Turkey Coq au Vin

This is really the same recipe as my rabbit in red wine sauce, with some proportions adjusted and some other minor tweaks. (I've learned a few things since then.)

The obvious difference is that it's made with turkey, not rabbit. Boneless turkey thigh is good because it sears well and braises well, and this recipe does both.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 boneless turkey thigh (about 2 lbs), cut into 4 oz pieces
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. coarse salt
  
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 1 small head of garlic, crushed
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
• 2 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place flour and the kosher salt into a large bowl or zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of turkey in this mixture and set aside.
   
2. In a heavy skillet, sauté the bacon slices medium-high heat until somewhat crispy. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
3. Increase the heat to high. Brown the turkey pieces in the bacon grease briefly, about 30 seconds per side, and transfer to a large casserole.
   
4. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened, adding a little olive oil if needed.
5. Once the onions begin to soften, add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture until golden. Transfer contents to the casserole.
6. Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a spatula.
   
7. Pour the deglazed wine into the casserole and combine with the rest of the wine, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
8. Crumble the bacon into the casserole and mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
9. The next day, preheat the oven to 275 ºF.
10. Cover casserole and let cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Pressure cooker fish soup

I've been playing around with my pressure cooker lately. This came out pretty well, but I'm still tweaking it. One thing that's nice is that it's absurdly easy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb frozen halibut or other white fish, in thick chunks (do not defrost)
  
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 carton low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 1 12-oz package of sliced mushrooms
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tbsp minced ginger

RECIPE:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Turn the cooker to high, and let cook for 4 minutes once pressure is reached. Use cold-water release method.

I told you it was easy.

Tzimmes Kugel

Originally called "Mrs. Feinberg's Vegetable Kugel," from a cookbook by Joan Nathan, this recipe has been an absolute fixture at family events for decades.

I have substituted safflower oil for margarine and reduced the quantity of both oil and sugar by 50%. Butter or margarine could also be used; in these cases, use 1/3 cup.

I am curious as to how this would work with crushed crackers instead of matzo meal. I'll bet water crackers would be quite similar, and graham crackers might be excellent.

We usually triple the recipe and cook it in a bundt pan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup grated raw apple
• 1 cup grated raw sweet potato
• 1 cup grated raw carrots
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1/4 cup safflower oil (or 1/3 cup margarine or butter)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sweet potatoes and carrots.
3. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add oil to vegetable mixture and combine well. Add in dry ingredients and combine well.
5. Grease a loaf pan or muffin tins and add the mixture to the pan. (You can also triple the recipe and use a bundt pan; see above.)
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes (muffins), 45 minutes (loaf) or 1 hour (bundt pan).
7. Increase heat to 350, remove foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Cabbage stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs green cabbage, finely shredded (about 1 medium head)
• 2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced
  
• Oil for sauté
• Dried mushrooms (any kind)
• 6-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine (if available)
• 4 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
  
• 1 lb pork kielbasa, sliced on a bias
• 1-3 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cover the mushrooms with boiling water. Let stand for ten minutes. Set aside, reserving the liquid. (You may want to strain it.)
2. In a heavy skillet, brown the kielbasa slices over high heat. Set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté the onions until partially caramelized. Set aside.
4. Add more oil if needed. Add the cabbage to the pan and cover for 30 seconds to wilt; repeat until it has reduced in volume by about 50%. Sauté the cabbage until partially caramelized.
5. Deglaze the pan with the wine, if using, or broth, and transfer to a soup pot.
6. Combine all ingredients in the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with sour cream and black pepper. Pairs well with bitter greens.

Seafood gumbo

This was something I just threw together with what I had in the house, so the ingredient list is rather long. I'm writing it up because my father really liked it. I might have a stab at a simplified version in the future.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 bottle of white wine
  
• 3 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 oz dried portabello mushrooms
• 1 dried pasilla chipotle pepper
• 3 medium onions, sliced
• Olive oil for sautee
  
• 28-oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
  
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium tamari
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 lb frozen peas
• 1 lb frozen cut okra
  
• 1 lb shellfish (I used Trader Joe's frozen "seafood medley")

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, immerse the mushrooms and chipotle in enough boiling water to cover; let stand covered for ten minutes. Do not drain!
2. Sauté the onions over medium-high heat until golden.
3. Meanwhile, combine broth, tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, okra, peas, tomatoes, and tamari in a soup pot.
4. Transfer the mushrooms and chipotle to the soup mixture. Strain the soaking liquid and add it to the soup.
5. Transfer the onions to the soup. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then transfer this liquid to the soup.
6. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and allow to cook, covered, for 1 hour.
7. Remove a few tablespoons of broth in a cup. Add the cornstarch and stir vigorously until dissolved. Stir back into the soup.
   
8. Add the seafood to the soup. Even if frozen, it will cook very quickly. Do not boil.

Adjust salt to taste. Keeps for several days.

Walnut herb vinaegrette

This is a variation on a salad dressing that my mother used to make us growing up. Squeezing the shallots under running water gets rid of the chemicals that give us bad breath and making us cry, leaving only a sweet, spicy note in its place. You may also opt to include them whole.

One great thing about fresh herbs is that they intensify flavors without salt, meaning that this dressing tastes a lot saltier than it is.

The classic salad with which my mother made this dressing was a bed of Boston and Romaine lettuce with chopped walnuts and aged gruyere cheese. The gruyere must reach room temperature!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar (NOT balsamic!)
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 oz (2 large) shallots, minced
• 3 tbsp walnuts
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, rough chopped
  
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, rough chopped
  
• 1/2 tbsp dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In cheesecloth, squeeze out the minced shallots under running cold water for about a minute.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender until very smooth.

Store in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature if possible.