The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 2

Traditionally, we make two different meats at Christmas: turkey, of course, and usually beef. This year was no exception, except for the fact that both of them were awesome (if I do say so myself). Usually, there is something wrong with at least one - overcooked, undercooked, bad choice of some preparatory measure. Not this year. I guess my new philosophy - Yummy, Easy, Primal - is giving me more time to focus on the important parts.

Meat
All I can say is there's a reason it starts with mmm...!

Roast beef
1 tb fennel seeds
2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp orange zest
1 tb olive oil
5-6 lb boneless rib roast
Crush fennel seeds with a mortar & pestle, a few at a time. Mix seeds with other spices. Rub meat with olive oil, then with spice mix. Cook on rotisserie, checking temp with meat thermometer at 2 hours (should be rare). Take out when meat is about 10 degrees short of desired doneness and rest on counter about 20 minutes to finish cooking before slicing. Serve with horseradish cream sauce.
Horseradish cream sauce: Stir together sour cream and horseradish in 2:1 ratio. Top with fresh ground pepper and chives or parsley.

Turkey
New (for me) technique: dry-brining. Thank you Martha Stewart!
16-18 lb turkey
10 bay leaves, crushed - plus
     4 bay leaves, whole
1/2 c kosher salt
Oven bag
4 tb (1/2 stick) butter, softened - plus
     8 tb (whole stick) butter
Spices to taste: fresh ground pepper, rubbed sage, orange zest
1 c white wine
To brine: Combine crushed bay leaves with salt. Remove neck and giblets from thawed turkey. Rinse, drain and pat dry. Rub 1 tb salt mixture inside cavity. Rub remainder of mixture all over outside of bird, taking care to coat skin well, including in leg folds. Place turkey in oven bag and tie shut, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before putting in oven, then remove from oven bag and rinse brine from inside and outside turkey.
To roast: Stuff bird and place on roasting pan, tying legs with kitchen string if needed. Rub turkey skin with softened butter, season with spices and roast at 425 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt whole stick butter with wine and whole bay leaves. About a half an hour after the turkey went into the oven, lower temp to 350 and baste with wine mixture. Continue basting and rotating turkey every 30-45 minutes, tenting with foil once skin browns. Check for doneness after 4 hours. Let rest out of oven 20-30 minutes before carving.

PS - Yes, I made stuffing, and it was from scratch (sort of, I didn't make cornbread myself like I usually do). No, it wasn't primal, and I didn't eat it! And there was gravy...I don't like gravy and I always pawn that off on someone who looks bored.

The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 1

The family Christmas dinner is at my house every year. And every year, I spend weeks beforehand with recipes spread all over the place trying to plan, fine-tune and test an innovative menu that will wow everyone. But guess what? Nobody is wowed, nobody is disappointed. Everybody just eats and enjoys. Every year. I guess it truly isn't the food, it's the family. So this year I decided to simplify: no intricate recipes, no mounds of leftovers, no three days of cooking for 30 minutes of eating and 3 hours of cleaning. The rules: Yummy, Easy, Primal. Yep!

Appetizers
Shrimp and cocktail sauce is a Christmas tradition for us. So there was one munchie out of the way already. I make my own sugar-free cocktail sauce with tomatoes from my garden, but my in-laws brought a jar of store-bought with them. Fine by me! Easy, remember.
I made two cheese appetizers, neither of which impressed me much, but both of which served their purpose. The first was a goat cheese log rolled in dried cranberries and crushed pistacios (get it...red and green...very festive). Not awesome, but I would make it again for the simplicity (ok, and the fact that I love goat cheese). The second was a hot ricotta dip. Bland, wouldn't do it again.
Finally, I made baked stuffed mushrooms. Yummy. A winner. I actually got asked for the recipe, meaning not only was it good, but someone actually paid attention to what they were eating :)

Baked stuffed mushrooms
24 large baby bella mushrooms (or white button if you prefer)
1 tb olive oil
1/4 c fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
1/2 c shredded parmesan
1/2 c almond meal
Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve. Bake caps, stem side down, for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small food processor, chop the reserved stems (and a couple of extra whole mushrooms if there are any) with garlic and parsley. Sautee in oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes until the oil is absorbed, the parsley is wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Combine parmesan and almond meal and add mushroom mixture. Stuff into mushroom caps and bake again, 15 minutes.

Happy Primal New Year

I have taken a break from blogging, but not from cooking!

This New Year's Day, my first as a primal eater, I was determined to come up with something that incorporated traditional "good luck" foods, but kept with the plan.

The Menu:
Appetizer - smoked salmon - fish scales resemble coins and symbol prosperity
Salad - mixed greens and veggies garnished with pomegranate seeds - the seeds represent fertility, but are also my take on lucky legumes
Entree - spaghetti squash with meat sauce - noodles symbolize a long life
Side dish - sauteed chard with bacon - greens symbolize money and pork symbolizes progress
Drink - wine - eating 12 grapes at midnight is considered lucky in Hispanic countries, I took a bit of liberty here!

Spaghetti squash with meat sauce
1 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (if using unseasoned, also add oregano, etc. to taste)
1 c broth or water
1 tb white wine vinegar
2 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Cut squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. Add ground beef and crumble into chunks with spatula. When beef is browned, add vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and juice and stir until heated through. To thicken sauce, I use a bit of arrowroot powder dissolved in water or broth. You could substitute tomato paste whisked into the broth instead. Scoop squash strands out of the shell lengthwise with a fork onto plates. Top with meat sauce. Serves 3.

Ingredients for spaghetti squash with meat sauce.

Sauteed chard with garlic and bacon
1 bunch swiss chard (or kale, spinach or other leafy green)
1 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 slices bacon or pancetta
2 tb apple cider vinegar

Chop chard leaves and stems and set aside. Cook bacon and garlic in sautee pan in olive oil. Add chard to pan by the tong-ful, turning to coat in oil and mix with bacon and garlic. As chard wilts from heat and moisture, continue to add tong-fuls of chard and mix around untill it is all in the pan. Splash with vinegar and cover with lid for 30 seconds or until fully wilted. Remove from heat and swirl around before serving immediately.

Ingredients for sauteed chard with bacon

A slew of slaw

Not sure how many makes a slew. Probably more than the three I have posted so far. (see Waldorf slaw and Halloween slaw) Regardless, I made something yummy with the rest of the bag of shredded cabbage I used for the Halloween slaw, so I figured I would share it.

Asian slaw
1 bag shredded cabbage
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/3 c slivered almonds (or chopped nut of choice)
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tb sesame oil
1 tb fresh snipped chives
fresh ground pepper
Combine cabbage, apple and nuts in a large serving bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together liquid ingredients (sauce will be thick). Pour over dry ingredients and mix through. Add ground pepper to taste. Top with chives. Best served chilled (my opinion).

Halloween slaw

This is a great colorful side dish any time of year, but the purple and orange look - plus the fact that I served it on mischief night - made me name it for the holiday.

Halloween slaw
1 bag shredded purple cabbage
1 large carrot
2 tb lime juice
2 tb grapeseed oil
2-3 sprigs fresh mint
Fresh ground pepper
Empty cabbage into large bowl. Shred carrot on top. Strip mint leaves, tear any large ones and add to vegetables in bowl. In a separate dish, whisk together liquids and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss to combine.
If you need more liquid, I recommend adding lime juice first and then if it is still too dry, a little more oil. Grapeseed oil definitely works best with this due to its thinner consistency and very light flavor. You could substitute olive oil, but I would use a little more lime juice to balance it out.