Thanksgivin' Fixins'

One of the great things about hosting a special meal is that attention to the side dishes is given and people always talk & ask about those recipes.

"What's in the potatoes? How did you make the sauce? What spices did you use?"

All those questions will be answered here.

First up was the mashed celery root and potatoes with butter milk and thyme. Celery root is a vegetable used alot in Europe and from speaking to relatives, it's enjoyed in the winter by Greeks as well.

When considering using celery root in mashed form, you have to add some starch, otherwise the dish will just be runny. Potatoes come to the rescue, acting as the binder, a whole head of roasted garlic heightens the dish, butter milk (another Greek favourite) gives the dish a tangy bottom and fresh thyme and chives round out the flavour.

The other side dish that figured prominently in the dinner was the roasted root vegetables. Your choice of vegetables is according to your tastes but I chose a mix of butternut squash, carrots, turnips and parsnips with some baby onions to finish the mix.

The key to this dish was the fresh sage and spices. I used my coffee, er spice grinder to help create a blend of fennel seeds, cinnamon nutmeg and then added the chopped fresh sage.

I tossed the veggies in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and tossed the spices to coat all the veggies.

Besides the aroma of the roasting turkey, the smell of these root vegetables roasting away in a blanket of aromatic spices had my guests entering the kitchen and eventually, tasting the piping hot root vegetables...they smelled & tasted that good!

Finally, what's a Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce? Cranberries are native to North America but here I injected some Greek ingredients in keeping with the Hellenic theme.

Making your own cranberry sauce is easy. One only has to add some liquid (I used orange juice), some sugar, orange zest and I spiked it with grated ginger and a pinch of ground cloves.

The aroma and flavour kept my guests guessing and this sauce was a natural pairing with the roasted turkey.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'll present the Bougatsa with poached quince and almonds.

Stuffed Turkey (Γαλοπούλα γεμιστή)

Here's the Main Event folks, the stuffed turkey.

I've been a big fan of brining a turkey for over a decade now. Oh, I'm sure you all have your favourite way of doing it but out there is an equal amount of people who fear, dread or avoid turkey. Usually because it ends up dry.

Brining a turkey is simply allow the bird to steep overnight (24 hrs.) in a salt water solution. What's happening here? Much like when you eat salty things, your body craves water. That's what's happening to the turkey - it's taking in moisture (water).

I've gone beyond my usual salt & water brine here and I've added some aromatics to make this turkey somethin' special for the Greek-themed Thanksgiving.

Another change I made was in how I roasted the turkey. Although I didn't use a Butterball turkey, I did refer to their website for their roasting calculator and I picked up a great roasting tip:

Roast the turkey uncovered at 325F only cover the turkey with aluminum foil after you've achieved it's desired colour. I've always done the reverse (cover for duration of roasting & uncover to brown at the end), but this Butterball method gave me a picture-perfect, moist and succulent turkey.

The other component of the turkey was the Greek stuffing. Greeks do enjoy roasting a turkey but it's usually done during the Christmas holidays. I had a wealth of reference points for a Greek stuffing and I settled on a classic which used ground meat, minced giblets, raisins, chestnuts and pine nuts.

The turkey and stuffing were an obvious hit. My guests had never seen a beautifully roasted bird before and I must admit, this one turned out pretty damn good!

The stuffing was savory with a little but of sweetness from the raisins, chestnuts and pine nuts. I don't have a decent photo of the stuffing but I can assure you my guests and myself enjoyed it alot.

Again, I was able to find a Greek wine as a pairing for the main course of the evening. Alex Pulcini of Pavlou Estates Winery recommended the Kappa P62 Xinomavro-Syrah as his choice for this turkey. I described the flavours the turkey would have and that this would be much more falvourful, aromatic and tolerant of a red wine.

Alex recommended this wine as it's a people pleaser, seems to be very popular with white and red drinkers and this wine has obvious notes of black cherry.

The P62 bottles I served did not last and I wish I had more...my guests wished they had more! I'm delighted to share with you that we collectively will be buying another case of the P62.

Earlier this year during my vacation to Greece, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a tour of the Pavlou Estates Winery (watch for my post on the winery tour, the people who make it and the wine).

Stuffed Turkey (Γαλοπούλα γεμιστή)

Brining Solution

3 bay leaves
handful of peppercorns
3 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh thyme
small handful of parsley
1/2 cup of Mosxato wine
handful of allspice berries
1/2 cup of orange juice
1 cup of salt
enough water to cover the turkey

Roasted Turkey
1 large turkey (5.7kgs) feeds 10
melted butter
sea salt pepper
sweet paprika
black pepper
garlic powder
combination of dried thyme, oregano and rosemary

Pre-heated 325F oven

1. To brine your turkey, you will need a large, clean pail or a large pot. Place your turkey inside and add enough water to cover the bird. Now the remove the bird and add the wine, orange juice, aromatics and the salt. Now place the container on your stove and bring the brining solution to a boil. Allow to cool before placing the turkey inside the brine. Palce the cover on and refrigerate or place outside (if cold enough for approx. 24 hours).
2. Between now and roasting the turkey, you may pre-make your stuffing (recipe below).
   
3. The next day, 1 hour before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well and pat dry. Pre-heat your oven to 325F. Discard the brine.
   
4. Ensure your pre-made stuffing has also come to room temperature before spooning it into the cavity of the turkey. Have ready two containers of stuffing ready: one large portion with an approx. amount you think you'll require to stuff the bird and a back-up portion to replenish it (this helps eliminate cross-contamination to any leftover stuffing that does not fit in the turkey).
5. Spoon the stuffing into the main cavity and stitch with some wooden skewers to seal. Now place some stuffing in the neck area of the turkey as well (that's what all that excess neck skin is for...stuffing). Again, stitch with some wooden skewers to seal in the stuffing.
6. Place your turkey on a roasting rack and rub it all over with melted butter. Seasoning your turkey with a Mediterranean dried herb mix (I used oregano, thyme and rosemary, sea salt, black pepper, sweet paprika and garlic powder.
   
7. Place the roasting rack & turkey onto a roasting pan and add an onion, carrot and celery stick in the bottom of the pan with some water and a splash of wine. Place your turkey on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 3 1/2 hours. Monitor your turkey after about 2 hours to check for it's colour. When the desired browning has occured, tent your turkey with aluminum foil and continue to roast until the thigh meat has reached 180F (using a thermometer) and 160F in the stuffing.

Greek Turkey Stuffing

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 pork sausages, casings removed
1/2 lb. lean ground pork
1 packet of turkey giblets, finely chopped
1 bay leaf 1 tsp. dry oregano
3/4 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup wild rice
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup of Mosxato wine
1/2 cup of raisins
1 1/2 cups of turkey/vegetable stock
1 cup of chestnuts, chopped
1/2 cup of pine nuts
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. ground clove

1. In a large skillet, add your olive oil over medium heat and add your onions, garlic, celery, bay leaf and saute for about 10 minutes to soften. Now add your giblets and saute for a minute or so, followed by adding the sausage meat and ground pork. Turn the heat up and brown your meat while stirring constantly.
2. Now add rice and stir to coat and toast the rice for a couple of minutes. Now add the wine and raisins and reduce to medium-low and simmer while stirring for a couple of minutes.
3. Now add the stock, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer while stirring and most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Your rice should be just under '"al dente" and it will finish cooking as stuffing in the turkey.
4. Now add the chopped parsley, chopped chestnuts, sage and stir it. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and take off the heat. Add the pine nuts and a pinch of ground cloves and stir in. Allow to come to room temperature before placing the stuffing in the turkey (you may place in a container and refrigerate overnight).
   

Mezedes at the Greek Table

Mezedes are Greek appetizers and there are two approaches when approaching the Greek "trapezi" or table.

One is to offer up several little bites and tastes to your guests throughout the night. This type of evening has no 1st, 2nd or main course...just meze after meze after meze with conversation and drink to accompany the food.

The other approach is to offer up some small bites (again) mezedes but to nudge your guests' appetites, not satisfy it. This latter approach is the one I took for my Greek-themed Thanksgiving Dinner.

I made three - no four mezedes, all were simple, all easy executed and big on flavour. I also made sure there weren't too many as I've gone too far in the past with the appetizers and have left my guests stuffed and not so quite ready for the main courses of the evening.

The first appetizer I brought for my guests was the "Greek sushi". The Greek sushi reference was inspired by an print ad I saw from a Greek food company that produces many ready-made appetizers for the Greek homekeeper who's too busy to prep such mezedes.

Assembly of the Greek sushi was quite simple: make Dolamadakia Yialantzi cooked long grain rice that was flavoured with sauteed scallions, fresh mint and dill, olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper. The tangy filling was contrasted by the natural sweetness and smokey undertones of the roasted peppers. For breaking the colour monotony, I roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

To complete the Greek sushi, the dolmadakia had to be binded to the peppers. I bought a bunch of fresh chives, boiled them in salted water for a couple of minutes and then blanched them in cold water (to retain their colour). The final step was to obviously bind the dolmadakia to the peppers with the chive string and snip of the excess. Ta-da...Greek sushi!

The next platter of mezedes that I served up were whole wheat crostinis with warm caremelized onions tossed with pitted Throumpes olives from Thassos and some fresh thyme and dried Greek oregano.

Again, a simple process of slowly rendering and sauteeing your onions on medium-low heat was the key to getting soft, sweet and tender onions. This process took about 30 minutes and then I simply tossed the pitted olives in along with the thyme and Greek oregano.

The crostinis were made by cutting thin slices off a baguette and then I simply baked them for about 8-1o minutes in a pre-heated 350F oven. This meze can also be made ahead of time...just reheat your olive and onion mixture.

Next up in the succession of mezedes were my phyllo cups filled with a spinach and cheese mixture. The inspiration for these cups came from my mom's recipe for Spanakopita and in particular, the filling she uses and that I prefer.

Store bought phyllo was used here along with olive oil cooking spray to make the cups. For the filling, I used convenienient and time-saving frozen spinach that was thawed, hand-squeezed of excess water and I made a filling that included the spinach, sauteed scallions, 50% Feta & 50% mizithra (ricotta), eggs to bind, chopped fresh dill and salt and pepper to taste.

The phyllo cups consisted of 5 layers of phyllo, with each layer getting an olive oil spray treatment. The muffin tins were also sprayed so that your phyllo cups popped out easlily after baking.

After your phyllo sheets have been sprayed, cut the layered phyllo sheets into twelved equal squares and stuff into each muffin tin. Now fill each muffin cup with your spinach & cheese mixture and if baking immediately, place in a pre-heated 350F oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden-brown. Take out of muffin tins immediately and allow to cool just a bit.

If like me you pre-made these spinach & cheese phyllo cups, then you can cover the muffin tray with plastic wrap (or bag) and place in the freezer for future use. I baked these phyllo cups from frozen to straight into the oven and they came out wonderfully after about 30-35 minutes in a pre-heated 350F oven.

I gave my guests a bonus appetizer which was inspired after reading an article on a Greek-Australian chef who was often left with the dilemma of leftover Hortiatiki (Greek) salad after get-togethers.

Rather than dump the soggy leftover salad, his frugal mind opted to puree the leftover salad and turn it into a dip. Upon trying this experiment out I knew that my guests would love this and scoop up every last bit of dip.

Again, no real recipe here, just build your Greek salad (no iceberg lettuce here) and then place in a food processor and whiz away until your have your desired consistency. You might have to add some breadcrumbs if too runny. I served these with baked pita bread triangles.

I think the key to good mezedes is to make them simple, but make them well and if part of a dinner party, keep the samples small as you want your guests to enjoy the rest of the evening's meal.

Finally, in keeping with the Greek Thanksgiving meal, I offered up Greek wines that were paired with each course.

Steve Kriaris of the Kolonaki Group recommended the Kir Yianni Akakies Rose. This wine uses 100% Xinomavro grapes (grape indigenous to to Greece and harvested from Naoussa and Amydeon).

This rose is a no oak rose that's crisp, best served chilled and it served as a perfect quaff for my Greek mezedes. I detected notes of strawberry and hints of lemon and according to my guests, the rose was a refreshing surprise to a gang that normally doesn't drink rose.

To quote one guest..."I normally don't drink rose but if I were presented with a bottle of Kir Yanni Akakies, I would drink it (rose) more often"!

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: My Big Fat Greek Thanksgiving

When Foodbuzz announced the launch of "24, 24, 24", even they did not foresee the huge success it would garner. Twenty four people hosted twenty-four dinners in twenty-four in twenty-four hours.

The dinners were enthusiastic celebrations of the foods people adore and and enjoy in each corner of the world they inhabit.

I imagine many food bloggers submitted proposals and Foodbuzz sadly had to turn away some people. I was still on vacation in Greece when the event was announced but I submitted a proposal soon after Foodbuzz relayed the news that "24, 24, 24" would be a monthly event.

My approach was to feature a Thanksgiving Dinner with some Greek flare. Here in Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving on October 13th and our US neighbors will be celebrating next month.

In Canada, the emphasis of Thanksgiving lies squarely on giving thanks to the harvest and celebrating the precious bounty at the table.

Canada is a multi-cultural society and I truly believe it's one of the best countries in the world to live in. As Greeks living in Canada (along with peoples of other ethnicities), many of us have also embraced Thanksgiving. It's a noble holiday to commemorate and I one I do not take lightly.

Last night I hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner using Greek ingredients and Greek recipes using seasonal products. My goal was to awe my guests with dishes that screamed of being Greek while staying true to a Thanksgiving Dinner.

I also had the pleasure of enjoying an all Greek wine night with my guests. With the assistance of Steve Kriaris of the Kolonaki Group and Alex Pulcini of Pavlou Estates, I was able to pair a 5-star wine selection with this Thanksgiving feast.

I would also like to thank my cousin, Nicholas Hadzis who took the time to write out the ornate menus you see here.

Another thanks goes out to Marianthe Mesbouris who tooks tons of photos while I was prepping and serving up each course...thanks Red!

A thank you to my brother Danny and his girlfriend Natalia, my cousin Effie, my good friend Amy and sisters Evelyn & Roula. You all made the evening memorable and as always...the laughs kept on coming!

Let's get on with the food, shall we? Today, I'm going give you a quick run down of the food served in the order that they arrived at the table but I will give you the recipe details in the week ahead.
































































First up, we had the mezedes or Greek appetizers:

Horiatki Dip...inspired by leftover Greek salad....don't throw that out...make it a dip!

How about crostinis with caramelized onions and (Throumpes) Greek olives with thyme and oregano?

Or here's a play on Dolmades, made to look like "Greek sushi".

What would a Greek evening be without the use of phyllo?

These spinach and cheese phyllo cups were snapped up in no time!

Next up in the long line of service was the soup course. Fancy a Beet soup with Greek oregano and Greek yogurt?

An autumn Greek salad with seasonal greens and a vinaigrette of olive oil, mustard, balsamic vinegar and Petimezi.

What's a Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey? Here, I brined the turkey with Mosxato wine, bay leafs, peppercorns, garlic, thyme, parsley, allspice and orange juice. The turkey was also stuffed with rice, chestnuts, raisins, giblets and pine nuts.

The "fixins" to accompany the turkey were a mashed potatoes and celery root with buttermilk, roasted garlic, thyme and chives.

These roasted root vegetables were aromatized with a blend of sage, cinnamon, nutmeg and fennel seeds.

Can't have a Thanksgiving without Cranberry sauce. I put my Greek twist on this by adding a hint of clove and orange zest.

The main course was followed by a Greek cheese platter featuring Vlaxotyri, Kasseri from Mytlini and Cypriot Halloumi.

Despite having satiated guests, one always has room for dessert. In Greece, Bougatsa is a much loved breakfast treat filled with custard (crema) and here I've turned into an autumn dessert. It's Bougatsa with poached quince and almonds, finished off with a dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon.

That was My Big Fat Greek Thanksgiving. Watch all this week for me to give you the nitty-gritty on each recipe, notes on the wine pairings and any other afterthoughts on the dinner.

Time for clean-up...