Gravy Secrets
Friday, November 16, 2007
Gravy Secrets
Ingredients:
for each cup of gravy you need one tablespoon each of fat and
flour
Instructions:
Before hand make up some rich turkey broth, use the bones or the
organs. I like to use the bones but that means no big uncarved turkey on the
dinner table.
You can simmer turkey neck, heart, gizzard, and and some minced
onion, and celery and ½ t salt in enough water to cover until vegetables are
done.
Dice the turkey liver and use the hot broth to simmer the diced
turkey liver for about 15 minutes The turkey bones yield much more broth and
you can add more vegetables to the pan.
Don't forget to get the brownings from the pan as mom says
"that's the goodies" just after you've removed the cooked turkey and
roasting rack from the roasting pan. Strain poultry drippings through a sieve
into a 4-cup glass measuring cup.
I then use 3 tb of corn oil to stir around in the bottom of the
pan and get out the brown bits that have baked on. That gets added to my turkey
drippings and I still really "wash" the pan out with my turkey broth
if its made (or the water Im going to use in my broth if I haven't made it
yet).
To make Gravy you need three things; well seasoned fat, flour, and
good Rich broth.
For each cup of finished gravy you need one tablespoon of Fat and
one tablespoon of flour and 1 cup of broth.
The trick is to know How many cups of broth you have and to see if
you have that much fat.
If you are light on the broth end you can add some canned chicken
broth
If you are light on the fat side you can add a small amount of
corn oil,.or just save the rest of your broth for storing and reheating the
turkey.
There are a few more tricks to making good gravy. First be sure to
take the measured fat and stir into it the measured flour and then put it over
the burner. Make sure you have covered all the flour with fat and blended It well.
Then you cook the flour and fat mixture until it begins to smell
Just slightly salty. It will be bubbly and look like its just this side of
brown.
Next REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE BURNER and whisk in the entire
measured liquids.
Then return the pan to the burner and slowly bring this almost to
a boil.
Remember you already cooked the flour in the fat so all you need
to do now is stir this until it thickens up to what you like. You can let it
stay sort of thin or let it cook out until it is thicker than your Mashed
potatoes.
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Moist Glazed Ham
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
and score the fat in the traditional diamond pattern.
place it in a large roaster.
to the top of the ham just as thick and as high as you cant pack it.
it will be left in the pan to melt into the glaze
thirty to forty minutes until the brown sugar begins to melt.
the ham very gradually trying not to wash off the melting sugar.
mixture of half burgandy wine and half pineapple juice basteing every 30
minutes for 4 hours. Be sure to dip up the pan juices and spoon them back up
over the top too. The idea is to keep the meat super moist for the whole time
it is cooking.
the first 3 and a half hours and I always do if I have a lot going on and might
become distracted. This will be the best tasting ham you have every ate so be
willing to devote a little extra time to it.
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Turkey Breast Braised with Garlic and Rice
Breast Braised with Garlic and Rice
Ingredients:
1 Cup long-grain rice
1 Can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1/2 Cup white wine
2 Teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 Teaspoon each dried rosemary, thyme
and sage
1 Bay leaf
1 BONE-IN TURKEY BREAST (5-6 pounds)
Paprika
3 Cloves garlic
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In 5-quart Dutch oven combine rice,
broth, wine, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaf. Place turkey over
rice mixture and sprinkle turkey generously with paprika.
Cut off root ends of garlic cloves.
Place whole garlic bulbs, cut-end-up, in rice around turkey breast.
Cover top of Dutch oven with foil and
lid.
Bake at 350 degrees F. 2-1/2 to 3 hours
or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 170-175
degrees F.
Allow to stand 10 to 15 minutes before
serving.
To serve, carve turkey into slices and
place on platter.
Spoon rice mixture into serving bowl.
Squeeze garlic from skins onto turkey
and rice.
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Chicken Italiano
Thursday, November 15, 2007
(6 servings)
3 whole chicken breasts, halved and skinned
2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 medium-size carrots, thinly sliced
¼ cup (½ medium-size) diced onion
½ cup green pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 packet Sweet 'N Low® granulated sugar substitute
Brown chicken in large nonstick saucepan. Add remaining ingredients, except mushrooms and Sweet 'N Low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Stir in Sweet 'N Low.
Nutrients Per Serving
(½ chicken breast): Calories: 175 Protein: 30 g Carbohydrate: 10 g Fat: 2 g Sodium: 520 mg Cholesterol: 70 mg.
Dietary Exchanges
: 2 Vegetable, 3 Very Lean Meat
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Celery Casserole
1 stalk celery
2 cans Campbells Cream of Celery Soup
T. milk if needed
dashes of celery salt
dashes of onion powder
dashes of garlic powder
- Cook the noodles as directed on package, strain in collander and
rinse well in hot water.
- Wash and cut the celery into 1/4" slices.
Boil the celery in water, until tender when stabbed with a fork.
The wider they are, the longer they will take to get tender.
You will want to cook them until they are very close to the firmness
you want, because the baking part does not soften them much more.
- Mix everything together. If it seems dry add milk, a tablespoon at a time and mix.
- Do a taste test, and add more dashes of seasonings if needed.
- Bake, covered for 30 minutes.
This can also be made in the microwave, about 5 minutes or until center is hot.
Optional Toppings:
Cover with grated white cheese and bake for 5 minutes more or until melted.
or
Top with French's Fried onions and bake 5 minutes more or until crunchy.
or
Top with homemade breadcrumbs and bake 5 minutes more or until crunchy.
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Cauliflower Cheese Pie
2 cups shredded potatoes
1/4 cup grated onion
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a shallow 9 inch
baking dish or pie pan.
2 To make crust: Use a cheese cloth to squeeze extra liquid from the grated potatoes.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine potato, onion, egg, salt and flour.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie pan, and pat it down with a rubber
spatula or your fingertips. Bake for 30 minutes. Brush the crust with oil, and bake
for another 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven, and reduce the oven's temperature
to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3 To make the filling: In a large frying pan over a high heat, heat the oil until hot.
Reduce the temperature to medium and saute onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and
paprika in the hot oil; cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the cauliflower into the pan
and cook for 15 minutes.
4 Spread 1/2 of the cheese onto the potato crust. Spoon the vegetables on top of the
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sauteed vegetables. Beat the milk
and eggs together in a small bowl, and then pour over the vegetables and cheese.
Sprinkle paprika over the mixture.
5 Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top of the pie
is slightly browned.
Makes 4 servings
Nutrition at a glance
Servings Per Recipe: 4
amount per serving
Calories 431
Protein 21g
Total Fat 27g
Sodium 949mg
Cholesterol 205mg
Carbohydrates 29g
Fiber 6g
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Caesar Salad Tacos
8 cups prewashed and cut romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup diced green chile peppers
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup kernel corn
1/3 cup Caesar-style salad dressing
1/4 cup taco sauce
12 taco shells, warmed
Directions
1 Combine lettuce, 1 cup cheese, avocado, chiles, beans and corn in large bowl.
Combine dressing and taco sauce in small bowl; mix well.
Pour over lettuce mixture; toss well to coat.
2 Fill each taco shell with salad mixture; top with remaining cheese and tomatoes.
Nutrition at a glance
Servings Per Recipe: 6
amount per serving
Calories 447
Protein 16g
Total Fat 27g
Sodium 481mg
Cholesterol 40mg
Carbohydrates 38g
Fiber 8g
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Bulgur Chickpea Salad
1 cup bulgur
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped green onions
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grated carrots
Directions
1 In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over bulgur.
Let stand 1 hour at room temperature.
2 In a small bowl, beat together oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Pour over bulgur; and mix with a fork.
3 Place bulgur in the bottom of a nice glass serving bowl.
Layer vegetables and garbanzo beans in this order on top of the bulgur:
green onions, garbanzo beans, parsley, and carrots on top. Cover, and
refrigerate. Toss salad just before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Nutrition at a glance
Servings Per Recipe 7
Amount per serving:
Calories 296
Protein 6g
Total Fat 17g
Sodium 198mg
Cholesterol -
Carbohydrates 33g
Fiber 7g
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Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
Directions:
1. Steam broccoli and cauliflower over boiling water for ten minutes, or
until just tender. Drain thoroughly, if required, and place in a baking
dish.
2. Combine mayonnaise, cheese and soup and spoon over vegetables.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 45 minutes or until nicely browned on
top.
Serves 6
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