cookbook – Page 2 – Alice the Cook

Festive holidays bring friends and family together. In my household, holidays also mean feasts. Below is a recipe I used for cooking turkey. This past weekend, we did a unique twist to the recipe and smoked the meat as well. You can do this recipe easily in the oven, if you don’t want to smoke it, but smoking it adds to the flavor. Below is the recipe from this weekend and I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:
1 turkey (between 13-15 lbs)
6 oranges
1/3 cup of whole cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp of garam masala
3 cups of applewood chips
6 cups of water
Large cast iron pot with ring insert
fire

Process:
begin soaking the wood chips in the water overnight. While they soak, zest two of the six oranges and reserve the zest. Pierce the skin of the unzested oranges with the cloves. They should look like pomanders or Christmas decorations when done. Place in the refrigerator until the next day.

The next day, make sure the turkey is thawed and its body cavity is rinsed out and clean. Cut the two of the four cloved oranges in half and place in to the turkey’s cavity. All four halves should fit, if not, push them in more forcibly and sew the bird shut.

If smoking the bird, place the wet wood chips into the cast iron pot with the ring insert above the wood chips. Before placing the bird on top of the ring, sprinkle the cinnamon and garam masala spices onto the exterior of the bird. Lay the bird, breast side down in the pot and place the last of the oranges outside of the bird in the pot and cover. Once covered, place the pot on direct heat.

Check every twenty minutes and add about a cup of water to the wood (do not pour it on the bird). The water will create a steamy smoke that will help season the bird and keep it moist. The bird should reach an internal temperature of 175 degrees. At festival, this took 3.5 hours for a 14 lb turkey.

If you choose not to smoke the bird, use the ring, to keep the bird off the direct heat of the pot. In the oven, cook at 400 degrees until the turkey reaches 175 degrees internally.

Pull the oranges out (do not serve) and let sit the meat set for 5 minutes before carving.

This past weekend, Nicholas and Raphael (two of my four assistants) and I were busily working and cooking. We made some nice things such as beef stew, sweet & spicy squash soup, and chicken and black bean stew.

Many of those who ate wanted the recipe for their own use. The trouble is, I made enough for 75 people and I need to break it down for a family. Below is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:
1 chicken cut up
1 cup of chicken stock
3 TB olive oil
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed 3 times
1 lb of carrots, cubed
1/2 lb green beans, cleaned, stemmed, and cut into 1 inch length
2 lbs of red potatoes, cubed
1 small onion or 1 leek, rough chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of chili powder (I prefer chipotle or ancho powder)
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Remove the tips of the wings and debone the breasts and discard. Bones should remain intact for the thighs, legs and remainder of the wings as the marrow will increase the flavor of the broth and they can be removed prior to serving. Cut the chicken breasts up in 1 inch cubes.

In a large pot, begin heating the oil. Once heated, add the chicken to brown slightly, stirring occasionally and add the leeks or onions and the garlic. Continue to saute them for five minutes. Add enough water to cover the chicken. While continuing to stir, add the black beans and carrots. Continue to stir and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes, stock, and the cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and black pepper. stir once to blend and cover the pot to continue to cook (about 15 minutes). Stir and check the tenderness of the potatoes. At this point, add the green beans and salt to the mixture and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes. Keep in mind, potatoes will often absorb the salt, so you should continue to taste the dish.

The potatoes will thicken the dish turning it into a stew. I really enjoyed serving this dish over rice. Other items may be added to this recipe. Stewed tomatoes may often be added giving this dish a “chili” like appearance.

Have fun trying this dish at home. Don’t forget, copies of the cookbooks are available through various vendors and you can check them out Here.

Tag: cookbook

Spiced Turkey (not spicy)

Chicken and Black Bean Stew