Season To Taste

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I realize this seems like an odd choice, considering the other holidays have much more hoopla surrounding them.  So what makes turkey day tops with me? The entire day is all about food!  No cards, no gifts, no costumes, and no elaborate decorations.  Just one big, glorious meal with family and friends.  Definitely my kind of holiday.

 My grandmother, who happened to be an excellent cook, made a HUGE deal over Thanksgiving every year.  Any of you who are Italian-American know that Thanksgiving isn’t just about turkey.  It is about soup, and lasagna, and meatballs, and sausage, THEN the turkey, potatoes, stuffed artichokes, brussels sprouts, green beans carrots, corn, and about ten other side dishes.  My grandmother would get up at about 3am to start cooking…and that is no exaggeration.  As you can imagine, our Thanksgiving meals lasted for hours.  No matter how many people were around the table, there always seemed to be enough food for triple the number present.  This also meant lots of leftovers. 

 So make a little extra this Thanksgiving and enjoy the leftovers! 

 Cranberry-Turkey Salad Wrap

2 cups diced cooked turkey (preferably white meat)

1/4 cup diced celery

2 tablespoons diced red onion (optional)

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/3 cup light mayo
salt and pepper to taste

4 romaine lettuce leaves (or substitute 3 oz baby spinach)

4 whole wheat wraps

Combine turkey, celery, onion, cranberries, gorgonzola and mayo in a medium bowl. Stir until incorporated.

Lay out 4 whole wheat wraps on your work surface. Line each with one leaf of romaine lettuce (or divide baby spinach equally among wraps).

Place 1/2 -3/4 cup of salad in center of each wrap, and fold/roll as desired.

Serve chilled or at room temperature

Pulled pork is one of my favorite no-fuss meals.  For years, I always considered pulled pork something to order at a barbeque restaurant, rather than something to make at home.  I envisioned gigantic cuts of pork being cooked for hours in a mammoth smoker, then being shredded by a team of cooks.  Since I have neither a smoker nor a kitchen staff, I just assumed truly good pulled pork could not be achieved at home.  I’m happy to say I was very wrong.

My inspiration for home-made pulled pork came from my next-door neighbor and my sister-in-law, who, unbeknownst to them, share an unlikely pulled-pork connection.  They both have different methods for cooking their pork, but both swear by a very special ingredient, which is what I think makes this dish spectacular.

My neighbor and his wife love to throw big, casual parties with tons of food.  Most of the time, JT fries a whole turkey, but lately, he’s been experimenting with pulled pork.  He favors the method where you take your cut of pork (the fattier varieties are best—butt, shoulder, or even the rib end of a roast), place it in a large pot, add water, throw in a few aromatics (onion, etc), and let it simmer VERY slowly for about 10-12 hours. 

My sister-in-law and brother had us over for dinner this summer and also served pulled pork.  I asked if theirs was cooked it in water like my neighbor, and she said she simply tosses the meat alone into a big crock-pot and lets it slowly cook for a few hours. Once it is cooked through, she trims the fat, shreds it, and returns it to the crock-pot for the final step.

This last step is where my neighbor’s and my sister-in-law’s recipes converge to create perfect pulled pork, and the secret is in the sauce!  It is a jarred sauce (gasp!), and the one they both use is from the very same upstate New York barbeque joint.  The family-owned Brooks’ House of Bar-BQ in Oneonta, New York is hands-down, one of the best barbeque restaurants into which you’ll ever set foot.  Even though Oneonta isn’t exactly on the beaten path, Brooks’ was featured on the Food Network a couple of years back…it is really that good.  The best part is that Brooks sells their sauces online (both the bbq sauce and a fantastic chicken marinade), so you can enjoy great pulled pork at home. 

The preparation for this dish is minimal—all you need is time.  I combined the methods for the most flavorful pork-which is also the easiest to prepare.  I also tend to favor the rib end of a pork roast, which although not as fatty, doesn’t smell up your house like the pork butt tends to do (I’m sure there is a joke in there somewhere).  So get some big, soft sandwich rolls, some tangy coleslaw (served on the side, or as they do in traditional barbeque restaurants, in the sandwich on top of the pork), and some beer, and have yourself a delicious but simple meal.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Serves  6

6 lbs boneless pork roast, rib end

1 onion, cut into quarters

1 ½ cups prepared barbeque sauce

Place the pork, onion and 1 cup of water into a crock-pot.  Turn to the “high” setting and allow to cook for approximately 3 hours.

Use a fork to break into the meat, and check to see that it is no longer pink in the center.   It should also be very tender and should break apart very easily.

Remove the pork, trim away any excess fat, and use two forks to shred apart the meat.  Remove the onion and water from the crock-pot, and return shredded meat to pot.  Add the sauce, change the setting to “low” and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, or until heated through.  Add more sauce if it seems too dry.

Serve warm on buns.

I did not grow up in New England, or even by an ocean, so lobster was not something we ate with any frequency.  I think the first time I had lobster was on a family trip to Bar Harbor, Maine when I was about nine or ten years old.  I remember being surprised when they brought a whole lobster to the table, and was very intrigued as my mother explained what parts you could eat and how you extracted those parts from the bright red shell.  It seemed like an awful lot of work, but I definitely became a fan of the king of the crustaceans. (Photo at left by “No MSG”)

Since we didn’t have access to a lot of fresh lobster back then, I also was not privy to the debates about lobster salad.  How much mayo, what kind of roll, fresh celery or celery salt?  It seems there is an on-going argument between New Englanders surrounding the proper way to make lobster salad.  Since I had no pre-conceived notions or biases toward any one preparation, I could do as I wished and not get anyone in my family upset.  After trying many types—too plain, too fancy, too “wet”, too “dry”, and too much other stuff, I came up with a version that I like best.  I tend to be a bit of a purist when it comes to food, and this is a perfect example of that.  No extraneous, super-fussy ingredients that take away from the salad’s star—the lobster.

As for the roll, I like a buttered and lightly toasted split-top hot dog bun.  I find these preferable to the regular, side-split hot dog buns because I think they hold more filling.  They also have a flat bottom so they will stand up on the plate, rather than rolling over and spilling out the precious lobster salad. 

Recently, I had a wonderful lobster dinner at a local supper club.  Between the huge lobster (1 ½ lbs!), clams, mussels, and all the fixings, I was just too stuffed to eat everything.  I decided to take my tail to go and looked forward to preparing a wonderful lunch the following day.  I decided to keep it simple and use just what I had on hand—celery and red onion for crunch and color, light mayo for binding, and a squeeze of lemon for freshness.   Now that’s my idea of great leftovers!

Lobster Salad

Serves 2

1 medium lobster tail, (6-8 oz) cooked

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup light mayonnaise

1 T fresh lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Roughly chop the lobster tail and place in a mixing bowl.

Add celery, onion, mayo, and lemon juice and stir to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve on buttered and toasted split-top hot dog rolls.

Inspired by a colorful plate of grilled veggies I had in Italy, I decided to turn some of this week’s farmers market finds into a healthy and tasty wrap.  Grilling renders veggies soft and sweet, and gives that wonderful smoky flavor.  Roasted red peppers are a particular favorite of mine, and are surprisingly simple to do on the grill.  By placing them directly over an open flame (or even under your broiler if weather keeps you indoors), the skin blackens and easily peels off, revealing the bright red flesh of the pepper.  They require only a few turns, and are largely cooked unattended (because hey, no worries about burning them-that’s the goal!). Once charred, I like to place them in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, which allows the pepper to steam and loosen the blackened skin.  Be sure to allow the pepper to cool a bit before trying to remove the skin-your hands will thank you!  

 For this easy dinner, I place some sliced eggplant alongside the peppers on the grill, and then place everything (plus a few other ingredients) into a wrap.  I love using whole wheat wraps, but was shocked when I looked at the calorie count and fat content of most commercial varieties. Ouch!  Opt for the “low-fat” or “carb conscious” types, which are often higher in fiber too. 

This dish makes a great weeknight meal, or you can wrap those wraps in some tin foil and pack them in a picnic basket for a fun alfresco meal.  They are just as good at room temperature, and great on the go.

Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Wrap

Serves 4

1 medium eggplant, cut lengthwise into ¼” slices

1 red bell pepper

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

1/ 2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

4 - 12 inch whole wheat wraps

Preheat your outdoor grill (or an indoor grill pan) to medium-high heat.

First, get the pepper roasting, since it will take the longest.  Place the whole red pepper directly on the grates, and allow to completely blacken on one side.  Turn, and repeat until the skin is black.  Place in a bowl, cover, and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper, and add to the grill.  Cook approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and eggplant is softened.

Next, peel the pepper by gently removing all the blackened skin (which will be very loose at this point and should come right off).  Remove the stem and seeds and slice the pepper into strips.

Spread 1 cup of raw spinach leaves on top of each wrap.  Layer the grilled eggplant and red peppers over the spinach, and sprinkle crumbled feta on top. 

Roll each wrap by folding in each of two ends about an inch, and rolling the opposite sides together to form a wrap (see photos below).

Fold the sides of the wrap about one inch.

While holding each side in, roll the wrap as shown.

Tuck the top of the wrap around the contents and then up under them to secure. Be sure the short ends do not come unwrapped.

Cubanelle peppers, sometimes referred to as Italian peppers, are long and thin and are usually a light yellowish green color.  There are also red varieties, and sometimes you’ll get a green pepper with some red portions, just like with bell peppers.  They are similar to Anaheim peppers, and can usually be used interchangeably.  (Left photo by cheneybrothers.com)

Growing up, these peppers were more a part of my culinary experience than any other type, as they are often seen used in Italian cooking.  My grandmother used them for a special sandwich filling we simply called “Peppers and Eggs”.  She would fry the peppers with a sliced onion in some olive oil, then add several beaten eggs to the pan, and stir until everything was cooked.  We’d eat them on delicious and crusty Italian bread, without any other embellishment.  My (non-Italian) father always insisted on putting mayonnaise on his sandwich, which was pure sacrilege in my grandparent’s house.  It actually isn’t terrible that way, but I have to stick to tradition on this one and eat mine straight-up, grazie. 

At the farmers market last week I grabbed several cubanelles for my basket.  They were smaller than what I usually see in the grocery store, but tasted sweet and delicious.  I also picked up a loaf of Italian bread, and although it was good, I must admit that very little compares to what the bakery in my grandparent’s Brooklyn neighborhood turned out each morning. 

 My parents were visiting that day, so I fried up a batch of peppers and eggs, just like Nana used to do when we visited (it was our favorite).  After 38 years of Italian-American indoctrination via marriage to my mom, my dad still asked for the mayonnaise…but at my house I’ll let it slide.  After all, I’m only half Italian. 

Peppers and Eggs

Serves 4

6 cubanelle peppers, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

6 eggs, lightly beaten

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

1 large loaf crusty Italian bread, cut in half lengthwise, and divided into four equal sections

In a large frying pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add peppers and onions and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 7-9 minutes (this step can be done a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator).

Lower the heat slightly and add the eggs to the pan. 

Using a heat-proof rubber spatula, gently stir the eggs around until soft curds form.

Continue to gently stir until eggs are softly cooked through and no longer runny. 

Spoon a generous amount onto cut Italian bread and eat warm.

Note:  Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  They are easily reheated in the microwave.