After Thanksgiving

I don't know about you, but I go through streaks of cooking every night, followed by eating out every night. During the holidays I really get on a roll, and momentum carries me through several days. Although this year, with a dozen people coming over, some of them never having met each before, the planning and cooking for the one big meal was all I could concentrate on. I wasn't thinking about what we would eat the night before, the morning of or the morning after, and we had guests staying in our house! The other element added was the Packer/Detroit game on T-Day. We did think of making Chex mix at least. And the cooler was full of beer, wine and other beverages.

So after the big meal when the dishes were cleared and the mountain of cleaning done in the kitchen (just about six dishwasher loads) I still felt the need/urge to cook. I can't just throw away that carcass, now can I? Of course, simple turkey broth is the first thing. Just throw everything you can into that pot, fill it with water and boil away. Besides the carcass, mine included the neck and organs, fresh sage/rosemary/thyme (hello Garfunkel?), carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. I think I ended up with at least a gallon of stock. I put some of it into ice cube trays so I could use it later, and even gave some of that away, but still had quite a bit left. So luckily I found this great wild rice/turkey soup recipe that uses 10 cups of stock! I found it on Epicurious, but it's originally from Bon Appetite: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Turkey-Chowder-with-Wild-Rice-Crimini-and-Pancetta-240373

Every good recipe starts with chopping carrots and celery doesn't it? Ah, but this one has Pancetta, a lovely Italian bacon that has a darker taste than American bacon and it's pretty salty.

Get it cut thin so it crisps up when you saute it.
I won't bore you with the details of the making...it's really basic, and looks really pretty. I didn't use the mushrooms due to my low potassium diet. Frankly I didn't think it needed it. There's a lot going on under that creamy facade.
Although it's not a really creamy soup...more brothy. I used whole milk and half and half instead of whipping cream, so you could make it creamier if you wanted.
I know, parsley garnish...what a bore. But the recipe actually called for it! Wow, I really liked this soup, and was thinking in the future I would actually make a turkey just so I could make it. Although I'm sure my delicious broth is what really made this soup fantastic. And the Pancetta.

Yankee Pot Roast

Looking back on this blog, I realize I write about beef alot. But, what can I say? I love a good roast. Especially when it gets chilly outside, there's nothing more comforting than a hearty pot roast or stew, languishing in its own juices surrounded by loving vegetables. Maybe topped with a dumpling or two. Mmmm....dumplings.

Last Christmas, I received a Le Crueset dutch oven that changed my life. I really mean it. I made pretty good pot roasts in the past, but this particular recipe in this particular pot is pretty amazing. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/fancy-yankee-pot-roast-recipe/index.html The great thing about it is, I don't think you have to spend a lot of money on the pot roast itself. It soaks in red wine for a few hours while it's cooking...good red wine can cure a lot of ills.

It starts very simply by sauteing some onions an browning the beef on all sides. The beef has been dredged in flour. This process really locks in the juices, and the flour helps thicken the gravy later.

Add the vegetables and the liquids, wine and beef broth. I love this recipe because you don't have to do much cutting. I also love this recipe because it has about a half a bottle of red wine in it!

Just let it simmer for a few hours, turning the meat now and then. At the end, you take out the meat and vegetables, arrange them in a lovely way on a platter, and then you knead together butter and flour, and throw it in the juices. Makes a very nice gravy. I took a picture of the finished product, but it did not do the dish justice. I made some mashed potatoes to have a nice vessel for the delicious gravy.

This is a two meal recipe...because you can take the pot roast and turn it into a delicious pasta

Bolognaise the next night. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pot-roast-pasta-bolognese-recipe/index.html I'm not sure how I stumbled on both of these recipes, because it's two nights of amazing eating. You literally could have guests over both nights, and serve them incredible food without a lot of bother.

Carrots, onions and celery are sauteed. Always so pretty, like a flag.

A little white wine cooks the veges...do you see a running theme here? Add the shredded pot roast, some of the gravy and a couple cans of crushed or diced tomatoes, and a sprig of thyme.

There's just a touch of cream at the end, I always use evaporated milk instead of cream; not as much fat, but the right flavor and consistency. Then drop the al dente pasta into the pan and mix it all up. Put a little Parmesan on top to serve. There's a lot of food there...enough for six at least, or for lunch the next day. Yum!

Potato skins

A baked potato is one of those all inclusive, easy foods that is easy to make, and good for you. Yes, I understand there are a lot of carbohydrates in them, but there is also a lot of potassium and other nutrients that your body needs. I didn't particularly like baked potatoes growing up. I seem to remember that we had them pretty frequently. I know we had potatoes at every meal, I'm sure they grew in our expansive vegetable garden. Potatoes can be made in so many ways. Baked has got to be the easiest, though: Poke them and shove 'em in the oven. Wait. Eat.

To me baked potatoes have always been simply a vessel for other things that aren't that good for you: Sour cream and butter. Oh yes, both. In fact, who needs the white chalky stuff in the middle? Give me the skins and fill 'em up with butter. That's exactly what I did. For some reason, my brothers wouldn't eat the skins. Whether they didn't like them, or they were just being nice to their little sister, I don't know. But the skins would pile on my plate at the end of the meal, when the boys had had their fill of the potato in the middle of the sweet, crunchy, earthy, delicious skin. I LOVED the potato skins. Full of butter. So delicious. So full of potassium.

I was sitting next to a colleague who was eating dinner the other day, and he was eating a baked potato. That's what took me back. I can't really eat potatoes that often anymore. Because of advanced polycistic kidney disease, I have to cut back on potassium in my diet. My kidneys don't process it very well, and too much or too little potassium is bad for your heart. And the skin of the potato is where are the nutrients are. So just the thought of eating that crunchy, sweet, earthy, potassium rich skin makes my heart flutter. And not in a good way.

I think of all the potato skins I ate when I was a kid. Probably a disproportionate amount, considering everyone gave me theirs to eat. So I guess I've had my fill of them, and shouldn't miss them. But I do sometimes. You don't miss something nearly as much until it's taken away. So here's the moral. Enjoy the food you can eat right now. Later, you may have to give it up.