Thanksgiving 101 (6 page)

Every Thanksgiving, I prepare a big pot of stock to use all Thanksgiving Day long. This luscious stock is one of the secrets to a moist, beautifully colored roast bird with wonderful gravy, as shown in Perfect Roast Turkey with Best-Ever Gravy. Some of the stock also goes into the stuffing, some usually gets turned into soup, and I often use it in side dishes as well. The recipe is easily doubled or even tripled, assuming you have a stockpot big enough to hold the ingredients. If you want a smaller amount of stock, make the Small-Batch Turkey Stock variation. But don’t worry about having too much stock. Any leftovers can be frozen or used the next day to make a terrific soup.

• Turkey parts with lots of bone, like wings and backs, make the best stock. Use the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard from a whole turkey in the stock, but not the liver. (Liver makes the stock bitter.) When the stock is strained, you can retrieve the neck and giblets to use in giblet gravy. If you want to use liver in the gravy, add it to the stock during the last 15 minutes of simmering, and poach it just until cooked through.
  
• Browning the turkey parts first gives the stock a rich color that will make a dark gravy. Cooking the vegetables brings out their flavor. Too many cooks throw the giblets in a pot with some water to boil up a weak, pale stock that doesn’t have much flavor.
  
• Never let stock come to a rolling boil or it will become cloudy and have a less refined flavor. Cook the stock uncovered.
  
• Add the herbs to the stock after you’ve skimmed it. If you add them at the beginning, they will rise to the surface and be skimmed off with the foam. By the way, the foam isn’t anything unwholesome—it’s just the coagulating proteins in the bones. They are removed to make the stock clearer.
  
• The longer a stock simmers, the better, up to 12 hours. Replace the water as needed, as it evaporates. While I trust my stove to simmer the stock at a safe temperature overnight, some of my students have been shocked at the idea. A great alternative is to make the stock in a 5½-quart slow cooker. Transfer the browned turkey and vegetable mixture to the stockpot, add the herbs, and pour in enough cold water to cover well. Cover and cook on Low, and the stock will barely simmer all night long to create a clear, delicious stock.
  
• If time is a factor, just simmer the stock for an hour or two—it will still be better than using canned chicken broth to make your gravy. Or make a pot of stock well ahead of Thanksgiving and freeze it.
  
• Don’t add salt to your stock. The stock is often used in recipes where it must reduced, and the finished dish could end up too salty. To check the stock’s flavor, ladle some into a cup and season lightly with salt before tasting. Without the salt, it may taste deceptively weak.
  

1.
Using a heavy cleaver, chop the wings and neck into 2-inch pieces. (If necessary, ask the butcher to do this for you.) Using a sharp knife, trim away any membranes from the giblets.

2.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the turkey wings, neck, and giblets, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a plate. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes.

3.
Return the turkey to the pot. Add enough cold water to cover the turkey by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Add the parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low. Cook at a bare simmer for at least 2 and up to 12 hours. As needed, add more water to the pot to keep the bones covered.

4.
Strain the stock through a colander into a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes and skim off the clear yellow fat that rises to the surface. If desired, remove the giblets, cool, finely chop, and refrigerate for use in gravy. The neck meat can be removed in strips, chopped, and reserved as well. Cool the stock completely before refrigerating or freezing. (Turkey stock can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, cooled completely, covered, and refrigerated. It can also be frozen in airtight containers for up to 3 months.)

Small-Batch Turkey Stock:
A smaller amount of stock can be prepared with just the turkey neck and giblets. As this relatively small amount of turkey won’t give a very full-flavored stock, use chicken broth (homemade or canned) as a booster. Following the instructions above, brown the neck and giblets from 1 turkey in 1 tablespoon oil. Add 1 small onion, 1 small carrot, and 1 small celery rib with leaves, all chopped, and cook until softened. Add 1 quart water, and one 13¾-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add 3 parsley sprigs, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, 6 peppercorns, and 1 small bay leaf. Simmer for 2½ to 3 hours (the smaller amount of liquid would evaporate away if cooked longer). Makes about 1 quart.

Homemade Chicken Stock:
Substitute 3 pounds chicken wings, cut into 2-inch pieces, for the turkey wings. Delete the turkey neck and giblets.

Cranberry Waldorf Salad

This magenta-colored mold can be served as a side dish, but it really shines when served as a special first-course salad. I love it just as is, but if you like, serve it the way my grandma would: Mix equal portions of mayonnaise and sour cream, and place a dollop alongside each serving. The recipe is easily doubled to fit a 9-cup mold.

1.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over ½ cup of the apple juice; set aside. In a large saucepan, mix the cranberries, the remaining 1½ cups apple juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Cook until all the cranberries have popped, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low. Stir in the gelatin mixture and continue stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the cranberry mixture to a large bowl. Refrigerate until cool and partially thickened (a spoon drawn through the mixture will leave a definite impression), about 2 hours. Or place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Let stand, stirring the mixture often and adding more ice to the water as it melts, until the mixture is cool and partially thickened, about 45 minutes.

2.
Lightly oil a 5-cup mold. Stir the apple, celery, and walnuts into the cranberry mixture. Pour into the prepared mold and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the mixture is completely set, at least 8 hours or overnight. (The salad can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)

3.
To unmold, fill a sink or large bowl with hot tap water. Dip the mold, just to the top edge, into the water and hold for 5 seconds. Remove from the water and dry the outside of the mold. Remove the plastic wrap. Invert the mold onto a serving platter. Holding the mold and the platter firmly together, shake them until the salad releases from the mold. Cut the salad into wedges and serve chilled.

Baby Spinach and Fuyu Persimmon Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

This unusual but absolutely mouthwatering salad will generate a conversation on the merits of persimmons. Be sure to use Fuyu (sometimes called Sharon) persimmons, which can be eaten while crisp-ripe. Other varieties, such as Hachiya, need to be ripened until very soft or they will be inedibly tannic, and they don’t make the best salads. Also buy fresh, plump ginger with smooth, unwrinkled skin, as it will yield the most juice.

GINGER VINAIGRETTE

1.
To make the dressing, shred the unpeeled ginger on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap half of the shredded ginger in the corner of a clean kitchen towel. Wring the ginger over a small bowl to extract the juice. Discard the juiced ginger. Repeat with the remaining ginger. You should have about ¼ cup of juice.

2.
In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar, ginger juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. Stir in the shallots. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve; whisk the dressing well before using. (The dressing can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.)

3.
Rinse the spinach and spin-dry in a salad spinner. Wrap the spinach loosely in paper towels and place in a large plastic bag (a grocery bag is perfect). Refrigerate until ready to serve. (The spinach can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.)

4.
Using a small, sharp knife, cut out the green calyx from the top of each persimmon. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the persimmons, moving the peeler vertically around the outside of each persimmon to remove the peel in a long strip. Cut the peeled persimmons into ¼-inch-wide wedges. Place in a small bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The persimmons can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead.)

5.
To serve, toss the persimmons with 2 tablespoons of the ginger dressing. In a large bowl, toss the spinach with as much of the remaining dressing as desired; refrigerate the leftover dressing for another use. Divide the spinach equally among chilled salad plates. Top with the persimmon wedges. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Roasted Beet, Endive, and Blue Cheese Salad with Walnuts

I’m not suggesting that this salad will be a hit at the kids’ table. But it will be welcome at an “adults only” Thanksgiving, especially one with other European-inspired dishes on the menu. Roasting works wonders with beets, bringing out their sweetness and maintaining their color better than boiling or steaming. Use a high-quality, but not artisanal, balsamic vinegar, which is less acidic than inexpensive versions. If the dressing is too sharp, balance it with a little brown sugar.

1.
To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 400°F. If the beets have their greens attached, trim the greens, leaving about 1 inch of the stems attached to the beets. Scrub the beets under cold running water. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the beets are tender when pierced
with the tip of a long, sharp knife, about 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets. Unwrap the beets and cool.

2.
Slip the skins off the beets. Cut the beets into ½-inch cubes. Place in self-sealing plastic bags and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. (The beets can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.)

3.
Using a sharp knife, cut the endive crosswise into ½-inch-wide pieces. Separate the endive pieces into rings, discarding any tough, solid center pieces. Set the endive aside.

4.
In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar with the salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the beets, endive, blue cheese, and walnuts, and toss well. Spoon onto chilled salad plates and serve immediately.

Note:
Walnut oil can be found in specialty food stores, many supermarkets, and some natural food stores. Imported French walnut oil has the richest flavor. If you can’t find it, you can make an excellent substitute. In a blender, blend ½ cup toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts with ½ cup vegetable oil until the walnuts are very finely chopped. Let stand for a few minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh wire sieve.

Fennel, Pear, and Hazelnut Salad in Radicchio Cups

Fennel is another one of those winter vegetables that deserve to be better known by American cooks. European cooks love it for its crisp texture and mild anise flavor. The interplay of the crunchy fennel and hazelnuts with sweet and tender pears makes this an exceptional salad. It’s also lightly dressed—a perfect choice when the menu requires a first course that isn’t filling.