"Good Eats" Alton Brown's Roast Turkey

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 7 hr 0 min

Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it's done.

2 to 3 days before roasting:


Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.



Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.


Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:


Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water.

Discard the brine.


Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.


Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.


Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

new show on Cooking Channel: HEAT SEEKERS! and a BIG SAFETY warning

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/heat-seekers/heat-seekers/index.html

When it comes to spicy food, people all over the world love to play with fire. Chefs Aaron Sanchez and Roger Mooking sing the joys of the pepper from two distinctly different places in the world: Latin America and Asia. Aaron and Roger will take us on a tour of the hottest foods in the hottest restaurants in the U.S and Canada. It's Chili vs. Kimchee .... may the best spice win.

I am totally psyched about this show as I am a complete ADDICT when it comes to spicy food!  BUT, I have a big concern... (see below)

Chicken Wings with Explosive Chile Pepper

(see safety note below BEFORE attempting this recipe)

Recipe courtesy Danny Bowien, Mission Chinese Food

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 4 hr 0 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Oil, for frying
• 3 pounds mid-joint all-natural, organic chicken wings
• Kosher salt
• Spice kit, recipe follows
• 12 ounces dried Tianjin chiles*
• 4 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced
• Fresh cilantro, leaves picked and chopped for serving
• Fresh ginger, peeled and minced, for serving
• *Can be found at specialty Asian markets

• Spice Kit:
• 1/4 cup whole cumin
• 1 cup dried chile flakes
• 10 star anise pods
• 1/4 cup Szechuan peppercorn

Directions

In deep fryer or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil to 300 degrees F.

Working in small batches, fry the chicken wings for 5 minutes. Toss wings together in large mixing bowl with generous amounts of salt. Spread into single layer on a baking sheet and freeze. **(what the hell?!)

Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry frozen** wings for 5 minutes. Cook's Note: Fry times may vary.

Let wings drain for 1 minute for crispy skin. Toss the hot wings together in a large mixing bowl with desired amount of spice mix.

Heat pan or wok and toast Tianjin chiles and jalapenos until fragrant. Cover wings with blanket of peppers to perfume the wings. Sprinkle with cilantro and ginger, as desired.

Spice Kit: 

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toast the cumin, chile flakes, anise, and peppercorn on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Grind the spices in coffee grinder and reserve.

______________________________________________________


***SAFETY CONCERN***

Okay, in this recipe it calls for freezing your wings after seasoning, then dropping FROZEN chicken into HOT OIL...

um, excuse me Cooking Channel, have you never heard of the multiple house fires caused every year by people trying to deep-fry their Thanksgiving turkeys which haven't sufficiently thawed?!

The ice inside the turkey turns to water, then steam, which is trapped inside the turkey - this builds up pressure and it has to come out somewhere, so it EXPLODES into the hot oil, literally causing an almost volcanic eruption of burning oil to spray out of the pot!  I know there is a big size difference here, but the principle is the same.  Ever dropped a single drop of water into hot oil in a skillet? It spits and splatters something fierce - now imagine a big batch of ice-laden wings dumped in a deep fryer all at once?

What the f*ck Cooking Channel?!

~ Tony

**I have contacted Cooking Channel directly regarding this safety issue - we shall see if there is any response.

Tony's Pork Chow Mein

Wicked easy, totally tasty brown sauce('Fall River style') pork chow mein recipe:


Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced(or 1/2 tsp powdered ginger)
1 large onion, sliced
equal amount celery, sliced (the amounts are up to you, just equalize the onion to celery)
1 cup bean sprouts
1Tbsp corn starch
1 cup water or broth/stock
4 Tbsp oyster sauce (recommend Lee Kum Kee brand)
3 Tbsp soy sauce (recommend Kikkoman brand)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp fish sauce (optional)
pinch of red chili flake (optional - add ONLY if you want it abit spicy)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
package of dry chow mein noodles

Directions

BEFORE starting any cooking or turning on the fire on the stove, cut up your vegetables and have everything you need set up and handy - once the cooking starts, it will go super-quick and there won't be time to go looking for something you forgot... it's EASY and FAST and best of all, YUMMY!

In a wok over medium-high heat add vegetable oil and then garlic & ginger - stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the ground pork.  Brown the meat until no pink is visible, stirring constantly to break up the pieces.  Add sliced onion & celery & stir-fry for 4-5 minutes till slightly softened, but still with some body, not all limp.  While the vegetables are cooking, mix in a bowl or cup the cornstarch, water/stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce(optional), pinch of red chili flake (optional), and black pepper.  When the vegetables are ready, stir in the sauce mixture.  Continue stirring and it will thicken as it comes to a boil - this will only take a minute or two.  If it's too thick, add abit more water/stock.  At the last moment of cooking, stir in the cup of bean sprouts to heat thru.  That's it!  How easy was that?  hehehe  Serve over chow mein noodles and/or rice.  Serves 4.

You could substitute any kind of meat for the pork, be it chicken or beef, or even tofu(yuck)... or skip meat all together and add more vegetables, like carrots, broccoli and mushrooms.

Tony's Carolina-style pulled pork

This is sooooooooooo good - and I'm not tooting my own horn here, just repeating what I am told whenever I make this.  You'll need a slow cooker for this... it's great to start in the morning and it's done for dinner.

Ingredients

pork butt roast (the size depends on how much you wanna make... and the size of your slow cooker)
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this may seem excessive to some, but it's NOT. DO NOT skimp on this - the heat mellows out considerably, so it's not gonna blow your head off... it'll be fine even for the kids)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 Tbsp
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

Combine everything EXCEPT the ketchup & the 2 Tbsp brown sugar in the slow cooker - cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.  After the pork is falling apart tender, remove the meat from the cooker into a bowl so you can pull it... I use 2 forks and just shred it all up.  Take the broth from the cooker and pour it along with the ketchup & extra brown sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil and reduce by half.

Serve the pork on hearty buns with a spoonful of sauce over it & some cole slaw on the side.

Seriously, people will wanna kiss you this is so yummy.

"this will blow your head off!"

Ching-he Huang demonstrates how to make a Szechuan Fire Pot spicy broth.

"This is a mouth-tingling, numbing hotpot! The spicy soup stock base is a delicious broth in which fresh ingredients are poached - like a Chinese fondue. The Mandarin word for such a feast is 'Huo-guo', meaning 'hotpot', because all the ingredients are cooked in a hotpot!

I love this kind of feast, it is easy to prepare, and is great for interaction with friends. All you need is an electric wok or fondue set up in the centre of the table and plenty of soup ladles and away you go. I had this dish in Chengdu in the middle of summer and it was fantastic. Be warned - this is extremely spicy."

**EDIT**
for some reason the embed code from Cooking Channel isn't working, so here's the link to the page with the video I was trying to share with you good people:

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/cook/video/player/0,1001203,COOK_42654_7921_37787-54525,00.html

go here for the full ingredients & step-by-step recipe:

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ching-he-huang/spicy-hotpot-recipe/index.html

Banh Mi - Vietnamese pork sandwiches

**

If you've never eaten these yummy but usually very inexpensive Vietnamese sandwiches, you don't know what you're missing!!! Years ago I used to grab one(or two) of these for lunch in the "Little Saigon" area of Oklahoma City(yes, there is one) down around NW 23rd & Western... They're very easy to make and taste sooooo good. Seriously, you gotta try em.

Here's a basic recipe, but there are a bajillion variations:

Banh Mi

1 french baguette
pickled carrot & daikon threads
liver pate
seedless cucumber slices
jalapeno slices (optional, if you're a wuss)
Viet-style cooked pork
real mayo
cilantro sprigs
soy or fish sauce
few slices of red onion

Open up the baguette, but don't cut all the way thru, you want it to stay in one piece, just open up for all the goodies. If there's too much bread in the middle, you can scoop abit out... Smear some mayo on the bread, then some pate - exact amounts are up to you - then layer some of the pork, jalapeno, cucumber, onions, daikon/carrot pickles, cilantro sprigs, and a dash of soy or fish sauce. Slice crossways and enjoy!


pickled carrot & daikon threads

this is a key ingredient - do NOT omit! Here's how to make em:

julienne equal amounts of carrots and daikon - 1/4 or 1/2 lb each is plenty, depending on how much you wanna make - just make sure the amounts are equal. Take 1 cup of warm water and dissolve 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3 Tbsp sugar, and 3 Tbsp white vinegar. Combine veggies and brine and let marinate for an hour at least, but overnight is best. You can put these in clean glass jars with lids, they keep for a looong time in the fridge.


Viet-style pork

Again, a basic recipe, of which there are many variations:

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2" to 1" thin medallions
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 spring onion, sliced
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp cooking oil

Combine everything except the oil in a resealable plastic bag and massage around so everything comes in contact with the meat. Marinate at least one hour, but overnight is best. Heat pan on med-high and add cooking oil, lay slices of pork in the pan, cooking approx. 2 minutes per side, flip em over and repeat. It shouldn't take long at all to cook thru, but you be the judge. Place cooked pork in a bowl and pour the cooking juices over them to keep the flavor going. Add to your banh mi and rock on!


**picture source: http://battleofthebanhmi.com

Attn Cooking Channel - PLEASE cancel...

David Rocco's Dolce Vita


god, I hate that show...

okay, you're Italian, you look like a male model, you get more tail than Frank freakin' Sinatra, we get it already.

We also DON'T CARE!

I mean, good god, how many people have a painting of a woman's face seemingly in mid-orgasm on the kitchen wall next to the stovetop?! It's also right in the camera shot so when he looks sideways at the camera - which he always does - it's staring you right in the face!

It's like a lame soap opera - oh, and the guy cooks whilst arguing with his relatives/girlfriend.

PLEASE remove this show from your schedule... PLEASE!

Tony's Jambalaya

Tony's Jambalaya
(an original recipe by me)

total time prep/cook: 30 minutes
serves: 4 adults(or 2 Cajuns hehehe)

Ingredients

1 lb. Portuguese Chorizo sausage(yeah, I know it's not 'authentic', but I'm not a Cajun either.  LOL  Down in NOLA they use Andouille sausage, which may or may not be available in your area.  You may substitute other smoked sausage, but NOT Mexican Chorizo, despite the same name, it's completely different)
1 1/2 cup white rice
3 cups water (or low-sodium chicken stock for even MORE flavor)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes(mine says 14.5 oz)
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce(pronounced 'wooster-sheer' - there, the controversy is over! hehehe)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning(may substitute same amount of Emeril's Essence, whichever you can find at the grocery store - my local store has both, but Emeril Lagasse is actually from this area where I live, so... to me, the Tony Chachere's is abit spicier than the Emeril's Essence)

Instructions

Heat up a large pan or skillet(I use a wok) with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cut chorizo into bite-sized pieces and add to hot pan, saute for a minute or two, then add onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook mixture for about 4 or 5 minutes, then add garlic and Creole seasoning. (Watch your nose, it will make you sneeze!) Next add the can of tomatoes, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, rice, bay leaves and dried thyme. Add 3 cups water to cover everything and bring to a rolling boil.

Cover with a lid or tightly-wrapped aluminum foil and reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for 18 minutes, DO NOT LIFT THE LID! After 18 minutes, turn off heat and let sit COVERED for 5 minutes. A super-tasty, filling one-pot meal.

Eat and enjoy!


You'll notice I didn't list salt or pepper - the Creole seasoning has EVERYTHING in there, so you don't need to add additional salt or pepper. The amount I listed perfectly seasons the food - it's VERY flavorful, with a little spiciness, but not bad at all(to my tastebuds). For more heat, you can add 1/4-to-1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.

Curried Meatballs

I got this recipe from The Cooking Channel's own Spice Goddess, Bal Arneson. My wife and I love her show and this is one of the dishes that has just absolutely blown us away... it's one of those things where you take the first bite and just pause, look to the sky, and say "oh my god, that is soooooooooo good!!"  It literally stops you in your tracks for a second or two, it tastes so YUMMY!!  The only variation I did in making this recipe is that I used 2 lbs of meat instead of 1, as we have 5 people in our household, including 2 bottomless pits teenage boys. We served it with plain white steamed rice.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 pound ground meat (pork, beef or veal)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp* ##
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

*Can be found at specialty Asian and Indian markets.

## If you can't find tamarind pulp, you may substitute a handful of raisins and some lime juice... it won't be exactly the same, but close, and still quite tasty.

Sauce

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
1 green chile, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp*
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup red wine
Serving suggestion: Serve with rice.

Directions

Combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, cheese, tamarind pulp, oregano, fennel seeds, salt, and egg in a large bowl and mix well with your hands to combine. Form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs and set aside. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Fry the meatballs on all sides until browned and then reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Keep the meatballs warm.

To make the sauce:

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil and then the garlic and chile. Saute for one minute and then add the bay leaves, garam masala, oregano, turmeric, salt, and black pepper and toast for 10 seconds. Stir in the tamarind pulp and then add the tomatoes and red wine and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the warm meatballs to the sauce and stir gently to coat well with the sauce. Serve the meatballs with rice.

source:  http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/curried-meatballs-recipe/index.html

Mmmm... brown food tastes good!

a blog for recipes & food-related stuff... yeah, I borrowed the name from Anne Burrell because, well, she's wacky - and that's cool.


Some recipes will be my original creations, some will be from somewhere out on teh webz - either way, I will annotate it and, if applicable, post a link to the original location.


Posting others recipes is IN NO WAY meant to be an affront to anyone's copyrights and is under 'Fair Use' provisions.

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 § 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED.

If I post your recipe here and you wish me to remove it, just tell me and I will immediately do so.  Again, I will always post a source on any non-original recipes posted in this blog.