Turkey Pot Pie

I finally got to the pot O' gold at the end of my rainbow of leftover turkey. We ate turkey for Thanksgiving, had the same dinner as leftovers on Tuesday, made turkey sandwiches, made hot turkey and stuffing sandwiches, made turkey club-houses and boiled the carcass for some tasty turkey stock.

With the turkey stock also comes some flaky turkey meat. I had two options...make turkey salad and push my limits of eating turkey or try something different. I'm glad I chose the latter and tried my hand at a turkey pot pie.

Growing up in '70's Toronto was as Wonderbread, Anglo-Saxon, WASP as one could get. Back then the Greeks, Italians had begun to encroach upon the English neighborhoods and their sanctuaries of boiled beef, beer and fish & chip joints.

Back then as a Greek boy, I felt out of sorts with what were considered my "weird lunches" or pleading to my mom to make something "normal" for when friends came over. One of those foods was beef or chicken pot pies from the supermarket.

My how times have changed! I'm kinda glad that our family tried foods other than Greek, We would try lasagna, roast beef, trifle, beef stroganoff and intersperse all these new foods with our Greek food.

I remember my mom chastizing me for wanting "English" food. She would yell, "waat, arr YOu Crraay-zee, YOU waant thaat Garr-beeje? Greeek food eez the best you VLAKA...we eat THA food of the GODS!

Fast forward to 2007. Toronto is a very cosmopolitan city. I'd say Toronto has as many ethnicities (if not more than New York) with a multitude of international produce and foods available to us. It's evident in the grocery stores. Where strawberry ice cream used to be found, I now see green tea ice cream. Where waffles were found, I now see Udon noodles. Where chicken pot pies were found, I now see frozen Durian fruit!

This recipe (turkey pot pie) took me back to 1970' s Toronto. It was remarkably simple, the taste factor was 10 out of 10 and my only complaint was with the biscuit crust. Although edible, it appears that I forgot to add the cream...DOH!!!!

Turkey Pot Pie
(recipe made 4 portion-sized servings)

1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (reserve the leaves for later)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch circles
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of turkey (or chicken/vegetable) stock
1/2 cup of half/half cream
1- 1 1/2 lbs of torn cooked turkey meat
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
3 scallions, diced reserved celery leaves
salt & pepper to taste

1. Place your butter into a large saucepan to melt on medium-high heat. Add your onions, garlic, celery, carrots, red pepper, thyme, sage and bay leaves. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let them cook & soften for about 15 minutes.
2. Add your flour, turn up the heat to medium and stir constantly to mix the flour. Allow the flour to cook off for about 5 minutes. Add your stock and cream and bring the heat back up to high. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat back down to medium, stir constantly and allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens to a consistency of a creamed soup.
3. Remove the bay leaves. Now add your frozen mixed veggies and stir in to incorporate and heat through. Add your turkey meat, stir to mix in and then add your parsley, scallions and mix them in as well. Adjust seasoning with salt ( I didn't need any) and some black pepper. Reserve.

Sour Cream Biscuit Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen butter
1/2 cup half/half cream
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Into a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a food processor. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour. Add your sour cream and half/half cream. Pulse a few times until the mixture looks dry with some buttery lumps.
2. Take the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough several times. Roll the dough out and cut it into the shape & size of the vessels you'll use to bake your turkey pot pies.

Assembly

1. Preheat your oven to 425F, rack in the middle.
2. Spoon your pie filling into your baking vessels of choice.
3. Set the biscuit dough over the pie filling and brush the tops with an egg wash (1 lightly beaten egg with 3 Tbsp. water).
4. Place the baking vessels on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the tops are golden-brown.
   

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Is there anything more North American than Cranberry Sauce? It's as integral to the Thanksgiving table as turkey is.

Like many of you, I used to buy the can of jellied or whole cranberry sauce and no one at the table ever complained but we all knew it had a slight tinny after-taste.

Fast forward to a few years ago and I'm grocery shopping and I see a pile of fresh cranberries in plastic bags.

After all these years I finally pick one up, take a look up at the price (yeah I'll buy it) then I flip the back of the package and what do I see? A recipe for homemade cranberry sauce!

This recipe comes courtesy of Ocean Spray and I've added my own twist...some orange zest!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1 package of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tsp. of orange zest

1. Mix sugar and water in a medium saucepan; stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries, return to boil.
2. Reduce heat, add your orange zest and boil gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

Rounding Out Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving standard at my table is the stuffing and cranberry sauce. Both are made from scratch. No need to buy the boxed variety of stuffing or the tinned cranberry sauce...here are the easy, home made versions.

A little about the stuffing, if you're the type that wants it in the turkey, go ahead but please allow the stuffing to cool before actually placing it in the turkey and do not overstuff the turkey. Both cooking errors can lead to a false reading in the stuffing which leads to bacteria which leads to a post-Thanksgiving tummy-ache!

Play it safe, bake your stuffing in a casserole dish...it'll taste just as good and you could always place the turkey on a bed of stuffing if you're looking for a nice presentation. Also, this stuffing can be made ahead of time, refrigerated and then placed in the oven and timed to be ready for dinner.

Finally, don't worry about the giblets & other organ meat in the stuffing. They are finely chopped and no one will know they were even in the stuffing. I hate organ meat but this stuffing is actually complemented by it and others won't even know it's in there...SHHHHH!

Turkey Stuffing

1 baguette or equivalent dry bread, cubed into Croutons(or cube some other bread then dry out in the oven for 30 minutes at 200f).
1 packet of turkey giblets, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 bay leaf
3 mild to medium Italian sausages, casings removed and broken up to the consistency of mince
3 Tbsp. of chopped fresh sage
5 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups of turkey, chicken or vegetable
1/2 cup of cream
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place your Croutons in your casserole/baking vessel and toss with the parsley, sage some salt and lots of black pepper and reserve.
2. Using a skillet, melt your butter and saute your onions, celery, bay leaf until softened (10 minutes) under medium-low heat.
3. Add your giblets & sausage and saute until browned for another 10 minutes under medium heat. Pour in and stir the cream and reserve to cool to warm.
   
4. Add your stock to the Croutons and toss to coat and wet the entire mixture. Allow to cool for a few minutes then add the egg and mix well.
5. Add your sausage/giblets saute to the casserole and fold until the entire mixture has blended.
6. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top has turned a golden brown.
   

Turkey Gravy

As time allows, I'm posting the remainder of my Thanksgiving fixins'. One of the most comforting parts of the meal is eating the velvety gravy....on the turkey, on the stuffing, on the vegetables!

Making gravy is not rocket science, just have a good eye when making your roux and keep on stirring and you'll have lump-free turkey gravy!

Turkey Gravy

• Drippings from a roast turkey
• 5 cups turkey stock or deglazed stock & drippings
  
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• dash of garlic powder

1. Transfer your turkey to a platter to rest. Place the pan back on the heat and deglaze the brown bits with white wine or some water and scrape to loosen the brown bits. Now pour all the drippings into a meauring cup. Leave the brown bits in the bottom of the cup...that's tasty stuff!
2. Let the drippings stand until the fat rises to the top of the measuring cup. Spoon off the fat and reserve.
3. Place a sauce pan on medium-high heat and add your butter. As soon as it bubbles, add your flour and constantly stir until the flour has cooked and has turned a light brown colour. Add your stock/drippings to the pot and bring to a soft boil. If you encounter lumps, use a potato masher to break up the lumps and then continue stirring.
4. Simmer your gravy until you achieve your desired thickness. Check for seasoning with salt and pepper and if you like, some garlic powder can add a nice dimension too!
   

The Rest Of the Thanksgiving Table

As tasty as the turkey was and as much as I'd love to be solely eating turkey, we also had "fixins" at the table. I made garlic-mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and roasted brussel sprouts.

I'm not trying to be fancy here and show you something new flavour combo...it was Thanksgiving and you want good, tasty dishes that will take your memories of all your previous Thanksgiving dinners.

Garlic-Mashed Potatoes

6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
6 cloves of garlic
milk
unsalted butter
1/2 bunch of chives, chopped
salt & pepper

1. Place your potatoes and garlic in a pot and bring to a boil. Add a couple of Tbsp. of salt, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
2. Strain your potatoes and place them back in the pot and put the them back on the heat to quickly cook off any residual water. Turn the heat off and add your butter and thoroughly mash (or use a ricer) your potatoes (and garlic) to achieve your mashed potatoes.
   
3. Add some milk and stir in. Add some more milk depending on how think or thin you like your mashed potatoes. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper
4. Add your chives, mix well into the mash and keep warm.
   

A Stress-Free Thanksgiving

The weather-man delivered! We were promised a hot Thanksgiving Day in Toronto and that's what we got...a record 31-point-something Celcius record high.

With weather like this, there was no way I was going lose out on an October tan in Canada. I had a stress-free day enjoying the weather and preparing a Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving is a day of reflection, appreciating what you have in life and who you have in your life. I don't stray or deviate from my Thanksgiving menu too much. Thanksgiving is not the day to experiment with new dishes. Stick to what you know and what will work, thus allowing you to enjoy this day of giving thanks.

Although unorthodox, I have cooked many meats on my BBQ using the rotisserie and with yesterday's hot weather...I gave Thanksgiving a Greek flare by making a Turkey Souvla (rotisserie).

Another method I ALWAYS use when cooking turkey is to "brine the turkey". I know many have heard of this method but I also know few have tried it. What are you waiting for?

Years ago, I too used to dread Thanksgiving, Christmas or....leftover turkey. Brining a turkey wipes away any anxieties that remain for turkey.

Brining a turkey is easy, it guarantees you a moist, succulent cooked bird each & every time and even the leftovers are moist and I actually look forward to eating turkey all week! People always ask me, " but, but, but isn't the turkey salty"? NO! The turkey takes in water, not the salt. I use the analogy of one eating salty foods...thus wanting to drink water. Your turkey becomes thirsty!

Brining the Turkey
(preparation should commence 1 day ahead of roasting)

First of all, you'll need a thawed turkey, some kosher salt, a clean bucket or other vessel (with a cover) that will hold your turkey, water and some space in your fridge (in case it's not cold enough outside).

1. Wash your turkey and remove any livers, necks, organ meat from inside the cavity. Place your turkey in the bucket and fill it with water until the bird is submerged. Now take your bird out of the water for a moment and add 1 full cup of kosher salt to the water and stir until the salt has thoroughly incorporated. You know have a brine.
   
2. Place your turkey back into the bucket, hold down the bird so that water enters the cavity and thus ensuring your bird stays submerged. Cover with the lid and keep in the fridge or outdoors if it's cold enough. Keep your turkey in the brine for about 24 hours.
3. The next day, say 1 hour before you need to roast...clean your turkey. Remove it from the brine, rinse it thoroughly with cold water and then pat dry. Truss, season, treat your turkey using any method that's preferred by your family. This method is about retaining a moist, roasted turkey. The rest is up to you!

There is so much info out there on cooking the perfect turkey and I've found Butterball's website to be very helpful (they even have a toll-free line)! Try brining your turkey. I've been using this method for 10 years and the turkey has always ended up with the same moist, succulent results.

One last note before I move on to rotisserie turkey is that after you've allowed the turkey to rest and you've started to carve your bird, you'll notice some of the meat is pink....relax! The brining of the turkey will cause some of the meat to turn pink but rest assured your turkey is well cooked. If unsure, invest in a meat thermometer and you can check the breast and leg meat for safe doneness.

Rotisserie Turkey

I have found that one can practically throw anything on a spit and spin it, cook it to a juicy perfection. I found turkey to be an excellent meat for rotisserie use.

However, here's what I learned yesterday about roasting turkey on the rotisserie:

1. Truss your bird. It will be rotating for hours and it needs to be secured so that wings and legs aren't flopping around as it revolves.
2. Ensure that your gas grill is large enough to hold a turkey inside. Measure the dimensions of your grill (lid closed) and see if your turkey will freely revolve without hitting the inside of your grill's lid.
3. Take out the grids and place a drip pan with water under your bird as it's cooking. This method is VERY IMPORTANT. The drip pan with water will prevent grease drippings from smoking, discolouring your bird and ultimately prevent grease fires. Check & replenish water in drip-pan every 30 minutes or so.
   
4. Cook your turkey with the lid closed and use the "slow & low" method. My turkey took about 3 1/2 hours to cook and I maintained an internal gas grill temperature of no more than 325-350F.
5. Finally, I know I being repetitive but DO allow your bird to rest (20 minutes) before carving.

Happy Thanksgiving!