Thanksgiving Day can be a day filled with family and/or friends or one can have a quiet day with just two or four to enjoy the season. This year my Sweetheart and I will be celebrating together... just us two. Oh, with our new members of the family…two cats. ;-)
We have chosen an easy menu that can be accomplished over the next week up to the big day and lots of leftovers (not so much if there are four) but easy to make over the week.
Here’s the menu:
Roasted Chicken
Mushroom Gravy
Classic Bread Dressing
Brussels Sprout Salad
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
And for dessert:
The Perfect Pecan Pie with Spiced Sour Cream
First off is the turkey…. or in our case a big fat pastured chicken grown especially for us by some dear friends.
Roasted Brined Spatchcock Chicken
1 6# organic pastured chicken
4 dried bay leaves
12 crushed black peppercorns
6 crushed juniper berries
1 tsp coriander & fennel seeds, crushed
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 quarts warm water
1 C salt
1 C white sugar
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
First off, wash the chicken inside and out, then give it a massage with a little salt! You really want the skin to be very clean and fresh. Wash salt off and pat dry. Let the bird rest while you are preparing the brine. Combine 1 qt. of water and all the herbs and spices, salt and sugar and warm until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the whole chicken and the other 2 qts water and be sure the chicken is submerged. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Pat dry and refrigerate to dry cure uncovered for 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400º
Spatchcock the bird and massage the oil into the skin, sprinkle with pepper and bake approximately 60-90 minutes or until the breast and thigh registers 165º. Let rest uncovered 15-20 minutes.
Savory Stuffing by way of Vegetarian Times
Serves 6
6 slices each sourdough & whole wheat bread (I use 1# loaves), cubed and dried
3 T unsalted butter
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 C vegetable broth
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread bread cubes on baking sheet, and bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown. Cool. Let dry at least overnight or more, the cubes need to be really dry. Place in large bowl. Can be kept for a few days.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with oil or butter.
Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat then add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until translucent, stirring frequently. Stir chopped herbs into onion mixture, and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Stir onion mixture into bread cubes in bowl. Add broth, and stir until bread cubes are soaked through. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and bake 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned and crunchy on top.
Easy Gravy by way of Oh My Veggies
Makes 2 Cups
1 T olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
½ tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 C medium dry sherry
3 C of stock (I use Better Than Bouillon ½ vegetable & ½ mushroom) or chicken or turkey stock, your choice
1 ½ T corn starch
2 T water
2 T butter (or Earth Balance)
1/8 tsp black pepper
Heat oil in a skillet on medium, add onion, thyme and salt and saute until onion is softened, add criminis and cook until liquid cooks off, add sherry and stock and boil until reduced by 1/3. Add the corn starch. Add water slurry, reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and pepper.
Raw Brussels Sprout Salad by way of FarmgirlFare
Dressing (1 cup):
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
¼ C neutral oil like Saffola
1/4 C lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 T capers (no need to rinse)
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 C Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place ingredients a jar, cap and shake well until combined.
Salad:
1 pound Brussels Sprouts, outer leaves trimmed, cored and thinly sliced longways
1/2 C freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
1/2 C chopped fresh chives or finely chopped scallions (green parts only)
Salt and pepper to taste (lightly season)
2/3 C dried cranberries
½ C slivered almonds, toasted
Combine Brussels Sprouts, cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Add cranberries and almonds just before adding dressing.
Cranberry Ginger Relish
1 C brewed ginger or spiced tea (like Constant Comment)
1/2 C orange juice preferably organic
1 C white sugar
3″ piece cinnamon stick, slightly cracked
12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 T orange zest
Combine the tea, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon. Boil and cook down until semi-thick. Add the cranberries and cook on a medium low heat until tender, thickened and some of the cranberries are popped. Let sit until cooled.
Stir in orange zest and refrigerate. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving. Will keep for at least a week. This keeps really well for at least a week in the fridge.
We may have rolls or not. We really don’t need them! But for dessert it will be the perfect pecan pie!
So, my schedule is
Sunday: Look over your recipes and be sure you have all the ingredients!!! Make the cranberry sauce and dry cubed bread (it needs to be really dry), pull the chicken out of the freezer and put in fridge.
Monday: Chop, slice, dice or toast everything you can (not the Brussels Sprouts). Make the pie pastry or just buy some!
Tuesday: Make the Brussels Sprout salad and dressing but wait to add the dressing, cranberries and almonds until ready to serve. Wash the chicken and scrub with coarse salt then wash off the scrub. Make the brine and refrigerate both separately.
Wednesday: Morning, put the chicken in the brine. Evening, take chicken out of brine and wash and dry it really well and put back in the fridge uncovered to dry cure. Put the pie together and bake. Saute the celery and onions for the dressing.
Thursday: Spatchcock and cook the chicken and dressing. Drink some wine and enjoy the day.
Have a great holiday with family and/or friends or just in solitude!
P. S. I really, really super strongly dislike creating a diary in DK5. :-(