Get Stuffed

I have no intention of telling you how to cook your turkey. But I can give you some ideas for dressing and stuffing.

I love the Barefoot Contessa's Sausage and Herb Stuffing recipe below, though I am omitting her suggestion of 1 cup dried cranberries because I like to make up a pot of cranberry relish for the table (a pack of fresh cranberries, a cup or two of sugar and a few slivers of freshly pared orange rind cooked together gently for 20 minutes or so).

Ina Garten's dressing complements Paula Deen's selection of cornbread stuffings, but forgive me, girls, I have opted for my grandmother's simple recipe this time.

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 pound loaf)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
2 granny smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

In the same sauté pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

Add the chicken stock to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle.

Old Ma Grant's Home Country Stuffing

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup onion, finely sliced
handful each of celery leaves and parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, sage and rosemary
1/2 loaf day-old white bread, grated to crumbs
sautéed turkey livers, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter. Add onion and cook until tender. Mix in bread, liver, celery leaves and herbs, and bind with the two beaten eggs (mixed with a little water if the bread is particularly dry). Season with salt and pepper. Fill the bird loosely, allowing space for expansion during cooking.

Succotash

At Thanksgiving I like to pay tribute to our Native American heritage, and this beautiful, healthy side is an excellent contrast to the turkey. Some succotash recipes are heavy on the cream and butter, which is great as a vegetarian main, but can be a little too much at Thanksgiving.

My recipe gives a more refreshing succotash, and here's a bonus: prepare it ahead of time - in fact it just improves as the flavors mingle.

Ingredients for 4 people

3 ears of corn, unshucked
1 10-oz package frozen baby lima beans
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons butter
handful torn fresh basil leaves (or flat-leaf parsley)
Salt and pepper

Method

Add unshucked corn to pan of boiling, salted water and cook for 3 minutes. Unshuck corn and strip kernels from cobs. Sweat onion in butter in a pan large enough to add the frozen beans. When onion is translucent add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes. Add salt, freshly ground pepper and the corn kernels, and cook for a couple of minutes more. Allow to cool and add the basil.

On the day reheat the dish gently until warmed through.

Giving thanks Jesse-style

Thanksgiving week is upon us again! I hope to be surrounded by friends and family over the coming days, and I thought it would be good to share the recipes I plan to include in my own celebrations. So please spare a few minutes of your own precious time in the next few days to look over my site because I'll be including some time-saving tips to get us all through the week stress free.

Let's get the party off to a punchy start with this simple (and simply delicious) classic cocktail.

Cosmopolitan - serves 2

1/3 cup premium Vodka
1 tbsp Triple Sec orange liqueur
1/3 cup cranberry juice
couple dashes lime juice

Shake all ingredients with plenty of ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into two frozen Martini glasses and serve immediately.

(I notice that clever old Martha suggests serving with a little skewer of frozen, candied cranberries, and I must say this is great for keeping your drink cool. Here's a quick way: spread 2 cups of washed cranberries on a baking tray and sprinkle with 2 cups of sugar. Place in oven preheated to 275 degrees F. Bake for an hour, watching and turning occasionally. Thread onto cocktail sticks (4 per stick), freeze in a sealed bag or container until required.

Leek Pies

This recipe is a good solution when you have vegetarians and omnivores coming for dinner. Makes one big pie or six small ones, but take care to seal the edges well to avoid a leak in your leek pie!

Filling Ingredients

1 lb leeks, washed carefully and chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Fresh herbs (thyme and sage go well), salt and pepper
1/2 stick butter
2 eggs
Small pot heavy cream

Melt butter in a skillet and sweat leeks and onions. Season generously and set aside to cool slightly. Beat eggs and mix in cream.

Shortcrust Pastry

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 egg
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons iced water

Cut butter into sifted flour and salt. Fork beat egg and water. Stir into flour, gently and quickly mix into a ball.

Now here's a technique I've developed based on the French method of 'fraisage' that I'd like to share with you. Put your rough dough into a plastic food bag of a reasonable size. Place it on a counter or pastry board and using the palm of your hand smear the pastry within its bag across the board. Do this a few times and you will have a more homogeneous and therefore well-behaved dough. Chill the dough for an hour.

Grease a 12-inch pie dish (or 6 individual 4 1/2-inch dishes) generously with butter. Divide the dough into two pieces, one a little larger than the other. Roll out the dough as thinly as you can. Use the larger piece to line one 12-inch pie dish, or 6 individual 4-inch dishes, and the smaller piece to create a lid or lids.

Combine the leek mixture with the eggs and cream in a jug, and pour this into your mold(s). Dampen the edges of the dough. Cover with lid(s) and press together firmly to create a constant seal Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes to set pastry then lower to 400 degrees for a further 10 minutes (small pies) or 20 minutes (large pie).

Serve hot, though the pie is also great cold for a picnic.

Jesse's Home-Made Ice Cream

I am guardian to the son of a late friend of mine. Philip doesn't really need a guardian any more, he's all grown up. But I can't risk not having some of his favorite ice cream in the freezer, just in case he turns up unexpectedly...

Ingredients

1 small can of condensed milk
1/4 pint heavy cream
1/4 pint milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar

- makes 1 1/4 pint

Method

Heat milk in a heavy-bottomed pan. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence. Pour over milk and cook very gently until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, being careful not to let the egg scramble. Cool. Whip cream. Stir condensed milk into egg mixture, then fold in cream.

Churn in an ice-cream maker.

Note on ice-cream makers: there are many models out there, but the one I love is my inexpensive little Cuisinart machine. You just store the bowl in the freezer so it is always ready to make ice cream, with no need for ice.

Beef Stew

I'm spending a few days on the East Coast, in Jersey City. My friend's apartment has a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline from the dinner table. What better way to enjoy a beef stew as the temperature plummets.

This recipe is taken from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Child, Bertholle, Beck). It would be arrogant of me to try to improve on perfection, and this recipe lives up to my promise of not taxing the beginner. It is simplicity itself.

Ingredients and method for 6 people

3 lbs lean stewing steak cut into 2 1/2" squares (chuck or blade, for example)
1/2 pint dry white wine, dry white vermouth or red wine
1/8 pint brandy
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme or sage
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 lb thinly sliced onions
1/2 lb thinly sliced carrots

Place all ingredients in an earthenware bowl and marinate at room temperature for 3 hours, stirring frequently.

1/2 lb streaky bacon, diced
6 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced and chopped (or a few squirts of tomato puree)
4 oz sifted flour on a plate
1/2 pint beef stock

Remove the beef from the marinade and drain it through a sieve, retaining all juices/ingredients. Roll the chunks of meat in the flour and shake off excess.

Line the bottom of an ovenproof casserole with some of the bacon. Stew a handful of the marinated vegetables, plus some mushrooms and tomato over it. Place a layer of beef over the vegetables. Repeat the layers until all ingredients have been used, ending with a layer of vegetables and some bacon. Pour the marinade over the mixture, and fill nearly to the top with stock.

Bring to simmering point on top of stove, then transfer to a warm oven (325 degrees) for 3-4 hours. (The meat is done when a for perces it easily. Skim fat from casserole. Correct seasoning.

This stew can be made ahead of time and reheated. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice, and greens or a green salad - oh and the panorama of Manhattan.

Flapjacks

Not pancakes but a type of oat bar - another recipe from my Scots-Irish ancestors. I have the builders in at the moment and they'll do anything (well, almost) for flapjacks and good coffee. A note on butter: don't try to fake it, find real European butter or Plugra - they have a lower water content and this is important for the authentic, dense, chewy experience.

Ingredients

2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons syrup (or 1 tablespoon syrup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup)
1 cup (densely packed) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tin (about 8" x 12") with baking parchment.

Melt butter, syrup and sugar slowly. Remove from heat. Add oats and salt. Mix well.* Empty the mixture into the prepared tin, pressing it in and smoothing flat.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and score into bite-sized pieces. Wait until cold before cutting through. (They are irresistible, but please try to avoid handling them until they are cold and caramelized or they will crumble.)

*It's not traditional, but I like to add a handful of dried fruit at this point - sour cherries or craisins work really well. Jumbo oats give added texture, but only replace a quarter of the regular oats with jumbo, or the texture won't be right - you have been warned.

Spanish Paella on the Bar-B-Que

My good friend Luiz likes to serve this traditional dish from his home country. He always cooks it outdoors.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 small chicken, jointed (chicken parts are okay too - legs, breasts, etc)
2 pork chops without bone
1 small chorizo sausage
1 Spanish onion
1 clove of garlic
3 tblspoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cups chicken stock (or large can of chicken broth)
2 medium tomatoes (or a can of diced tomatoes, undrained)
1 cup bomba paella rice
12-15 stalks of saffron
1 small cooked lobster (optional)
8-10 large shelled shrimp (optional)
12 mussels (optional)
12 or more little neck clams (optional)
1 package of frozen peas (10 oz)
1 red sweet pepper, cut into long, thin strips
12 stalks of asparagus (optional)
salt, pepper, chili

Method

In the paella pan (or a flat pan that is safe for the gas grill or bar b que) saute onion and garlic for a little while, then add the chicken, pork and chorizo, and continue frying until golden. Add half of the chicken broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add tomatoes (peeled and chopped), rice and remaining broth. Simmer 5-10 minutes.
Stir in the saffron/liquid. (To prepare the saffron you need to soak it in 3-4 tablespoons of cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes. I like to have it soaking while all the ingredients are getting chopped and prepared, to ensure a nice yellow/red liquid.)

Arrange lobster pieces, shrimp, mussels, clams, peas, asparagus and red pepper on top. Continue cooking for around 15-20 minutes, until the rice is creamy but al dente at the center, and has absorbed most of the liquid. The clams and mussels will have opened up by now (discard any that have not).

Check seasoning and serve piping hot.

Note
Many of the ingredients are optional. It all depends on your audience - you don't want to be guilty of serving pork to a vegetarian or have to rush your guest to the emergency room midway through dinner because of a seafood allergy! You can modify everything to your needs. But do not omit the core ingredients: onion, garlic, saffron rice, tomatoes, broth (though this could be vegetable stock).

It's the time of year for wild Arctic char...

Wild char is available for just a few weeks of the year – in the fall. It’s related to salmon and trout, a little more subtle than salmon and more interesting than trout, in my opinion. My local Whole Foods’ fresh fish counter had a splendid selection of fish this weekend, and I went straight for their Arctic char. I picked up some ginger root at the same time, and here’s what I came up with. Char is delicious, nutritious, sustainable and easy to cook – please give it a fair chance.

Serves 4

1½ lb Arctic char fillet

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

A generous handful of shredded scallions

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of a lemon or lime

Seasoning: chili flakes, sea salt, black pepper

6 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees or broiler to high. Smear some of the olive oil onto a large piece of foil, place char on it, skin side up. Sprinkle with ginger, scallions and seasoning. Cover with remaining olive oil and citrus juice. Fold foil in over char to make an open packet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, taking care not to overcook. Once it is cooked place fillet on a serving dish and keep warm. Tip remaining contents of the foil packet into a small pan and bring to the boil, then simmer fast for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors. Add the heavy cream and heat through to make a sauce, slackening with a little water or white wine if necessary.

Serve with some tiny steamed potatoes and a green vegetable (kale steamed with garlic is a good one).

Tip

Ginger gets ‘woody’ after being stored for a while, so when I buy a piece of root and have some left over I like to put it (whole, sliced or grated) into a jar with some rice wine vinegar, a little salt and a little sugar. Close the jar and store in your refrigerator. This instant supply of ginger will keep for many weeks, and the liquor is also fabulous added to stir fries and dressings.