Asianish, Zoodles and Meatballs- it actually works!

Are you part of the spiralizer revolution yet? You should be! This fun new way to serve veggies is bringing a smile to cooks everywhere. I have been seeing so many creative uses for spiralized veggies. The obvious curly fries, of course, but spiralized potatoes made into hash browns and latkes, long swirls of cucumber and carrot made into salads and slaws and so much more can add some fun to mealtime. What exactly is a spiralizer? It's a tool used to cut vegetables into long curling cuts, spirals, like long springs of food. They can be as simple as the inexpensive As Seen On TV Vegetti to spiralizing attachments to power appliances, with something in every price range. Ever since the spiralizer hit the culinary scene veggie "noodles" have been the new low carb option.  

Naturally I had to play with this fun vegetable noodle and what better recipe to play with than Drunken Noodles? Legend says that this noodle dish was dreamed up by a hungry drunkard looking for something quick to fix after a night of drinking, as there is no alcohol in the dish. Modern theories tend to be that the dish is so spicy you need to have a beer on the side to tame it.

My version of Drunken Noodles is a very similar recipe to Dragon Noodles. The sauce is very similar but adds quite a spicy kick to the tender zucchini noodles and juicy meatballs. As for veggies, I went with mushrooms, onions, garlic, sugar snap peas, red bell pepper, and asparagus. You can use any veggies you have on hand but stick with the peanuts. They add a necessary salty crunch element. 

Drunken Zoodles with Spicy Turkey Meatballs

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sriracha

vegetables for stir frying
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons minced onion
2-3 cloves, minced garlic
several dashes soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sriracha
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 medium zucchini, spiralized

1/4 chopped roasted peanuts

cooking oil or coconut oil

additional flat leaf parsley for serving

In a bowl combine the sauce ingredients. Set aside for now.

As usual, I was out of Sriracha- so I substituted a hot sauce
I made myself from red rocket chilies. Worked great!

In a bowl combine the turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, minced onion, minced garlic, several dashes of soy sauce, the 1-2 teaspoons sriracha and a good tablespoon of chopped parsley. Mix lightly and form into small meatballs. 

Place meatballs onto greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes until cooked completely. Remove from oven and set aside.

Prepare the vegetables for stir frying while the meatballs are baking. Cut vegetables into equal sized pieces. Set aside.

Use a spiralizer to cut the zucchini into zoodles. 

Preheat a large skillet or wok. Add a couple tablespoons oil to the skillet. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until crisp tender. Remove from wok to a big bowl to toss. Add a little more oil if necessary and add zoodles. Stir fry for about one minute until heated through but barely cooked. Remove and place in the bowl with the vegetables.

Add the sauce to the wok with the meatballs. 

Cook and stir until meatballs are heated through. Pour over the vegetables in the bowl. Add the peanuts and toss to coat. Sprinkle with torn parsley and serve immediately.

Now this dish is complete just like this, and very low carb. Sometimes I like to serve with a little bit of steamed rice on the side as well, for me that makes it more Asianish. Either way, it's healthy and delicious and I hope you try it!

Tis the season- for turkey carcasses

I am that relative. Yep, you know the one- the crazy aunt or goofy grandmother who comes to holiday dinner and ends up going home with a plastic bag full of turkey remnants. It was easy to hide when I was the hostess cooking and serving dinner, but now our family has handed to reigns to the next generation of cooks and I no longer have to do it. I still make my own stock however so I need those old turkey bones!

Turkey (or chicken) stock is a pantry staple for me. It is one of the most versatile ingredients you can have. A pot of homemade soup in a snap. Gravy? Just heat, thicken and pour over. The uses are endless. Making you own stock is so easy and rewarding- you have all that slow simmered flavor without all the added junk and preservatives and artificial flavors. Storing stock for future use is super easy as well- pour into freezer containers and freeze, or if you're a home canner, you can process in jars for shelf stable stock. Let's get busy in the kitchen.

Bones. All stock begins with bones. For me, the best time to make a batch of stock is during the holiday season. I can always find a turkey frame somewhere. I've been known to keep a giant ziploc bag of chicken bones in the freezer also, waiting until I have enough to make a batch. If you are not the holiday meal host, go ahead and ask if the host will part with the frame! Can't hurt! 

It's not the prettiest sight, but there is a ton of flavor
in those bones!

Once you have a good amount of bones you can start planning your stock. Browning the bones is a very important step in making beef stock but it's not a necessary step in poultry stock. If you choose to roast your turkey bones, break the carcass apart and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat. Spread out onto baking sheets and pop into a 300-325 degree oven and roast until the bones are golden brown. One or two turkey frames in a giant pot (I use my water bath canning pot) is a good amount to start with. As long as I've got a pot started I'll make a last check of the freezer for stray chicken bones I might have been saving, and I'll throw those in as well.

Herbes de Provence are always part of my aromatics

Aromatics. Like beef stock, your aromatics should enhance the stock and provide some background flavors but NOT be an overdone flavor element. Remember, stock should be something that's a foundation, with your flavors being built for each individual dish. The traditional mirepoix, carrots, celery and onion, will lay the groundwork, and simple herbs- thyme, parsley, bay leaf- and peppercorns are about all you need but you can use any spices or herbs you like. I never add salt to my stock, saving this seasoning step for when I am preparing a dish with the stock. 

You don't have to fuss with peeling onions- just throw them in.
I didn't have fresh celery but I have tons of dehydrated- it
gives just the same celery flavor as fresh and stores in a jar.

Ok, so I am going to start by breaking down the turkey bones. Make sure you have picked off as much meat as you can and break the frame up into smaller pieces. Place in big stockpot. Add several bay leaves, a small palm full of peppercorns, several sprigs of fresh thyme and Italian flat leaf parsley. Add the vegetables- 2 or 3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks; 3 stalks celery, washed and cut into chunks; 1 large onion, cut into chunks- you don't even need to peel it; 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise. Our turkey was roasted with onion, garlic, thyme and apples inside the cavity- I left them in and will cook them with the stock. Fill the pot with cold tap water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for at least 6 hours. Check the pot every once in a while and skim off any foam that's accumulated. This is a great project for a cold, gloomy day so you can let it simmer away while you settle in with a good book, some movies, or relax.

Let the stock cool slightly, then carefully remove the large pieces of bone and vegetable chunks and discard. Strain the stock through a fine sieve to catch all the herbs and small pieces. Place in pot and refrigerate overnight. The next day, scoop off any fat that has solidified on top. You won't get 100% of the fat but get as much as you can, especially if you are going to can it- excessive fat can prevent the jar from sealing.

After straining out the bones and vegetables my stock still has
some herb bits and isn't clear- but I like it this way. Here I am
condensing it slightly so I can use smaller jars and have more
flavor impact. I can always add water when I make soup later.

If you are going to freeze the stock, ladle into freezer containers, seal, label and freeze. If you want to can the stock you must have a pressure canner. Prepare your jars and lids. Reheat the stock to boiling, ladle into hot jars, seal and process at the correct weight for your altitude for 20 minutes for pints, 25 for quarts. Complete canning instructions can be found HERE. 

You now have jars of liquid gold, ready to turn into homestyle soups, rich flavorful gravies and luxurious reductions.

Product Review: Super short and easy !!

While the Chef works away at the restaurant every night, I don't normally cook a big dinner for myself. In fact, more often than not dinner will be a bowl or two of cereal and maybe toast if I feel that adventurous.

Tonight though I was feeling a little more restless and needed something to do in order to have a reason to NOT deal with the bowl of pears on the table (fact is, I'm giving some serious consideration to just TOSSING them and concentrating on the tomatoes that are ripening by the day).

Not too long ago I received a box of wonderful goodies to try from Elaine and Rob at FireFood with the promise that I would experiment, taste test and let them know what we think about their products. As you already know, we are SOLD on the Diablo Habanero Pizza Sauce, but there are still several items in the goodie box to try so, why not tonight?

I'm normally not a big sandwich nut but there is something about the crunch of a panini that's just special enough to capture my heart- and they're as easy to make as a grilled cheese but a heck of a lot more sophisticated. So tonight my sandwich consisted of thick slices of crusty bread from the South Union Bakery. South Union Bakery is a Des Moines original. Each loaf is hand made and baked daily in the 24 hour bakery located beneath Gateway Market at 2002 Woodland in Des Moines. They make so many different styles of bread and they are all so wonderful. 

On top of that wonderful bread went sliced provolone cheese, thinly slices roast turkey and a big spoonful of FireFood's Cranberry Chioptle Jam.

Just the SLIGHTEST brush of melted butter on the outside and they went on the press until super crunchy, golden brown and melty.

The turkey, cheese and sweet heat of the jam made this a perfect sandwich combo. The salty smooth provolone accented the sweet jam and left the chipotle just mingling in the background. This jam is a PERFECT condiment.

For someone "afraid" of hot peppers, hot foods and spicy things- this jam is the perfect place to start. It's not "hot". It doesn't burn your tongue or make you break out in a sweat. It's cranberry first with the ever so slight hint of something warm in the mix.

The only thing I DON'T like about this jam is the fact that is doesn't come in GALLON jars! Seriously, it is THAT good. It  would make a great pan sauce for sauteed chicken breasts or pork chops, a condiment alongside roast pork- it's just so versatile and easy on the palate. I highly recommend trying it.

Gobble Gobble Gobble !!!

Oh, if you could only hear my turkey impersonation...... maybe it's good that you can't !!!

I am a Thanksgiving baby and therefore, I love turkey, and I have lots to be thankful for right now. Two simple facts. We also happened to have a boneless turkey breast in the freezer, so......why not ??  It's fallish outside (if you call the 70s in Iowa in October "fallish") and almost November !!! And with the Chef's and my new work schedules, we haven't really done a lot of real cooking the last couple weeks. All the more reasons to spend a leisurely Sunday puttering around the kitchen with the sounds of NFL football in the background.

So I planned my little mini-Thanksgiving menu without having to make a single trip to the store for something I was missing- amazing !!! Roast turkey breast with chestnut stuffing. Roast baby yukon gold potatoes and baby carrots, and cranberry sauce (can't have turkey without cranberries !!) Easy enough !!

I started with a FULLY THAWED boneless turkey breast roast (about 3 lb). This one came with that little net bag on it, but I always cut that off before I cook it, I think they are messy and unnecessary and if you like the crispy brown turkey skin, that stupid string thing always messes up the skin.

You can still see the imprint from that net but after it roasts, that goes away. I sprinkled the roast all over with freshly cracked black pepper, some lemon herb seasoning and crushed dried thyme, and then cut a couple bacon strips in half and laid them across the top.

I should probably specify that I used just regular bacon, not maple or apple or any fruity flavor- just plain old regular bacon. Into a 350 degree oven the yummy little bird went for a nice roast. After about an hour and a half I added enough baby carrots and baby yukon gold potatoes to the roasting pan for the two of us.

I didn't think there was enough drippings yet to really coat the veggies so I added a couple tablespoons of browned butter with sage that I had in the fridge (but you could use just butter, or a little butter and a pinch of sage if you like or even bacon fat if you have it). Back into the oven for another hour and it came out perfectly juicy with the veggies absolutely perfect. Total roasting time was just about 2 1/2 hours for our 3 lb breast, if you rely on a thermometer, you want to shoot for 170-175 degrees.

And I'm not gonna lie- I stink at making gravy, so I used the little gravy packet that came with the turkey- just added some of the turkey drippings to it.

Besides the turkey and veggies I also made a small batch of chestnut stuffing. I loooooove chestnuts and I try to get some every fall to use in different recipes. For my stuffing I used 6 hot dog buns, cut up into small cubes and left out to dry most of the day,

about 1/4 chopped celery with leaves, 1/2 small onion diced, 1/4 chopped chestnuts (I used the roasted jarred chestnuts from Williams Sonoma),

about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken broth, a couple tablespoons butter, freshly cracked black pepper and crushed dried sage leaves (1/2 tsp to a tsp to taste).  Melt the butter in a small skillet and saute the onion and celery until softened but not brown.

Toss the cooked vegetables with the bread cubes n a large bowl.

Drizzle with chicken broth and toss until evenly moist. Pile into baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray and dot with a little bit more butter. Cover with foil and put in the 350 degree oven with the turkey for about an hour. I remove the foil the last 15 minutes or so to brown and crisp the top.

Dinner turned out really good- just like real Thanksgiving !!! Except with no pumpkin pie.....bummer......