour, white sauce uses butter and flour.  Instead of broth, white sauce uses warm  milk.  Adding cheese turns this into cheese sauce.  Full circle – your new sous chef will not rely on cream of mushroom soup for casseroles or processed macaroni and cheese mixes in the future.  You have given someone a very nice gift that will last a long time.

If you are uncertain of your own gravy making expertise, try a batch before the big day.  Not only will you be ready to show someone else, you will have extra gravy on hand for the day and days ahead (hello open faced-turkey sandwiches!). 

I buy turkey parts including necks, backs and wings a few days ahead. Ask at the meat counter if you don’t see these in the meat case.  Not every supermarket puts boney parts out but will package up these trimmings if you ask.  I roast them with a few broth-making vegetables while I’m making a weeknight dinner.  After dinner, I finish the gravy from the roasted meat and vegetables.  With little effort, I end up with enough additional gravy to keep any household from pulling out the powdered gravy mixes.  The gravy freezes well so I can make this ahead of time. 

Here’s how to make extra gravy, Thanksgiving Day gravy,  white sauce and a wonderful cheese sauce.   I also make a mushroom sauce for the vegetarians at our Thanksgiving table.  The day is really a vegetarian’s delight if you remember to make a few dishes without meat-based ingredients.  This “gravy” gets high marks from everyone and is a nice sauce to know next time you are serving beef.  (Cover your ears, Brooke!)

Days Ahead Extra Gravy
1-2 lbs inexpensive turkey parts- look for necks, backs, wings
2 celery stalks
2 carrots, scrubbed but unpeeled
1 medium onion, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 cup red or white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425˚.  Rinse turkey and pat dry.  Lay turkey parts with vegetables in a large roasting pan.  Shake some salt and pepper over everything.  Pour olive oil over vegetables.  Roast for 35-45 minutes until turkey is cooked and vegetables and skin have begun to caramelize.   Occasionally baste the turkey parts with pan juices.  Lift out turkey and vegetables and place in a large pot.  Do not rinse the roasting pan. 

Add the water or chicken broth to the pot.  Add 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.  If using water, also add 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Simmer for 1 hour to make a light broth.   When broth is ready, place roasting pan on burners (you will cover two burners) and gently heat drippings over medium-low heat.  When warm but not bubbling, stir in flour.  Now keep stirring to ensure that the flour is completely coated and beginning to brown.  If mixture appears oily, add more flour a teaspoon at a time.  Once flour has browned, turn up the heat to medium.  If using wine, add now.  Then whisk in warm broth, a cup at a time. Keep whisking until all ingredients are well mixed and gravy is beginning to thicken.  Now keep stirring until gravy reaches your desired consistency.  It will take a few minutes for the flour to fully activate and cook. Taste for salt and pepper.  Let gravy cool before refrigerating or freezing.


Thanksgiving Gravy
Not much different than extra gravy,  this is made while the turkey rests after roasting.  While it is resting, check the turkey for any accumulated juices.  They belong in the gravy and you can add them at the end as an extra flavor fillip.  Having a gravy separator is nice but if you don’t you can skim the fat off the drippings with a soup spoon. 

Gravy drippings from roasted bird.
Turkey neck, giblets
2 cups water or a 14-oz can of chicken or turkey broth
1-2 stalks celery
bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup red or white wine

While the turkey cooks, place the neck and giblets (if using) in a small pan with celery tops, a bay leaf, dried thyme and water or broth.  Simmer the turkey parts and celery for at least an hour while the big bird cooks.  (If you forget this step, you can make gravy with canned broth and a little dried thyme.)

When the bird is out of the oven and resting, pour the drippings into a separator or soup bowl and let fat rise to the top.  Do not rinse or clean the roasting pan.  Pour or spoon out the risen fat and return it to the roasting pan. Place the pan over two burners over low heat.  Add flour to the warming fat when warm but not bubbling. You will need about the same amount of flour as fat to create the roux.   Stir to ensure that the flour is completely coated and beginning to brown.  If mixture appears oily, add more flour a teaspoon at a time.  Once flour has browned,  turn up the heat to medium and add wine if using.  Next, whisk in warm broth, a cup at a time. Keep whisking until all ingredients are well mixed and gravy is beginning to thicken. It will take a few minutes for the flour to fully activate and cook. When it has reached your desired consistency, taste for salt and pepper.

White Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup warm milk
salt and pepper

In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add flour and stir to combine.  Keep stirring while flour cooks (about 2 minutes).  Next whisk in warm milk and stir vigorously until all ingredients are incorporated and sauce is smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Many people use white pepper to preserve the smooth appearance but others, like me, like to see the specks of black pepper. 

Cheese Sauce
Prepare the white sauce above.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss, etc).   Return to low heat and stir until cheese has melted.  Use immediately over pasta, vegetables, rice and other grains.


Mushroom Sauce
1/2 cup loosely packed dried mushroom (porcini, shitake, etc)
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
squeeze of lemon or a splash of a dry white wine
salt, pepper
1 –2 teaspoons soy sauce

Place dried mushrooms in a small bowl filled with the hot water.  Add dried thyme to rehydrate along with the mushrooms.  Cover bowl and let sit 15-20 minutes until water is tinted with mushroom’s color. And mushrooms are soft.  This is the broth you will use in the sauce.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the fresh mushrooms.  Sauté until mushrooms have softened and browned a bit. Add salt and pepper, lemon (or wine).  Now cover the pan and lower the heat so that juices accumulate.  Cook on very low for about 5 minutes.  Remove mushrooms and pans juices to a small bowl.  Skim soaked mushrooms from broth and combine with fresh cooked mushrooms. 

In the same skillet, melt butter over low heat.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour to create a roux.  Let roux cook a minute or two more then whisk in the mushroom broth and keep stirring until everything is combined and the sauce is smoothing out.  Add the dried and fresh mushrooms and let sauce cook and thicken over low heat, stirring occasionally.  The roux really needs this few minutes to activate and thicken the sauce.  Now taste for seasoning and add soy sauce 1 teaspoon at a time to add a bit of depth.  

The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for a day or two.  It also freezes reasonably well.  As with any frozen sauce or soup, check the seasoning after reheating.



A handful of sauces from one technique that can really take you places.

Cranberry Green Tea Soda

I could tell you that this holiday drink is good for you because it contains green tea and that the cranberry juice brand I use was one of the first to recognize the marketplace wisdom of replacing fructose with real sugar (beet and cane).  The truth is I get really thirsty on Thanksgiving.  The kitchen is warm, full of activity and there is lots of visiting and running around to coordinate family arrivals at train and bus stations.  To stay hydrated it’s nice to have a festive and tasty alternative to water (my #1 go-to beverage) and later to the wine that will be flowing at the Thanksgiving table.   

Cranberry Green Tea Soda is also easy to make so it qualifies for a day of more complicated matters.  And don’t leave this master recipe behind after the holiday.  You can replace highly sweetened sodas with soft drinks like this one everyday.  Even diet soda drinkers may get over their chemical fix this way. 

Cranberry Green Tea Soda
2 cups green tea or other herbal tea made with 3 tea bags

2 cups cranberry juice

1 cup sparkling grape juice  (replace with 1 cup seltzer and squeeze of lime for a lower calorie count)

Ice

Brew tea and allow to cool.    I use two green tea bags and one ginger tea bag but you can stick with all green tea or try a fall-flavor like apple and cinnamon.  When tea is cool mix with cranberry juice and sparkling grape juice.  Serve over ice. 

72 calories per 8oz serving

During the 19^th century, pharmacists blended all types of flavorings with carbonated and mineral waters to create “health” drinks.  While no longer considered life-giving elixirs, homemade soft drinks can be purer drinks than store-bought and within your reach.  If you like flavored iced teas, try brewing your own and adding a splash of fruit nectar or juice.  Mango, peach and apricot nectars are stocked at most supermarkets and taste fresh and good in both iced tea concoctions and plain sparkling waters.

This year, try to change one thing you eat or drink daily and that you know is not so real to a pure food. 

Long Live the Fall Vegetable

Late fall harvests in the northeast include some of winter’s favorite keepers.  Most of the season I’ll have to get my winter squashes and root vegetables from the supermarket, driven in from a warmer climate.  But while I can, I am gathering a supply of local vegetables.  By Thanksgiving, many farmers markets will close down. Before they do, stop by one last time to gather up a bevy of vegetables that will keep long term in cool storage.  Some vendors sell the end of their harvest by the bushel so you can eat pure and save a penny too.

The photos here show a representative sampling of the cornucopia I’m storing this year.  Acorn squash and cooking pumpkins will get roasted into side dishes with a bit of butter and maple syrup or put into a soup with the Northern Spye and Stayman Winesap apples in storage. Northern Spye are particularly good keepers and are terrific baked in pies. I was surprised to learn from the experts at Hopkins Farms in Pennsylvania  that butternut squash would also keep well, but I will probably go these first.  Likewise, I was pleased to learn from that the Brussels sprouts I bought would hold well too provided I kept the individual sprouts on the stalk until use.  Potatoes, onions and beets will also go into cool storage, separated from each other. 

Dampness is the enemy.  Hopkins Farms advises its customers to place the vegetables in an open weave basket or plastic milk crates.  Then find a cool, dry spot in your house.  Houses used to have root cellars where cool crops were stored in crates or a mound of dirt.  Unheated garages, unfinished (not damp!) basements, a closed-in porch and even a dark corner of an unused (and unheated) spare bedroom are suitable today.  Move the vegetables when guests arrive and the heat comes on. 

Check your horde over every once in a while to ensure no mold is growing and by all means, use this wonderful bounty.  Plan to pull something from the collection to use in a few meals each week.

Dessert Challenge: Pure Vs. Processed

Pure food cooking does not neglect the sweet side.  In fact, if you’ve been tempted a bit too much in recent years by sugar-laden processed cakes and cookies with mystery ingredients, one sure fire way to cure yourself of the habit is to start eating real baked goods made from pure ingredients.  This is a good example of retraining your taste buds.  Limit yourself to a few well-made desserts and sweets per week and the packaged cookies high in sweeteners and black-listed fats won’t hold as much appeal. 

This recipe for Autumn Pear-Banana Bread is perfect for fall, using pears and bananas to replace some of the sugar and fat and yogurt for a nice dose of dairy.  If you have wanted to try baking with honey, you’ll find this is an easy primer.  The original recipe used some brown sugar and to get that deeper flavor a small amount of molasses is included with the honey.

This is a quick bread, mixed together and baked into a sliceable loaf that tastes good warmed up or at room temperature.  It is also a very forgiving kid-friendly recipe. Make it really easy by taking the butter out of the refrigerator early in the day so it is soft and easy to work with.  My husband thought there was chocolate in the recipe due to a hint of a cocoa flavor.  The dark satisfying taste actually comes from the molasses and a combination of spices including cinnamon and a very small pinch of ground clove.  If you’ve been buying “pumpkin pie spice” instead of the individual spices you’ll find the elements of the blend in nice proportion here.

Autumn Pear Banana Bread
1/4 cup unsalted butter (4oz) at room temperature
1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat white flour*) 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 t powdered ginger

1/4 t ground nutmeg

pinch ground cloves (a pinch is just shy of 1/8 teaspoon)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 t baking soda

2 cups total over-ripened banana and pears (2 bananas, 2 pears)

Preheat oven to 325˚.  Grease a loaf pan with vegetable oil. 

With a electric beater on low or a fork, beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Mix in honey and molasses.  Add vanilla, egg and yogurt.  Make sure ingredients are completely blended.  In a separate bowl combine flour with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda.  In a third bowl, mix together chopped pears and mashed bananas.  Add flour mixture to butter-honey mixture and combine with a spatula. Add pear-banana mixture by hand with spatula.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake at 325˚ for 55-60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.   Allow quick bread to cool in the loaf pan to retain maximum moisture.

Slice and serve.  

Also good as a breakfast bread with peanut butter.

*King Arthur has a flour blend called white whole wheat flour which is 100% whole wheat but may be more easily substituted for unbleached all-purpose flour than regular whole wheat flour.  This flour can also be found under the name whole wheat pastry flour at natural food stores.  

More fulfilling (not just filling) desserts and snacks promised in future posts as the “dessert challenge” progresses.

Hardly Sufferin' Succotash

Zucchini is still looking good at markets and if you haven’t had the pure foods experience of one cooked whole, your will be delighted by the stepped-up flavor. Zucchini is a water-rich vegetable and while it stands up well to grilling, weeps out a bit when sliced and sautéed. Steaming the whole vegetable results in a firmer texture with more depth.

Look for small to medium sized squash that will fit inside a large skillet or pot.  Wash them in cool running water, using a good shake of salt to gently scrub away any dirt without damaging the delicate skin.  Next place a steaming basket in a large skillet with a lid and fill the skillet with water no higher than the basket’s bottom.  Cover and steam the zucchini 6-8 minutes until the vegetable yields easily to a knife or skewer.  Zucchini are now ready for a few nice side dishes and snacks.  Slice and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for a few days for an instant snack or salad ingredient.

Edamame Succotash combines steamed zucchini, corn and edamame in a light sauce.  Serve it over polenta squares or with pork, chicken and fish dishes.  I substitute edamame, shelled green soy beans, for  the lima beans often used in succotash. The dish gets a velvety texture from a bit of light cream.  One great bonus of eating pure foods is that you can include luxurious ingredients without guilt.  (You haven’t been eating processed junk today, have you?)  Do not on any account substitute altered milk products like the oxymoronic fat-free half-n-half.  You are introducing too many additives to create the desired viscosity.  If you cannot bring yourself to add light cream yet, keep your ingredients pure with plain low-fat milk and a teaspoon of corn starch mixed in before adding it do the skillet.

Edamame Succotash

2 medium zucchini, steamed and sliced

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 cup frozen edamame (shelled)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 /4 cup light cream

In a large skillet over hight heat, combine corn, edamame and 1/4 cup water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Drain any excess water, lower heat to simmer and add butter with sliced zucchini. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  When all the vegetables are heated through, turn heat to medium and add cream.  Stir gently to combine and allow sauce to bubble and thicken a bit.  Serve immediately.

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If you are tempted by junk foods as the sun sets and dinner seems too far away, substitute the chips, bars and cookies with steamed zucchini slices dipped in a herb-yogurt blend.  A late afternoon snack or appetizer that combines a good carb and some dairy can help transition you out of a late day low. You can bring this to work to help fend off the attack of the vending machine. 

Zucchini Appetizer

1 medium steamed zucchini

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dill, chives

squeeze of lemon

salt and pepper

Sliced zucchini lengthwise, then in half.  Cut halves into finger-sized slices.  Combine yogurt and remaining ingredients.  Serve zucchini with dip on the side.  Letting the yogurt sit a bit will allow the dried herbs to re-hydrate into the yogurt base.

Lunch Special

When was the last time you had a real chicken sandwich?  Was Easter your most recent taste of ham “off the bone”?  Did you know you could make inexpensive roast beef sandwiches from an easy-to-slice eye round at home?

A Harris Poll completed last month reports that 47% of us are saving money this year by brown-bagging more.  The number has held firm since at least last June.  One of the best ways to increase the “pure quotient” in those lunches is to replace sodium-rich processed cold cuts with meats you make easily yourself from high quality larger cuts. 

Planned leftovers like chicken, turkey, ham, pork and beef make the best sandwich meats and are less expensive than pre-sliced cold cuts.  Your family will also benefit from less handling by others as well as lower sodium content.  Bake a few extra chicken breasts with dinner tonight and thinly slice the leftovers tomorrow for a tender sandwich with lettuce and tomato. In the summer, we stuff these with basil leaves for a sublime midday meal.  Chicken breasts normally sell in my area for about $1.49/pound.  Last week they were $1.29.  I stocked up, cooked some and froze the rest in 2-4 piece servings. 

Holiday hams are going on sale soon and many supermarkets run promotions that earn you a ham or turkey.  Leftover turkey sandwiches are a natural after Thanksgiving but often forgotten the rest of the year.  Stash a sale-priced turkey breast or ham in the freezer for a future meal followed by a week’s worth of sandwich fixin’s.   Large sizes can be cut into smaller portions before freezing so small families can take advantage of this pure technique.

Look for sales on pork loin, pork tenderloin and lean cuts of beef like eye round.  Buy a slightly larger size and after you enjoy the roast for dinner you can thinly slice the cold meat for sandwiches.  Here’s how to cook an eye round for rare roast beef and a few nice sandwich combos to try out this month.

Eye Round Roast Beef

2 –3 pound eye round

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450˚ and remove meat from refrigerator to allow it to take the chill off while oven preheats.  Lightly grease a roasting pan with a thin coating of oil.   Pat any excess moisture from meat and place in roasting pan.  Coat the top and sides of beef with mustard and cover mustard with black pepper.  Place pan in preheated oven than immediately reduce temperature to 325˚.  Roast until beef reaches an internal temperature of 140˚ for medium rare, 135˚ for a bit more rare.  Remove roast and allow ti to rest undisturbed for at least 15 minutes before slicing. 

A 2-pound roast will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes but begin checking with an instant read thermometer after 1 hour. (Meat will continue to cook and final temperature will increase as meat rests.)

Sandwich combos that will leave your co-workers hungry for pure food too:

• Roast beef with horseradish-Greek yogurt-mayonaise dressing on an onion roll
• Sliced pork, Swiss cheese, relish or chutney (try Major Grey’s) on a baguette
• Sliced chicken breast with mayonnaise spiked with dried dill and basil on whole grain
• Ham with mustard and apricot jam (1 teaspoon of each) on rye
• Turkey, avocado, fresh cilantro and lettuce in a flour tortilla wrap-salsa optional.

Falling for Apples

A great way to encourage children to try new things is to invite them to try new varieties of things they already like.  Fall apples are a perfect opportunity.  While you can buy apples year round, some varieties are only available for a short time and that’s now.  Local orchards and farmers markets offer more unusual apples in the fall and even your supermarket will have a larger choice.  Names like Macoun, Jersey Black and Roxbury Russet rub elbows with the more familiar Granny Smith, McIntosh and Delicious flavors.

Bring home an old favorite and a few new cultivars to try.  You can set up a competition judging for your family to select its favorite in a blind taste test.  Place each variety on its own plate.  Cut slices from each and hide the name under the plate.  Try the apples alone or with a bite of cheddar cheese.

Some very juicy and sweet apples are better for eating. Some are firmer and pleasantly tart.  These hold up well to cooking in pies and applesauce.  I made the applesauce in the photo here last night from two types of apple that we love to eat and cook with: Jonagold and Stayman Winesap.  Jonagolds are large and are a cross between the Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples.  Stayman Winesaps are dark red and dense.  They provide a tartness that adults enjoy raw and mellows beautifully in pies.

Applesauce is easy to make.  Even with many good store brands available,  homemade is still special and a bit of a revelation to little ones.  This recipe uses a little brown sugar but you can substitute white granulated sugar or honey—or even leave out the sugar entirely.  After you’ve tried the basic recipe, make up your own variations or try some of the ones below using other fruits and natural flavors.

Applesauce is a quick and simple snack.  Layered with chopped nuts and yogurt, it is a breakfast with lasting power. A cup or two of chunky applesauce can be rolled into filo dough to make a quick and elegant dessert (or terrific pop tart replacement in the morning). I also like it as a side dish with pork.

Simple Applesauce

yield: about 2 cups

4 apples

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1-2 tablespoons water

squeeze of lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

Peel apples and cut large chunks away from the core.  Chop chunks into smaller pieces.  The smaller the pieces, the finer the sauce and faster it will cook.  Place apples into a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with remaining ingredients.  Cook over low heat until apples are softened, stirring as needed.  Cover with a lid and allow to cook on low.   For a chunky applesauce, the applesauce is ready when apples are tender to the bite.  For a smoother applesauce, cook on low until apples break down.  The water in the mixture will prevent the apples from burning before they release their juice. If your applesauce is too thin, remove the cover and cook down to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before storing in refrigerator or enjoy warm.  When cooled, use an immersion blender or food processor to create a smooth consistency or leave your applesauce chunky and enjoy it as a topping for oatmeal and in yogurt parfaits.

Fun and Fruity variations:

• Frozen or fresh berries- strawberries, blueberries or cherries.  Puree a handful and add to applesauce to add flavor and change the color.

• Cranberries—cook a cup of cranberries with 1/3 cup sugar until cranberries are soft. Puree and add to applesauce as above.  This is a fun Thanksgiving mid-morning treat with a shake or nutmeg on top.

• Peeled and cored pears can be substituted for apples or can be cooked together for Pear-Applesauce.

Making It Your Own

I make soup frequently, especially as the days get shorter and the nights colder. It’s not hard to make a batch to eat all week or freeze for another time. If you’d like to try making your own too, minestrone is a great choice.

Minestrone is the ultimate vegetable soup. It allows personal variation and is really easy to make using a good broth and simple, pure vegetables like carrots, green beans, celery and zucchini. The result is a crowd pleaser that you'll return to all year long as different vegetables come into season. I started adapting the minestrone recipe from the 1980 edition of the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook almost as soon as I tried it. This is a very reliable cookbook with excellent technique and I only disagree in a few areas—one of which is bouillon cubes. I prefer low-sodium canned broths if I don’t have time to make my own stock. I also add a few extra herbs and pasta to my version and switch out the beans to try different ones in the soup. Sometimes I have time to use dried beans but mostly I use low-sodium canned white kidney beans.

Here’s my house minestrone. Use the technique as a base and add or subtract an item or two to make your own signature dish. Leave out any vegetables you don’t like but try it once with the cabbage and spinach. Also, feel free to add any leftover or favorite vegetables to the mix. The vegetables can be chopped fairly large. They’ll stand up well to the long simmer and give you a stew-like feel. This is a big soup, suitable as an entrée served with bread and cheese or a salad.

If you are pressed for time, chop the vegetables a day ahead. You will be amazed at how relaxing it is to cook with pre-prepped ingredients.

Minestrone
1-2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery, scrubbed, peeled and sliced
1 cup green beans (a large handful), in 3 cm pieces
8 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 16-oz can tomatoes (no-salt)
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1-2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
2 cups chopped cabbage (about 1/2 head)
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup uncooked pasta (small shapes like ditilini) or rice
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
garnish: fresh basil leaves, torn in pieces or cut julienne-style

In a large soup pot (or Dutch oven) heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté over medium heat onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and green beans until tender and just starting to brown. This will take 15-20 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes and wine (if using). Stir together, breaking up tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add zucchini, cabbage and dried herbs. (If using rice instead of pasta, add uncooked rice at this stage.) Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook 30-40 minutes until vegetables are very tender.

Remove cover, add uncooked pasta and drained beans. Cook on low heat until pasta is ready, about 10-12 minutes. If not using pasta, allow beans to heat and cook down a few minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in cheese and spinach.

Serve immediately with basil and extra cheese or cool and store in refrigerator overnight to allow flavors to develop. This soup freezes quite well.


Note: you can skip the rice/pasta step if you have cooked leftovers. Just add 1/2-1 cup with the beans.

If you like pesto, the basil-parmesan-pine nut sauce, try pistou for an extra punch of freshness in your minestrone instead of the grated cheese and basil leaf garnish. In a small food processor, finely chop a cup of fresh basil leaves and a clove of garlic. Add 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly. Finish with a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a small bowl with a spoon so everyone can dribble a bit into his or her soup. This makes a delicious bread dip too so you may want to double the recipe.