Thanksgiving: It's All About the Turkey!

Today, as families across America prepare the meal that every single one of us looks forward to all year long (I know I do!), I shudder to think of all the food safety violations being made!  From cross contamination to time temperature control; from undercooked turkey meat to (what many people forget about)  undercooked stuffing!  It grosses me out.  As a culinary student, one of the most beneficial parts of the program I went through BAR NONE was the food safety-sanitation course.  Feeding people is a dangerous business -- be it in a restaurant, or in one's own home.  After seeing some rather disturbing raw poultry pics on Facebook this morning, I thought I would take the time to sit down and share with those of you that read this (bless your hearts!) my top 3 turkey safety tips. 

1.  IF YOU TOUCHED THE RAW TURKEY, WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE TOUCHING ANYTHING ELSE!  Don't wipe your hands on your pants or the kitchen towel you plan on using to dry the dishes with later on; don't just rinse them under cold water; don't think using the hand sanitizer is enough.  After handling any uncooked meat, wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap under WARM (not HOT) water by rubbing them vigorously together.  As you do this, sing "Happy Birthday" in your head (or out loud, if the mood suits you!).  When you have finished the song,  you may turn off the water and dry your hands with paper towel (then follow with the hand sanitizer, if you feel it necessary!).  Please do not handle the turkey, then grab the paper towel, then go searching through  your spice rack, then set the table .... Wash your hands first.  PLEASE.  I cannot stress this enough!  In my kitchen, I actually use latex gloves for handling poultry of any sort.  When I am done, I strip off the gloves and STILL wash my hands.  Salmonella is serious business. 

2.  BE SURE TO SANITIZE ANY SURFACE THAT THE TURKEY MAY HAVE TOUCHED!  This starts in the refrigerator, believe it or not.  I place any meat I have in the refrigerator on sheet pans (or cookie sheets) that can be easily removed and washed in case of any leakage. It is really disgusting when you have a thawing turkey in your fridge on the top shelf, hovering just above a pumpkin pie you might have baked the previous day, or next to some raw salad ingredients you might have hanging out, only to discover as it thaws that there was a teeny tiny hole in the packaging it came in and you have "juices" dripping all over the place.  It's not good enough to wipe it out, or rinse it.  If this horror-show happened in my fridge, I would remove everything inside, tossing anything the contaminate may have dribbled on, and scrub every nook and cranny with bleach solution.  It is best to keep the potential hazard contained (either in a bowl or on a pan), and on the lowest shelf in your fridge, FAR AWAY from fresh veggies. 

Then, when you are finally ready to roast your bird and you take the turkey out, whether you had it in your sink, on a cutting board, or (GOD FORBID!) directly on the surface of your counter ............ SANITIZE.  This goes along with washing your hands:  cross contamination is a MAJOR cause of food born illnesses.

3.  COOK THE BIRD TO 165!  The little pop out timers that come in the Butterball you bought at the store???  NOT to be trusted!  They belong in the garbage.  It is important to insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (the dark meat takes the longest to cook), taking care that it does not touch the bone.  Before you do this, be sure to calibrate your meat thermometer.  This is VERY easily done by filling a glass with ice, then with water.  Dip the thermometer into the ice water, and it should read 32F (or 0C):  that's freezing.  If it does not, you can calibrate it by adjusting the nut directly under the temperature display.  If you have one with a battery & it does not read 32F, you need to replace the battery.  It's that simple.  OH!  And if you are one of the extremists that feels it is absolutely necessary to put the stuffing inside of the cavity .... The STUFFING also needs to be 165 before it is safe to eat.  Why?  All those rosy pink juices that add "flavor" could just as easily get you sick EVEN if the meat is done. 

By following these 3 VERY IMPORTANT rules, you will greatly decrease the chance of getting any of your loved ones sick this holiday season. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!  :-)

My All-Time Favorite Pasta Dish

 

When I have nothing to eat for dinner and I am starving, this is my go-to recipe.  I always have eggs in my fridge, pasta in my pantry, and bacon in my freezer (wrapped in plastic, then in foil, & stored in a plastic zip bag.  To thaw, unwrap and place bacon on a plate in the microwave. Cook on high at 15 second intervals until bacon has thawed just enough so you can peel away your desired amount of bacon. Re-wrap and place back in freezer).  And EVERY self-respecting person should have a big block of parm in their cheese drawer!   Carbonara is a traditional Roman pasta dish, and this is a very traditional recipe for it.  The pepper is what gives this recipe its name – it is a dish the Italians have dedicated to their ravenous coal miners.  The peas, however, are an untraditional addition.  I added them simply because I was craving a vegetable and that’s all I had!  Spaghetti is typically the pasta that is used, but if you don’t have any, you can substitute whatever pasta is available.  Orechiette would be a good choice, as the “little ears” would provide a perfect vessel to transport the sweet little peas to your anxiously awaiting mouth. 

Spaghetti Carbonara, for 1 Really Hungry Person Who May or May Not Have Had Anything Else to Eat All Day Besides 3 Cookies

Half a box of dry spaghetti, or pasta of choice (8oz)

1/3 cup frozen peas

2 strips of bacon, pancetta or, even better, guanciale, cut crosswise into ¼”X1" strips (lardons)

¼ cup white wine, plus more for drinking

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

Several grinds of black pepper

A hefty grating of parm cheese (1/4-1/2 cup)

 

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. 

 

Thaw peas in the microwave very briefly -- about 30 seconds, just so they are no longer frozen solid.  If they are still cold, that's fine.

 

While you’re waiting for the water, place bacon in a cold sauté pan, large enough to hold all the pasta.  Heat over medium heat and cook bacon until it is almost crisp.  Deglaze pan with wine and let it simmer until it is thick & syrupy.  Remove from heat.

 

Once water is boiling, season with a handful of kosher salt.  Cook pasta until al dente.  Be sure to reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water before you drain the rest.

 

As the pasta cooks, in a small bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, pepper & cheese.  Set aside.

 

When the pasta is done, heat the pan with the bacon over medium-high heat.  Once it starts to bubble again, add the peas and the pasta to the hot pan, and toss to coat thoroughly.  Let it get good and hot, continuing to toss, for about a minute.  REMOVE FROM HEAT.  (This is the most important part!)  Give the egg mixture a final whisk, and get your tongs ready.  Pour over the hot pasta and IMMEDIATELY stir the pasta so it coats all the strands.  The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese and cook the eggs just enough to give you a nice, silky sauce.  Add a splash of the pasta water to loosen the sauce a little bit (not the entire ¼ cup … usually just a tablespoon or 2 is sufficient).   If you leave the pasta in the pan too long, the eggs will scramble.  So as soon as all the pasta is coated, place in a serving bowl.  Garnish with more cheese and a few more grinds of pepper.  Enjoy after a long day, with the rest of the wine :-). 

My Favorite Champagne

 

According to my ex-husband, I have many things that I label as "my favorite". The list of my favorite foods is pretty much endless. My favorite restaurants are innumerable. My favorite shoes, my favorite outfits, my favorite books, my favorite movies ....

 But my favorite thing in the world -- FOR REAL -- is champagne.  I love the sound the cork makes as it is pushed out of the bottle by the pressure from the gases contained within.  I love the ethereal fog that rises out of the opening of that bottle once the cork is expelled.  I love the shape of the champagne glass, and I love watching that perfectly chilled, sparkling wine cascade down its slanted slope.  I love watching the countless bubbles rise to the surface.  I love its crispness, its coolness and its magic.  I love its romance and its honor; its reputation.  And champagne, after all, can't come from just anywhere.  To be called "champagne", it has to COME from Champagne:  a region in France about 100 miles east of Paris.

 

And my FAVORITE champagne?  Veuve Clicquot.  Mostly because it is an outstanding wine, but also because of the legacy this famed widow left behind.

 

The House of Clicquot was founded in 1772 by Phillipe Clicquot-Muiron.  The family had several vineyards and he decided to establish a family wine business.  From the beginning, he vowed to "cross all borders" with his champagne.

 

Phillipe's son Francois joined the business in 1798, and the first shipment of the family's champagne was sent outside of France to Venice.

 

In 1805, Francois passed away and his widow (veuve, in French), Nicole-Barbe Clicquot-Ponsardin, took over the business at the age of only 27.  The original family business was also involved in banking and wool-trading, but she decided to focus on the champagne production.  Taking over the House of Clicquot, she essentially became the first business woman of modern times.

 

In 1811, a comet shot across the Champagne sky.  That year, there was an exceptional harvest and Madame Clicquot used grapes from this "comet harvest" to make "les Vins de la Comete", which set the foundation for the House's reputation of excellence.

 

As the Napoleonic wars came to an end, in the year 1814 Madame Clicquot made a huge move.  She risked her entire fortune and ran the blockade with 10,000 bottles of her most precious vintage.  They were sent o St. Petersburg, where celebrating Russians were charged the equivalent of $100 per bottle.  Her Champagne was praised by the likes of Pushkin, Chekov and Gogol.

 

By the time Madame was in her late 30's, she had become one of the richest women in France, with annual sales over $30-million.

Today when you pour a glass of champagne, one thing you notice about the wine is not only the bubbles, but the clarity.   Before the days of Veuve Clicquot, champagne was actually cloudy.  This was due to the lees in the wine -- the dead yeast cells.  Before drinking a glass of bubbly prior to the year 1816, you had to decant it or let it rest in the glass so the sediments could fall to the bottom.  The photo above illustrates these sediments in the wine, in a bottle that has been allowed to rest on its side over time while aging.

Madame Clicquot, however, invented something called a riddling rack.  After aging, the bottles are placed on one of these racks and held at a 45-degree angle.  Twice a day, the bottles are gently shaken and turned, alternately to the right and to the left, and the angle is gradually increased.  The sediments in the wine get pushed towards the neck, which allows them to be disgorged -- the wine near the cork with the sediments in it is frozen and then the cork and frozen plug are removed, then more wine is added as needed to refill the bottle.  Madame Clicquot kept this process a secret for 10 years, which helped set her champagne above all the rest, and earned her her respected nickname:  LA GRANDE DAME DE CHAMPAGNE.  This process is still practiced today.

 

The Veuve Clicquot vineyards occupies over 515 hectares (1273 acres), 485 hectares of which are in production.  Out of those, 360 belong to Veuve Clicquot, and 125 are owned by the LVMH Group (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy).  This land is spread out over the very best champagne growth areas in France:  12 of 17 of the Grand Crus come from here, and 19 of 44 Premiers Crus.  The average classification is close to 97% based on the wine growing properties of the terroir & the quality of the grapes.  Of the grapes grown here, 47% are white chardonnay, 42% are pinot noir, and 11% are pinot meunier.

If you look at a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, There are a couple symbols you will see that are behind the House of Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin. The first is the anchor on the cork, and various locations on the label. It is the Christian symbol for hope & rigor and was chosen in 1798 by Phillipe (the founder) as the cork brand. In that era bottles were not labeled, and the cork held the only distinguishing mark.

You will also see a royal seal.  Veuve Clicquot holds a Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II of England.  It is the circular logo that appears on the yellow band.  The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the Royal Family, which gives a great deal of prestige, obviously, to the supplier.

Last, but certainly not least, you will notice the woman on the wire cage that secures the cork:  Veuve Clicquot herself.

 

Madame Clicquot died in 1866.  In 1877, The House began using their trademark yellow labels.  The company was placed on the French stock exchange in 1963, and by 1972, The House created a prestigious award called The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award in her honor.  In 1987, Veuve Clicquot became part of The LVMH Group.

 

Much of what we associate with champagne today, Madame Clicquot is responsible for.  From its clarity, to its standard of excellence, to its association with style, elegance and glamour, we have La Grande Dame de Champagne to thank for.  Veuve Clicquot is, by all means, a favorite among favorites.

 



Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard Lasagna

 

 

As a personal chef, lasagna is not only one of my favorite things to make for my clients but also one of my favorite things to EAT!  I usually make it in aluminum loaf pans found in the baking aisle at the grocery store.  One lasagna noodle fits perfectly in the pan if you buy the flat, no bake ones made by Delallo.  That way, you don't have a huge pan of lasagna sitting in your fridge that you feel obligated to eat before it goes bad.  You can make a few loaf pans at time, if you want, and parbake the ones you aren't going to eat.  Let them cool, wrap them tightly in foil, and then simply put the extras in the freezer.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven until hot and bubbly. 

Homemade lasagna beats the heck out of the crap in the frozen food section, and there are about a million variations.  Besides the traditional meat and cheese sort, you can make it with practically any vegetable (mushrooms, artichoke, eggplant, spinach ... to name a few), so it's a good way to utilize fresh, seasonal produce.  For those with wheat allergies, you can use gluten free noodles (rice noodles are actually really good!) or you can even SKIP the noodles and just layer vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and roasted red bell pepper with sauce and cheese. 

Of all the different lasagna recipes I have come across, this Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard Lasagna is one of my favorites.  In place of the Swiss chard, you can substitute pretty much any green such as kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, broccoli rabe ..... Any one will work.  You can buy sauce in a jar, but I like to make my own.  It's super easy.  And if  you have any extra squash, just put it on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze; put it in ziplock bags the next day and it's ready for the next time!

 

Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard Lasagna

 



1 small butternut squash
Salt & pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
Nonstick cooking spray
4oz part-skim ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (or more, to taste)
1 bunch of Swiss chard (or any leafy green), ribs removed & discareded; leaves chopped & washed
2 cups tomato sauce (purchased, or homemade -- see recipe)
3 flat, no boil lasagna noodles (if you are using the skinnier ones with the curly edges, you might need to use 2 per layer, and break them a little to fit in the pan)
1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 foil loaf pan (8" X 3-7/8" X 2-15/32")

Preheat the oven to 375. 

Cut the ends off of the squash.  To remove the skin, you can use a vegetable peeler or if you have a VERY sharp knife, cut the squash in half crosswise so one piece is the neck and the other pieces is the round, bulbous part of the squash.  Setting the squash on a flat end, you can now use your knife to carefully peel the skin away.  Cut the peeled chunks of sqush in half lenghtwise, remove the seeds from the bulbous end, and then cut them into 1/4" slices.  Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil & season with salt & pepper.  Place them in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast until just tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Coat the loaf pan with cooking spray. 

Squeeze the spinach with your hands to extract the liquid.  Stir together the ricotta, parmesan cheese, spinach, oregano, cinnamon & nutmeg.  Season with a little salt & pepper.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat.  Add remaining olive oil to pan and cook the onion until it is translucent.  Add garlic & chili flakes to pan and cook until you can smell the garlic, being careful that it does not burn.  Add the chard to the pan, and cook until it is wilted, stirring pretty constantly so it cooks evenly.  Transfer to a bowl & set aside.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce.  Lay pasta in sauce.  Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the pasta, then layer with squash.  Lay another sheet of pasta on squash & cover with half of the remaining tomato sauce.  Cover with chard (you can freeze any extra in a ziplock bag for next time, or use it to make a second loaf pan!) & spread remaining ricotta on top.  Cover with noodles & sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella.

Spray a piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray & tightly cover the dish.  Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes.  Test noodles for doneness by inserting a paring knife into the lasagna.  As soon as the noodles are tender, remove foil and bake until the cheese browns a little bit.  Remove from oven and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 loaf pan; 2 servings.

Basic Tomato Sauce

2-28oz cans of whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

8-10 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled & left whole

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

 

Put the tomatoes in a big bowl and (this is my favorite part!) squeeze them with your hands!!!  Careful, because the juice tends to squirt a little bit.  Set aside.

 

In a large, deep saute pan (big enough to hold all the tomatoes), heat the olive oil over medium to medium high heat.  Toss in the garlic cloves.  Tilt the pan so the garlic is basically deep frying.  Continue cooking until the cloves are golden (do not burn because they will be bitter).  Carefully slide in the squished tomatoes (the oil will sputter because of the water content) and stir.  Bring to a simmer and then add the bay leaf & chili flakes.  Reduce heat to low/medium low, and simmer until the sauce had thickened, stirring frequently so the bottom does not scorch. 

 

You can leave the chunks of tomato, or you can pulse it in a food processor or with an immersion blender for a smoother texture. 

 

Season to taste with salt & pepper.

 

Makes about 1 quart.